Projecting genetic diversity and population viability for the fragmented orang-utan population in the Kinabatangan floodplain, Sabah, Malaysia

Genetic management of fragmented populations poses logistical and theoretical challenges to conservation managers. Simulating changes in genetic diversity and differentiation within and among fragmented population units under different management scenarios has until now rarely used molecular marker data collected from present-day populations. Here we examine the genetic implications of management options for the highly fragmented yet globally significant orang-utan population in the Lower Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary, Sabah, Malaysia. We simulated the effects of non-intervention, translocation, corridor establishment and a mixture of the latter 2 approaches on future genetic diversity in this population using the stochastic simulation software VORTEX and a well-described molecular dataset for 200 individuals from within the Sanctuary. We found that non-intervention resulted in high extinction risks for a number of subpopulations over short demographic timescales (