We present herein our perspective of a novel Small Habitats Matrix (SHM) concept showing how small habitats on private lands are untapped but can be valuable for mitigating ecological degradation. Grounded by the realities in Sabah, Malaysian Borneo, we model a discontinuous “stepping stones” linkage that includes both terrestrial and aquatic habitats to illustrate exactly how the SHM can be deployed. Taken together, the SHM is expected to optimize the meta-population vitality in monoculture landscapes for aerial, arboreal, terrestrial and aquatic wildlife communities. We also provide the tangible cost estimates and discuss how such a concept is both economically affordable and plausible to complement global conservation initiatives. By proposing a practical approach to conservation in the rapidly developing tropics, we present a perspective from “ground zero” that reaches out to fellow scientists, funders, activists and pro-environmental land owners who often ask, “What more can we do?”

我们在此展示了我们对新的小型栖息地矩阵 (SHM) 概念的看法，该概念展示了私人土地上的小型栖息地是如何未被开发的，但对于缓解生态退化可能是有价值的。基于马来西亚婆罗洲沙巴的现实，我们模拟了一个不连续的“垫脚石”连接，包括陆地和水生栖息地，以准确说明如何部署 SHM。总之，SHM 有望优化空中、树栖、陆地和水生野生动物群落的单一栽培景观中的元种群活力。我们还提供了有形成本估算，并讨论了这样一个概念如何既经济实惠又合理地补充全球保护倡议。通过提出在快速发展的热带地区进行保护的实用方法，