Unique birds survive on forgotten islands<\/p>\n
By Paul Jepson<\/p>\n
BOGOR, West Java (JP): The remote Sangihe and Talaud islands,
\nlocated mid-way between North Sulawesi and the Philippines, are
\ncapturing the attention of the global ornithological and
\nconservation community following a series of remarkable
\ndiscoveries and a ground-breaking community conservation
\ncampaign.<\/p>\n
Discovering a new bird species is a rare event. Only eight new
\nbird species have been found in Asia in the last 15 years. Yet,
\nremarkably, three of these were found on Sangihe and Talaud in
\n1996 by Dr. Frank Lambert, now of BirdLife International. He made
\nthe discoveries while conducting a status assessment of the
\nbeautiful red and blue lory, a species unique to these islands
\nand on the edge of extinction because of trapping for the pet
\ntrade.<\/p>\n
Admittedly, one of these new species -- the Sangihe scops owl
\n-- was collected by an expedition last century but the specimens
\nlay forgotten and undescribed in the bowels of the Lieden Museum
\nin the Netherlands, until Dr. Lambert noted that the owl had a
\ndifferent call from mainland populations. As a result the old
\nspecimens were scrutinized and discovered to be a distinct
\nspecies.<\/p>\n
The other two species are totally new. Dr. Lambert describes
\nhow he completed a hat-trick of discoveries:<\/p>\n
"I had only been on Talaud one hour and was riding in the
\nfront of a bus when I saw a big rail casually walk across the
\nroad. Although I had only brief views I knew it was from a family
\nunknown to the islands.<\/p>\n
"A few days later, when trying to relocate the rail, I
\nglimpsed an unknown bush hen. When I asked villagers about these
\nbirds, they told me that they occasionally caught the rail for
\nfood. A month later I visited the market in the town of Beo, and
\nto my amazement found both species for sale.<\/p>\n
"On close examination it was clear to me that the rail was a
\nspecies new to science, but I had to check out museum specimens
\nbefore I could be sure the bush hen was also new."<\/p>\n
New species apart, it is the rediscovery of the Cerulean
\nparadise flycatcher, thought extinct for the last two decades,
\nthat has really caught the attention of conservationists. Perhaps
\nthis is because the extinction of a species invariably reflects
\nhumanity's inability to set limits and respect the rights to
\nsurvival of non-human life forms. For those who think about these
\nthings, the "rediscovery" of an extinct species is like getting a
\nsecond chance. The paradise flycatcher was found by Action
\nSampiri, a conservation project that started life as an English-
\nIndonesian student expedition funded through a British Petroleum
\nconservation program last October, during their third visit to
\nthe islands. As if to prove that major ornithological discoveries
\nhappen when you are not trying, team member Anus D. MacKoweal
\ncame across the flycatcher when he went to collect water for the
\nfield camp.<\/p>\n
All these birds are just part of an assemblage of unique
\nspecies confined to the islands, which also host another five
\nunique birds, at least four unique mammals, and the stunning
\nTalaud birdwing butterfly. All are dependent on the forest, but
\non Sangihe especially, most of the forest was converted to
\ncoconut plantations in the 1930s, and what remains is being
\nsteadily cleared for farms and gardens.<\/p>\n
Action Sampiri (Sampiri is the local name for the red and blue
\nlory) has been working to secure the survival of Sangihe and
\nTalaud's unique wildlife through a conservation campaign to
\nstrengthen people's "sense of place". The dominant conservation
\nparadigm of the last decade in Indonesia has been the belief that
\npeople will conserve biodiversity if it is in their economic
\ninterest to do so.<\/p>\n
A weakness of this approach is that communities are rarely a
\ncohesive whole and the short-term benefits to an individual of
\nexploiting nature invariably out-way longer-term benefits of
\nsustainable use. In contrast, the Action Sampiri approach is to
\npromote conservation through building local pride.<\/p>\n
Through school visits, community discussions and radio and
\nposter campaigns Action Sampiri is helping the islanders to
\nappreciate their homeland for what it is -- a beautiful, unique
\nand special place.<\/p>\n
"When we first arrived, people were amazed to hear that we
\ndidn't have red and blue lories in London. At first people found
\nit hard to conceive that species of bird could be confined to a
\nsingle island group, but once they understood they became really
\ninterested and keen to know more," explained John Riley, the
\nproject's research officer.<\/p>\n
"Basically, I think they see themselves as forgotten nobodies
\nin the vastness of Indonesia. Our message about unique and
\nspecial birds gives them a sense of identity and pride in their
\nisland."<\/p>\n
This strengthened "sense of place" is leading to the emergence
\nof customs of environmental stewardship. For example, the people
\nof Talaud have designated the red and blue lory their island
\nsymbol. The regent is preparing to issue a decree to give it
\nprotection and incidents of trapping and trade are in decline.<\/p>\n
Community leaders have recently come forward to propose that
\nthe local forestry department devolve authority to villagers to
\nact as forest stewards. Action Sampiri is showing that local
\npride, as much as financial incentives, can catalyze a local
\nmovement for conservation. Some see Action Sampiri's public
\nawareness campaign as a "cutting-edge" conservation approach,
\nothers argue it is an example of the conservation movement
\nrediscovering its roots.<\/p>\n
-- The writer is a consultant at BirdLife Indonesia.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/unique-birds-survive-on-forgotten-islands-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }