Species Use Database

Malayan porcupine
Hystrix brachyura

Used for Food and feed, Medicine and hygiene, Keeping/companionship/display and Decorative and aesthetic in Jawa and Sumatera

A. Species

Scientific name: Hystrix brachyura

Common name(s): Malayan porcupine

Global IUCN Red List Threat Status: Least Concern


B. Location of use

Geographic location(s):

  • Jawa
  • Sumatera

Country/Region: Indonesia


C. Scale of assessment

Scale of assessment: National Level

Name/Details of location: Sumatra, Java and surrounding islands


D. Timescale of use

Start Year: 2013

End Year: 2020


E. Information about the use

How is the wild species sourced?: Wild species sourced from its natural habitat

Type of use: Extractive

Practice of use: Hunting and/or Trapping of live terrestrial and aerial animals

Lethal or non-lethal: Non-Lethal

Does this use involve take/extraction of: The whole entire organism

Purpose(s) of end use: Food and feed, Medicine and hygiene, Keeping/companionship/display and Decorative and aesthetic

Motivation of use: Basic subsistence, Income generation from trade (individual/household/community), Largescale commercial exploitation for trade and Recreational

Is this use legal or illegal?: Some use is legal and some is illegal


F. Information about the Users

Which stakeholder(s) does the record primarily focus on?: Local people and National external


G. Information about the sustainability of use

Is there evidence that the use is having an impact on the target species?: Wild species sourced from its natural habitat

Has an assessment (or judgement) of sustainability of the use of the target species from an ecological perspective been recorded?: No, sustainability not determined

Has an assessment (or judgement) of sustainability of the use of the target species from an economic perspective been recorded?: No, sustainability not determined

Has an assessment (or judgement) of sustainability of the use of the target species from a social perspective been recorded?: Yes, considered unsustainable

Details of assessment carried out: This study

Brief summary on why the use has been assessed/judged to be sustainable or unsustainable: The study concludes that porcupines face a multitude of threats in Indonesia – habitat loss, retaliatory killings, targeted hunting for commercial trade. Furthermore, the study advocates that it is crucial that all porcupines be listed as protected species under Indonesian wildlife laws to improve regulation and enforcement against illegal trade. The syllogism is thus that this exploitation and trade is not socially sustainable (few financial details are provided).

Has an assessment (or judgement) of sustainability of the use of the target species from a human health perspective been recorded?: No, sustainability not determined

Has an assessment (or judgement) of sustainability of the use of the target species from an animal health/welfare perspective been recorded?: Yes, considered unsustainable

Details of assessment carried out: This study

Brief summary on why the use has been assessed/judged to be sustainable or unsustainable: Porcupines suffer when trapped and transported.


Recommendations provided in the record to maintain or enhance the sustainability of the use of the target species

Listing all porcupine species in Appendix II of CITES should be considered. Indonesian wildlife laws to improve regulation and enforcement against illegal trade. Greater resources should also be channelled to improving wildlife regulations, enforcement and scrutiny relating to the uptake of wild animals including species currently without formal protection. A thorough examination of the commercial trade of porcupines is warranted so that appropriate mitigation measures can be developed to protect porcupines from unsustainable and illegal exploitation. More in–depth research is similarly needed to understand porcupine population dynamics in Indonesia to improve understanding of their conservation status, to assess and establish harvest quotas essential for ensuring sustainable trade, and in general to monitor the overall impacts of commercial trade on wild populations.


Record source

Information about the record source: scientific_pub

Date of publication/issue/production: 2021-01-01T00:00:00+0000

Source Reference(s):

Gomez L (2021) The illegal hunting and exploitation of porcupines for meat and medicine in Indonesia.
Nature Conservation 43: 109–122.
https://doi.org/10.3897/natureconservation.43.6275o

Date of record entry: 2022-12-01