A compact workflow for determining umbrella species

Baluran National Park, Indonesia, is a savanna–forest mosaic increasingly shaped by the invasive tree Acacia nilotica , free-ranging livestock, resource extraction, and wildlife poaching pressures that erode habitat structure, prey availability, and carnivore persistence. We asked whether a transparent, evidence-based umbrella species workflow could align limited management effort with broader mammal community gains. We paired a park-wide 1 × 1 km camera-trap survey (101 stations; 101 km 2 ) with a seven-criteria framework. Co-occurrence was quantified from the camera-trap data, whereas the remaining criteria were informed by literature review and expert consultation, covering natural history knowledge, home range size, IUCN Red List category, management relevance, disturbance sensitivity, and monitoring feasibility. Of 101 stations, 56 yielded usable data (1591 trap-nights) after losses, damage, and malfunctions; we detected 13 terrestrial mammal species and scored nine large-bodied species with ≥5 independent detections. Banteng ( Bos javanicus javanicus ) and Javan leopard ( Panthera pardus melas ) emerged as the top park-scale umbrella species based on composite scores, reflecting strong management leverage coupled with feasible monitoring. Because assumptions, indicator mappings, and tie rules are explicit, the workflow is auditable, repeatable on the same grid, and portable to similar Indonesian parks after site-specific calibration. In a resource-constrained setting, a multi-species umbrella anchored by banteng and Javan leopard offers a practical way to link day-to-day savanna restoration actions, waterhole management, prey recovery, and targeted patrols with broader biodiversity outcomes at park scale.