Unchecked illegal trade goes on in Birds of Paradise<\/p>\n
By Simon Sinaga<\/p>\n
TIMIKA, Irian Jaya (JP): It is easy to locate exotic birds
\nsuch as parrots and cockatoos for sale in a back section of the
\nbustling Timika market. But the much sought-after Bird of
\nParadise from the southern part of Irian Jaya is not sold openly.<\/p>\n
A few discreet inquiries, however, and one bird trader offered
\nto have a Bird of Paradise, known here as cendrawasih, home
\ndelivered. The trader said he would wait for local people to
\noffer him one, or ask cash-poor locals to venture into the jungle
\nto hunt for one of the 42 species of the endangered bird.<\/p>\n
Traders also often head to houses in upmarket neighborhoods
\nwhere the owners might be open to buying stuffed cendrawasih at
\nprices ranging from Rp 700,000 to more than Rp 1 million. And
\nprices can be twice as much depending on the size and rarity of
\nthe species.<\/p>\n
\"Trade and hunting of the Bird of Paradise and other exotic
\nbirds is intensifying. Hunters and traders vary from ordinary
\nindividuals, traditional people, state officials and big
\ntraders,\" the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) for Timika said in
\na statement promoting a Bird of Paradise awareness campaign.<\/p>\n
\"Even though it is protected under Indonesian law and its
\nsurvival is endangered in Papua, the bird is threatened by
\nlucrative and irresponsible trade.\"<\/p>\n
The WWF Bioregion Sahul division for Irian Jaya only opened
\nits Timika office three months ago. Staff member Julens Waromi
\nsaid Timika is increasingly important because this boom town of
\nMimika regency could well become a major exit point for illegal
\nwildlife trade.<\/p>\n
It already is for birds. Abel Refasi, head of Mimika forestry
\nagency, said most birds taken out of Irian Jaya were shipped out
\nof Timika. \"There is just no control of the bird trade at
\nTimika's public sea ports,\" he said, attributing the problem to a
\nshortage of manpower and facilities.<\/p>\n
He added that many birds were also brought in from Agats and
\nother places in Merauke regency.<\/p>\n
Plumage<\/p>\n
The Bird of Paradise, which lives in a range of territories,
\nfrom coastal mangrove forests to cool mountain areas, has been
\nadmired for hundreds of years for its beautiful plumage.<\/p>\n
Aristocrats in Turkey and France, who wore their feathers as
\nfashion accessories in the 16th century, thought the plumes came
\nfrom mythical birds which were immortal. Chinese traders reported
\nthat the birds lived in the air and always turned to the sun,
\nonly descending to the Earth to die.<\/p>\n
Europe used to be the main market for the plumes, used for
\nwomen's hats and accessories. Trade in the plumes reached its
\npeak in the late 19th century. Plumes from more than 50,000 birds
\nwere exported every year, generally to Paris for capes and hats.<\/p>\n
By the 1920s, with the bird population decimated, the Dutch
\nstopped the trade. The most common species, living in the
\nlowlands, are the largest and smallest birds, with yellow heads
\nand mantles composed of short soft feathers. These birds make
\nloud gong-like calls.<\/p>\n
Among the very rare species, which are also the ones most
\ndesired by traders, are the white-tailed, or ribbon-tailed, and
\nthe Blue Bird of Paradise.<\/p>\n
The recovery in bird numbers did not last long. The Indonesian
\ngovernment only officially outlawed trade in the birds and
\ncertain species of parrot and cockatoos in 1990. These species
\nhave also been listed under the CITES (Convention on
\nInternational Trade in Endangered Species) as prohibited for
\ninternational trade.<\/p>\n
And as Irian Jaya becomes more open to outsiders, bird hunting
\nis on the rise. Those involved in the hunts reportedly include
\nlocal people, military and police personnel, government officials
\nand professional bird traders.<\/p>\n
The modus operandi has always been for outsiders to buy from
\nlocal people, or have locals catch the birds by paying them a
\npittance. Locals are needed because the birds are notoriously
\nskittish.<\/p>\n
Local people sell the birds for as much as several hundred
\nthousand rupiah to as low as Rp 100,000 (less than US$10),
\ndepending on individual knowledge of the birds' value and urgency
\nfor cash.<\/p>\n
Local people also use the plumes as headdresses and
\naccessories at tribal gatherings and cultural events. WWF's
\nWaromi said use by local people for cultural rituals is not
\nprohibited under the law.<\/p>\n
\"It has been like that for a long time. The use is minimal and
\nhappens only at certain times of the year. Not all local people
\nuse plumes at cultural ceremonies and gatherings,\" he explained.<\/p>\n
It is trade by outsiders that poses a danger to survival of
\nthe Bird of Paradise and other species.<\/p>\n
\"Every time a navy ship leaves Irian Jaya, it is like a zoo of
\nbirds inside,\" a source close to the military said.<\/p>\n
While birds such as parrots and cockatoos largely end up in
\nthe domestic market, overseas trade of the Bird of Paradise has
\ncontinued. The WWF said the Bird of Paradise were shipped to Riau
\nislands and Batam before proceeding to Singapore to supply the
\nblack market there.<\/p>\n
The WWF Bioregion Sahul division last conducted a population
\nsurvey of the Bird of Paradise in 1994. It estimated the
\npopulation in Yappen Waropen, the regency that faces Cendrawasih
\nBay where the birds are supposedly most common, at 6.3 birds per
\n100 hectares.<\/p>\n
Multiplying it with the size of the bird areas in Waropen and
\nnearby forests, the total comes to 13,185 birds.<\/p>\n
Based on the 1994 survey, it is assumed that the total
\npopulation of the birds in Irian Jaya reaches no more than
\n50,000. If half of that total is female, we can expect 25,000
\nhatchlings every year, and assuming 20 percent of them reach
\nmaturity, there is an increase of 5,000 birds a year. However,
\nshould disturbance of the birds' natural habitat and hunting
\ncontinue at the present level, 10,000 birds will disappear every
\nyear, meaning there will be only 2,500 Bird of Paradise remaining
\nin 2004, a WWF statement warned.<\/p>\n
There does not appear to be any attempt by anyone or local
\nauthorities to check the illegal transportation or trade of the
\nbirds out of Indonesia's eastern-most province. Waromi said that
\nduring his two year stint as WWF officer in the Wamena highlands
\nand now Timika, he has failed to see any effort to curb illegal
\nbird capture and trade. \"It is as free as the birds fly,\" he
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
The ruggedness and remoteness of many parts of Irian Jaya have
\nalways been an excuse for lack of control relating to many issues
\nin the region. Local officials have continued to complain of
\nmanpower and financial shortages preventing them from curbing the
\ntrade. The increasing attention on the part of Papuan politicians
\nand lawmakers on local popular politics has added greater
\nignorance to the birds' future.<\/p>\n
It is not only the Bird of Paradise species that smugglers and
\nbird traders covet from Irian Jaya. Parrots, cockatoos and
\ncassowaries have been popular at bird markets in Jakarta and
\nSurabaya.<\/p>\n
Continued trade in the birds worries people like Waromi and
\nRefasi because of its effect on the local culture.<\/p>\n
\"It has been a symbol of pride for locals and others who have
\nbeen living on this Papuan land. The loss of the bird is the loss
\nof the very identity of Papuans,\" said Waromi.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/unchecked-illegal-trade-goes-on-in-birds-of-paradise-1447893297",
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