THE STATE OF CONSERVATION OF MALAYSIA’S LAND SNAILS
This report addresses a conservation crisis that has dramatically escalated since its initial mention in the State of Nature Conservation (SoNC) reports published in 1961and 1991. Land snails (Gastropoda), a group typically overlooked in conservation discourse, are now revealed to be a compelling example of neglected invertebrates and a clear case for conservation urgency in Malaysia. Early explorers and scientists, whose work dates back to the early 19th century, laid the foundation for our current knowledge. Even before systematic study, they noted the extremely high species richness and endemism of land snails, particularly within isolated ecosystems like the limestone karst outcrops in the 1961 SoNC. The 1991 SoNC report further confirmed their extraordinary diversity and vulnerability, highlighting that the extraction of limestone posed a major threat, and warned that unique local species faced extinction before they could even be described. Since 1991, systematic surveys have enabled significant progress, expanding the known land snail diversity to an estimated over 1,000 species across Peninsular Malaysia, Sabah, and Sarawak. While we revisit the intertwined conservation issue of land snails and the limestone ecosystem, we also describe the high endemism of land snails in montane highlands, another isolated ecosystem that was not addressed in the earlier SoNC reports. Furthermore, some of Malaysia’s land snails are now officially catalogued on the IUCN Red List. Land snails are the most severely threatened terrestrial animal in Malaysia, accounting for the nation’s only Globally Extinct species and holding a staggering 28 Critically Endangered (CR) species, equal to all terrestrial vertebrate animals listed as CR in Malaysia. Lastly, this report details ongoing land snail conservation work, using comprehensive data on land snails and ecosystems to identify and provide clear ways forward for prioritising limestone and montane endemic hotspots against the dual threats of habitat loss and global warming.
ASSOC. PROF. DR. LIEW THOR SENG
Institute for Tropical Biology and Conservation,
Universiti Malaysia Sabah
Associate Professor Dr Liew Thor Seng is a researcher at the Institute for Tropical Biology and Conservation, Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS). He received his PhD from Leiden University, the Netherlands, and holds an MSc and BSc in Conservation Biology and Spatial Ecology from UMS. With over 20 years of research experience on Malaysia’s land snails, his work encompasses taxonomy, biogeography, evolution, and conservation. His research focuses on isolated ecosystems, namely, limestone outcrops, islands, and montane regions, where he has described more than 100 new species and published over 30 papers in international journals. Dr Liew also leads national efforts to document and assess Malaysia’s limestone ecosystems, integrating biodiversity science with conservation planning and policy. He serves as a member of the IUCN Species Survival Commission (SSC) Mollusca Specialist Group, where he contributes to the assessment and listing of Malaysia’s land snails on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.