Papua still a bird smuggler's paradise

Papua still a bird smuggler's paradise

Dean Yates, Reuters, Sentani, Papua

Laying out satellite maps and topographical charts, Dr John Manangsang outlines his vision for a bird sanctuary in Indonesia's Papua province, home to some of the rarest tropical species in the world.

In an aviary just outside his medical surgery, two birds of paradise with distinctive yellow and white tail feathers tuck into a fruit breakfast. A deep-blue mambruk, which looks like a peacock, lumbers past as multi-colored parrots fly overhead.

Six years ago, Manangsang found a new use for his surgical skills when people began bringing in birds that had been shot or speared by poachers, victims of an illegal trade in restive Papua which environmentalists fear could threaten rare species, including birds of paradise, with extinction.

"Birds and people can live together, that's what we want," said Manangsang, tracing his finger around the proposed sanctuary in a nature reserve near the Papuan lakeside town of Sentani.

But while a fifth of Papua is national parkland or nature reserve, stopping the smuggling of hundreds of protected birds a month -- some from these areas -- is complicated because soldiers and officials are involved, environmentalists said.

There is also little attempt to involve local communities in the preservation of the protected birds in Papua, a biodiversity goldmine nearly the size of France, they added.

Environmentalists say these are the sort of issues that have to be tackled at a World Parks Congress to be held from Sept. 8 to Sept. 17 in the South African city of Durban. There, the future of the world's parks and other protected areas will come under the spotlight.

"The trade in birds is very saddening because it is so large. Unfortunately this is carried out by officials and soldiers," said Roberth Mandosir, a senior officer in Papua with Walhi, Indonesia's most respected environmental group.

"When troops go home it's like a bird market on their ships."

Besides having 650 species of birds, Papua is one of two separatist hotspots in Indonesia, and thousands of poorly paid soldiers serve on this western half of the island of New Guinea.

Environmentalists said soldiers were taking birds from Papua to sell to traders or give as presents. Jakarta officials also liked birds -- alive or stuffed -- as souvenirs, they said.

The result was an imbalance in the ecology that was hurting reproduction, environmentalists said.

Papua military commander Major-General Zainal Nurdin said he was committed to stopping any smuggling of birds. He said when troops arrived, they were told which species were protected. There could be isolated cases, but this was minor, he said.

"If they (troops) are going to leave by ship, I search their belongings," Nurdin said in an interview.

Environmentalists say protected birds being smuggled out include black-capped lories, cockatoos, birds of paradise and various parrots.

Indonesians love birds. Souvenir shopkeepers here sell stuffed birds of paradise under the table. On sale openly are tribal headdresses replete with birds of paradise tail feathers.

Trade in birds of paradise was banned back in 1924 but has never stopped. Their plumes have been traded for centuries.

Environmentalists said no one had been prosecuted under laws that prohibit trade in protected birds.

"The forestry department has police but the military has more power," said Roy Rindorindo, senior communication officer at the World Wide Fund for Nature in Papua.

Soldiers buy cockatoos or parrots for as little as $10 and sell them for up to seven times that in Jakarta, he said.

Besides troops, other vessels take on extra cargo for a fee at points across Papua, Rindorindo said.

He said some of the 27 species of birds of paradise in Papua could face extinction if illegal trade kept growing.

There are three national parks in Papua and 32 nature reserves. Many don't have management plans.

Environmentalists said getting local people involved in park management so they felt responsible for conservation was vital.

The Swiss-based IUCN -- the World Conservation Union, which is helping organize the Durban meeting -- has said too many local people see protected areas as a barrier to their activities, while too many protected areas only exist on paper.

One Papuan national park that has a management plan is Wasur, near the border with Papua New Guinea.

To improve local livelihoods, Rindorindo said the WWF was working there with local people who extracted oil from trees in the park which is used to cure ailments. The WWF was helping with marketing in return for cooperation in looking after the park.

Back at Manangsang's surgery, the 40-year-old doctor said he has treated scores of birds, and wants to build a much larger facility in the nature reserve.

But he has had little interest from the government in the plan. The larger aviary could be used to educate the public. "This just might help make a small difference," he said.