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.