Kelimpahan Spesies, Sebaran, dan Status Konservasi Musang (Ordo Carnivora) di Stasiun Penelitian Soraya Kawasan Ekosistem Leuser, Subulussalam

Civets are small carnivores that play important ecological roles; however, their local abundance and distribution in the Leuser Ecosystem remain poorly studied. This study aims to identify the species, abundance, distribution pattern, and conservation status of civets (Carnivora) at Soraya Research Station, Leuser Ecosystem Area. Exploration and camera-trapping methods were employed over a three-month period (February–April 2025), using five camera-trap units that were rotated monthly among three observation trails (Trail W in the first month, Trail Z in the second, and Trail N in the third). The results identified five civet species: Asian Palm Civet (Paradoxurus hermaphroditus), Banded Linsang (Prionodon linsang), Yellow-throated Marten (Martes flavigula), Banded Palm Civet (Hemigalus derbyanus), and Masked Palm Civet (Paguma larvata). The highest relative abundance was recorded for Paradoxurus hermaphroditus (RAI = 0.89%), with a distribution pattern that tended toward clumped but did not differ significantly from random (Morisita Index = 1.2; χ² = 3.8 < 5.99). Hemigalus derbyanus is listed as Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List, while the other four species are categorized as Least Concern. Only Prionodon linsang is protected under Indonesian national regulation; two species (Hemigalus derbyanus and Prionodon linsang) are listed in CITES Appendix II and three (Paguma larvata, Martes flavigula, and Paradoxurus hermaphroditus) in Appendix III. This study confirms the importance of Soraya Research Station as a civet habitat of high conservation value and provides the first species-specific baseline data on civets at this site.