Unique birds survive on forgotten islands

Unique birds survive on forgotten islands

By Paul Jepson

BOGOR, West Java (JP): The remote Sangihe and Talaud islands,
located mid-way between North Sulawesi and the Philippines, are
capturing the attention of the global ornithological and
conservation community following a series of remarkable
discoveries and a ground-breaking community conservation
campaign.

Discovering a new bird species is a rare event. Only eight new
bird species have been found in Asia in the last 15 years. Yet,
remarkably, three of these were found on Sangihe and Talaud in
1996 by Dr. Frank Lambert, now of BirdLife International. He made
the discoveries while conducting a status assessment of the
beautiful red and blue lory, a species unique to these islands
and on the edge of extinction because of trapping for the pet
trade.

Admittedly, one of these new species -- the Sangihe scops owl
-- was collected by an expedition last century but the specimens
lay forgotten and undescribed in the bowels of the Lieden Museum
in the Netherlands, until Dr. Lambert noted that the owl had a
different call from mainland populations. As a result the old
specimens were scrutinized and discovered to be a distinct
species.

The other two species are totally new. Dr. Lambert describes
how he completed a hat-trick of discoveries:

"I had only been on Talaud one hour and was riding in the
front of a bus when I saw a big rail casually walk across the
road. Although I had only brief views I knew it was from a family
unknown to the islands.

"A few days later, when trying to relocate the rail, I
glimpsed an unknown bush hen. When I asked villagers about these
birds, they told me that they occasionally caught the rail for
food. A month later I visited the market in the town of Beo, and
to my amazement found both species for sale.

"On close examination it was clear to me that the rail was a
species new to science, but I had to check out museum specimens
before I could be sure the bush hen was also new."

New species apart, it is the rediscovery of the Cerulean
paradise flycatcher, thought extinct for the last two decades,
that has really caught the attention of conservationists. Perhaps
this is because the extinction of a species invariably reflects
humanity's inability to set limits and respect the rights to
survival of non-human life forms. For those who think about these
things, the "rediscovery" of an extinct species is like getting a
second chance. The paradise flycatcher was found by Action
Sampiri, a conservation project that started life as an English-
Indonesian student expedition funded through a British Petroleum
conservation program last October, during their third visit to
the islands. As if to prove that major ornithological discoveries
happen when you are not trying, team member Anus D. MacKoweal
came across the flycatcher when he went to collect water for the
field camp.

All these birds are just part of an assemblage of unique
species confined to the islands, which also host another five
unique birds, at least four unique mammals, and the stunning
Talaud birdwing butterfly. All are dependent on the forest, but
on Sangihe especially, most of the forest was converted to
coconut plantations in the 1930s, and what remains is being
steadily cleared for farms and gardens.

Action Sampiri (Sampiri is the local name for the red and blue
lory) has been working to secure the survival of Sangihe and
Talaud's unique wildlife through a conservation campaign to
strengthen people's "sense of place". The dominant conservation
paradigm of the last decade in Indonesia has been the belief that
people will conserve biodiversity if it is in their economic
interest to do so.

A weakness of this approach is that communities are rarely a
cohesive whole and the short-term benefits to an individual of
exploiting nature invariably out-way longer-term benefits of
sustainable use. In contrast, the Action Sampiri approach is to
promote conservation through building local pride.

Through school visits, community discussions and radio and
poster campaigns Action Sampiri is helping the islanders to
appreciate their homeland for what it is -- a beautiful, unique
and special place.

"When we first arrived, people were amazed to hear that we
didn't have red and blue lories in London. At first people found
it hard to conceive that species of bird could be confined to a
single island group, but once they understood they became really
interested and keen to know more," explained John Riley, the
project's research officer.

"Basically, I think they see themselves as forgotten nobodies
in the vastness of Indonesia. Our message about unique and
special birds gives them a sense of identity and pride in their
island."

This strengthened "sense of place" is leading to the emergence
of customs of environmental stewardship. For example, the people
of Talaud have designated the red and blue lory their island
symbol. The regent is preparing to issue a decree to give it
protection and incidents of trapping and trade are in decline.

Community leaders have recently come forward to propose that
the local forestry department devolve authority to villagers to
act as forest stewards. Action Sampiri is showing that local
pride, as much as financial incentives, can catalyze a local
movement for conservation. Some see Action Sampiri's public
awareness campaign as a "cutting-edge" conservation approach,
others argue it is an example of the conservation movement
rediscovering its roots.

-- The writer is a consultant at BirdLife Indonesia.