Asia Times: Birds of paradise on flight to oblivion


	March 3, 2001	atimes.com

Southeast Asia

Birds of paradise on flight to oblivion
By Richel Dursin

JAKARTA - The trade in "birds of paradise" is banned in Indonesia, but their colorful tail feathers not only adorn local tribes' head decorations but are fancied as souvenirs to government officials and military officers.

Environmentalists say their feathers may soon be all that people see if the birds continue to be sold in or smuggled out of the easternmost province of West Papua, where the birds are endemic, and sold in hotels, markets and malls elsewhere in Indonesia.

The penchant for the birds is seen also in the secret shipping from Indonesia last year of 55 birds of paradise to Germany, to be showcased in the Expo 2000 fair in Hanover.

Likewise, people nowadays want to have the birds of paradise alive, instead of keeping the birds as mounted species or as decorations during cultural feasts. "There is a huge demand now for the birds of paradise. People feel proud if they own one," says John Maturbongs, World Wildlife Fund (WWF) monitoring project officer in West Papua.

While West Papuans' use of the birds' feathers in cultural celebrations is part of their tradition, activists say they are worried by demand for the birds that fuels smuggling. Birds of paradise, locally known as burung cendrawasih, are smuggled out of West Papua and are used in applying for jobs or rank promotion. The trade in the birds add to the pressure they already get from continued hunting and the destruction of their habitat by logging, mining, road construction and land conversion.

"The days of the birds of paradise are numbered," says Chairul Saleh, wildlife trade officer at WWF Indonesia. Although the group has no exact data on the population of the birds of paradise now in West Papua, environmentalists here insist their number is declining rapidly.

Locals say corrupt military officers are involved in the smuggling of the birds out of West Papua. "When the locals have a catch, the military exchange their weapons for the birds of paradise," Maturbongs says.

According to the WWF, there should be a local government rule that bans the entry of firearms to the troubled province of West Papua, where a separatist campaign has been running for many years, to curb the catching of the birds.

Environmentalists are also seeking a regional law punishing hunters and traders of protected animal species, including birds of paradise, which were first spotted by Portuguese Governor de Menenez in 1512 in Ternate, North Maluku province. "The sale of weapons in West Papua is driving more locals to hunt the birds," Maturbongs says.

Although banned by the Indonesian government since 1990, trading of the skins of the birds of paradise is still ongoing. Trading of all kinds of birds of paradise is banned because they are classified as "protected species".

Hunters of the birds in West Papua, which is abundant in natural and mineral resources, mainly use rifles, arrows, and traps. There are at least 27 types of birds of paradise there.

In Jakarta, the smuggled birds are traded in public markets, pet shops and shopping malls. They sell at prices ranging from 1 million rupiah (US$105) to 6 million rupiah. Illegal trade of the birds is rampant in Pramuka, east Jakarta, Barito in south Jakarta and Kebon Jeruk in the western part of the capital. "The birds of paradise are expensive because of their beauty and colorful feathers," Saleh says.

In West Papua, the birds and other protected wildlife are sold in public markets, hotels, airports and restaurants. The birds of paradise are sold cheaper in West Papua than in Jakarta, from 75,000 rupiah to 150,000 rupiah.

Often, the birds of paradise are sold by word of mouth because they are not publicly displayed for sale. The traders bring out the birds only after they and the buyers agree on the price. But some traders do advertise the sale of the birds in national newspapers. In Pramuka, east Jakarta, the bird traders boast they can display the birds because they know exactly when authorities would conduct raids.

To make people aware of the threatened nature of rare species like birds of paradise, the WWF produces radio talk shows on the issue, talks to students in schools and puts advertisements in media. But environmentalists say that while they and the public can try to keep up the pressure, a lot depends on how the government responds to the problem.

"The government has to deal with hunters and traders of birds of paradise sternly," says Maturbongs, adding that it can push cultural values in biodiversity-rich Indonesia that encourages respect for nature.

For West Papuans, for instance, birds of paradise are always associated with the beauty of women, and the arbitrary killing of the protected species carries a heavy penalty. But economic considerations have driven Papuans of the younger generation into the excessive and illegal trade of birds of paradise. Says Maturbongs: "The people at large are no longer afraid to engage in illegal trade of birds of paradise and authorities seem to have turned a blind eye to it."

(Inter Press Service)

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©2001 Asia Times Online Co., Ltd.