Monitoring Mechanism for Effective Management of Wildlife Meat Resources and Markets in Sabah, Malaysia

ASM Sc. J., 21(1), 2026

Published on June 12, 2026

https://doi.org/10.32802/asmscj.2026.2000

Author: Rayzigerson Rodney, Mohd Soffian Abu Bakar, Thor Seng Liew, Benoit Goossens

Abstract

The relationship between humans and wildlife has existed for thousands of years, with hunting being the most fundamental aspect. Borneo, especially Sabah, is known to be one of the hotspots for legal and illegal wildlife trade and consumption. In 2016, the Sabah Wildlife Department (SWD) introduced the wildlife market logbook for wildlife meat suppliers. Data from the West Coast (WCD) and Interior Division (IRD) wildlife market logbooks from 2016 to 2019 were analysed to examine the status of the wildlife market in terms of wildlife meat species and the temporal patterns of supply and demand in the different areas. Until now, there has been no proper centralised system for the baseline data to monitor the trend of legal wildlife markets in Sabah. A total of 122.4 tonnes of wildlife meat was extracted from the forests, primarily comprising bearded pigs (Sus barbatus) and sambar deer (Rusa unicolor) for a duration of four years (2016 to 2019). In the WCD, the largest amount of game meat was bought in May and December, while IRD was in February and April. This shows that there is always a supply when there is a demand, even outside of the festive months. This study showed that the logbook is an important tool in monitoring the legal wild meat market, but its effectiveness depends on data management conducted by the SWD. In conclusion, this highlights the intricate dynamics of human-wildlife interactions and the challenges inherent in monitoring the trade in wildlife in Sabah.

Keywords: interior division, logbook, market, west coast, wild meat, wildlife