Taman Mini theme park urban forest for water birds

Taman Mini theme park urban forest for water birds

Bambang Parlupi, Jakarta

Taman Mini Indonesia Indah (TMII) is one of Jakarta's "urban
forests", with its unique location for water birds.

The East Jakarta tourist destination offers its lakes and
swamps as habitat for these water fowls, which feed on fish and
other water biota.

Visitors can watch the birds singly or in flocks around the
pools located in the middle and on the fringes of the Taman Mini
recreation center, particularly as they feed in the morning and
afternoon.

Taman Burung, the bird park in TMII, is reason behind the
continued existence of dozens of water bird species in this urban
forest. According to Widyabrata, the park's bird collection
officer, in the early 1990s this conservation center released
about 300 birds from its captive breeding program, including
kowak malam abu (black-crowned night heron), kuntul kerbau
(cattle egret), kuntul kecil (little egret/Egretta garzetta) and
pecuk padi (little black cormorant/Phalacrocorax sulcirostris).

The birds returned to the wild were able to survive by nesting
in tall trees and their populations just kept growing, with a
steep increase noted during 1996 to 1998 by Widyabrata, who has
worked at the park for 15 years.

"Their numbers once reached more than a thousand. Nearly all
tall trees like casuarina and spruce were packed with their
nests, covering the ground below with bird feathers, bits of food
and droppings," he said.

Populations have been dropping over the last few years,
however. Widyabrata said that only around 100 were left, with
black-crowned night herons and cattle egrets registering a
drastic decline in numbers.

"The birds continue to nest and reproduce on palm, casuarina,
coconut and kepuh trees," said Widyabrata.

According to his observations, the drastic population decline
is due first, to the loss of lakes, marshes irrigated paddy
fields in Jakarta, especially around TMII, with these former
wetlands being converted into settlements, roads and industrial
areas.

"The birds may also be vanishing as a result of hunting
activities for their meat, and also because they are considered
pests," the biology graduate from Jakarta's National University
maintained. The other cause is that the birds may be joining up
with flocks of wild fowl, or migrating to coastal areas.

When swamps and paddy fields were still found around TMII,
Taman Burung's water birds fed there. Now most of these birds
have to fly to Cileungsi, Bogor, at about six in the morning to
seek more food and return to their nests in the park.

Further to this, the park used to provide live fish even for
wild birds, while now it can only afford to supply dead fish in
reduced quantities. Food can positively affect bird
reproduction," he added.

Protected areas
On the other hand, TMII does serve to protect the continued
existence of water birds. The nesting areas of certain species
are hard to reach and well guarded, so that hunting and poaching
of young birds almost never happens.

The resemblance of TMII to the birds' natural habitat makes
them feel at home. "There are marshy areas, nesting woodlands,
food supplies and living organisms in it," he said.

Citing another example, Widyabrata referred to the Ragunan Zoo
as an urban forest turned tourist destination, where water birds
are still present. It would be very appropriate for these areas
to become protected zones for endangered wildlife species.

Several lakes located in the Scout Camping Grounds in Cibubur
also attract lots of water fowl, which usually flock to the pools
for fish rather than for breeding purposes.

Yet another water bird habitat is the conservation tourism
zone in the Bogor Botanical Garden. A six-month research program
conducted by Fransisca Noni Tirtaningtyas from the Bio Bird Club
in 2004 observed 56 bird species in the area, at least five of
which were water birds.

Among the species in Bogor that are protected by the
government are the black-crowned night heron, kuntuk besar (great
egret/Egretta alba) and cekakak Jawa (Javan kingfisher/Halcyon
cyanoventris).

Black-crowned night herons have the largest population of
around 300, which, according to Noni, a bird watcher and member
of Sahabat Buring Indonesia (BirdLife Indonesia), fly in flocks
to Jakarta Bay between 5 p.m. and 6 p.m., returning to the
botanical garden at 5 a.m. to 6 a.m. The unique presence of these
herons has draws thousands of tourists to the area.
(The writer is a member of BirdLife Indonesia)