Small birds are big news for national conservation

By John Aglionby

BOGOR, West Java (JP): Like most discoveries it happened by accident. While lying flat on his back 1,400 meters up a mountain in the jungle on the Moluccan island of Buru, Michael Poulsen saw a curious creature scampering up and down a tree trunk.

Even though they had not been observed for more than 70 years, Poulsen, an ornithologist with the non-governmental organization Birdlife International, immediately recognized the two sparrow- sized olive-green and gray birds with striking orange throats as White-eyed flycatchers, a species unique to the island.

"It was not at all what we expected," Poulsen said. "Flycatchers are small birds that are very acrobatic and usually jump around very quickly from branch to branch. But these never went out to the leaves."

This sighting took place at the end of last year, and is one of five such rediscoveries in Indonesia in the last 15 months. The others are the Invisible Rail, which was seen for the first time since 1948 in a sago swamp on the island of Halmahera, in the Moluccas; the Lompobattang Flycatcher, named after the mountain of the same name in South Sulawesi and not seen since 1931; the Caerulean Paradise Flycatcher, confined to the small island of Sangihe off North Sulawesi and not seen since 1978 and the Streaky-breasted Jungle-flycatcher, another species unique to Buru and not seen since 1921.

Poulsen admits that the birds themselves may be of little interest to non-ornithologists, but stresses that the implications of the rediscoveries are important. "It's exciting to think that there still things out there that are barely known, or even unknown, to science."

Derek Holmes, editor of Kulika, the journal of the Indonesian Ornithological Society, agrees that these sightings show that we may not yet be aware of all the animals on the planet. He said: "I think there's a very good chance of finding new species. They're not going to be exciting species with beautiful colors but small brown jobs that live deep in forest undergrowth and will probably only be of interest to scientists."

The rediscoveries and the work of Birdlife International's Indonesia program have helped rejuvenate interest in ornithology and protecting wildlife in Indonesia. Program coordinator Paul Jepson said: "People do seem to be taking an interest and pride in the birds in their communities, particularly when they are told that the species are found nowhere else in the world.

"For instance the Directorate General of Forest Protection and Nature Conservation responded quickly to the rediscovery of the Invisible Rail by writing to the governor of the Moluccas and district officer of Halmahera requesting their assistance to help ensure that the rail was protected until further surveys are completed."

Birdlife has also established a network of 41 bird clubs throughout the country to promote bird-watching. Jepson said: "Many of these clubs existed anyway but there was little coordination between them and little knowledge of what was happening in different parts of the country."

The success of the program was demonstrated last week when President Soeharto was given a copy of Birdlife's latest book on the birds of Indonesia by Minister of Forestry Djamaludin Suryohadikusumo.

All those involved, however, believe the impact of the rediscoveries will go well beyond the world of the ornithologists.

Raising environmental awareness in outlying areas is a case in point. John Riley, leader of the team that saw the Caerulean Paradise Flycatcher, is returning to Sangihe and the neighboring island of Talaud later this month on a six-month expedition to teach the locals the importance of conserving their surroundings.

He said: "In the West conservation awareness is advanced through the work of many NGOs but here many people still do not appreciate the importance of conserving species' habitats and local biodiversity."

With the help of scientists from Sam Ratulangi University in Manado, Riley's team is hoping to teach the concepts of agricultural sustainability and the benefits that can be gained from conserving the environment.

National development planning, particularly in connection with which locations should be protected on account of their rich biodiversity (the variety of plant and animal species present), is another area where the work of organizations such as Birdlife can play a part.

The World Bank's biodiversity expert Dr. Kathy MacKinnon, on a visit to Indonesia last week, said: "Indonesia is probably the second most biodiverse country in the world but a major problem is that people are not aware of how special it is and how important conservation is here."

Indonesia, home to 17 percent of the world's species of birds, has had a national conservation plan for 15 years and much of it has been implemented. But, MacKinnon said: "While more people, including government ministers, are becoming interested in conservation, there needs to be more coordination to ensure development continues in the most appropriate manner."

Jepson said: "Masses of money is being invested into biodiversity conservation but the planning for it is based on a very incomplete understanding of what is there. So how do the planners know if they are making the right decisions?

"That is why baseline surveys of species, and by implication the rediscoveries, are important. By knowing which habitats are the most biodiversely rich planners are able to act much more effectively."