S38.4: Identification and conservation of priority areas for birds in Indonesia.

Sujatnika

BirdLife International, Indonesia Programme, PO Box 310/Boo Bogor 160003, Indonesia, e-mail birdnusa@indo.net.id

One of the most important attributes of biodiversity is that it is not evenly or randomly distributed. In order to develop strategies for biodiversity conservation, it is important to identify the most important biodiversity areas in order to guard against their unwitting damage or destruction and to ensure that scarce conservation resources are well targeted.

A potentially highly efficient approach to identifying conservation priorities is to use knowledge of the distribution of species to identify areas which are particularly rich in narrowly distributed species. These areas will by definition contain a high complement of just those species, which may be expected by virtue of their small ranges to be most vulnerable to extinction and therefore most in need of conservation action.

BirdLife International has used data on bird distribution and status to rapidly identify and map such areas (i.e. centres of endemism). In order to identify and map such areas, a sub-set of bird species was chosen – those all landbirds which have had, in historical times (i.e. post-1800, in the period since ornithological recording began), a total global breeding range estimated at below 50000 km sq. This is approximately the size of Costa Rica or Denmark. Such species have been termed restricted-range birds. Using restricted-range birds as indicators, a total of 218 centres of endemism (i.e. areas with concentrations of restricted-range species) in the world have been identified (Stattersfield et al. 1998). These have been termed Endemic Bird Areas: these are defined as areas that have two or more species entirely confined to them.

Over 50000 locality records of 2609 species were collated from the ornithological literature, publication on expeditions and surveys, study reports, labels of museum specimens and firsthand communication with BirdLife’s global network of ornithologists. Further detail on Endemic Bird Areas approach and how they are identified have been clearly presented in the BirdLife’s latest publication of Endemic Bird Areas of the World: Priorities for Biodiversity Conservation (Stattersfield et. al. 1998).

Indonesia is by far the most important country in the world in this respect, with 23 EBAs. Indonesia is also the country with the highest number of restricted-range birds, having 403 species of which 319 are endemic to the country. The distribution of the 23 EBAs in Indonesia is not even. They are concentrated to the east of Bali (i.e. east of Wallace’s line). Five EBAs are located in western Indonesia, which is part of the Indo-Malayan biogeographic realm, whereas the other 18 are located in eastern Indonesia, of which eleven are in the transitional biogeographic region of Wallacea (i.e. three in Sulawesi, five in Maluku province and three in Nusa Tenggara province).

The regions of Maluku and Nusa Tenggara have been the focus of the BirdLife Indonesia Programme for the last five years. In Maluku there are five EBAs with 116 restricted-range species of which 90 are endemic to the region, while in Nusa Tenggara there are three EBAs with 69 restricted-range species of which 57 are endemic. Other important consideration of why these two regions have been the focus of the programme are the current protected area network and conservation actions of other organisations in the regions.

A review of the current protected area network shows that the protected area coverage in the regions of Nusa Tenggara and Maluku is least developed and it is considered inadequate to protect the diverse habitats of the unique species confined to these areas. In Maluku, the current protected area network covers only 3% of the total land area (or 4% of forest) and in Nusa Tenggara it covers only 3% (or 10% of forest). In contrast, for Sumatra and Irian Jaya (the Indonesian part of New Guinea), two famous regions in Indonesia for conservation actions, the comparative figures are 8% (or 19% of forest) and 14% (or 17% of forest) (Sujatnika et al. 1995).

In addition, Maluku and Nusa Tenggara are not popular amongst, and sometimes neglected by, other conservation organisations when establishing their conservation programmes. Historically, Sumatra, Java, Kalimantan (the Indonesian part of Borneo) and Irian Jaya have received more attention and conservation resources than Maluku and Nusa Tenggara. There has also been less investment of government conservation resources (i.e. allocation of staff and budget) in these two regions when compared to other regions (e.g. Java, Sumatra and Kalimantan). This is, perhaps, partly a reflection of the vast and remote location of the many areas that deserve to be protected.

Sumba has been identified as a priority area and the focus of the BirdLife Indonesia Programme during the last five years. This island, with an area of 11000 km², lies in south central Indonesia, within East Nusa Tenggara Province. It is one of Indonesia’s driest and least developed areas, and has a long history of occupation and land modification. It is one of three EBAs identified in the province and has a bird fauna that is distinct from the rest of Nusa Tenggara.

Sumba supports 12 restricted-range bird species of which seven are endemic to the island. These include the Sumba hornbill Aceros everetti, Sumba Boobook Ninox rudolfi, two endemic fruit-eating pigeons Treron teysmanii and Ptilinopus dohertyi and the Sumba Buttonquail Turnix everetti. Four of the endemic species (the hornbill, owl, the Sumba Green Pigeon T. teysmanii and the buttonquail) are threatened with extinction (Sujatnika et al. 1995, Stattersfield et al. 1998). Sumba is also the home of the endemic and threatened subspecies of Citron-crested Cockatoo Cacatua sulphurea citrinocristata, which is very distinct from the rest of the Yellow-crested Cockatoo’s subspecies’. Semi-deciduous forest is the principal forest type on Sumba and it supports all the restricted-range species except for the buttonquail, which is confined to grasslands.

Sumba’s forests play a vital role in the island’s ecosystem and watershed protection, as well as providing resources for the local economy. The local economy is predominantly rural, based on stock rearing and marginal agriculture. Communities are dependant on the rich forest biodiversity for fuel-wood and construction timber, traditional medicine, foods and items for ceremonial use, dyes for traditional 'ikat' weaving, and tradable commodities such as cinnamon, rattan and areca nut.

BirdLife International began working on Sumba in 1992. A wide range of activities has been conducted since that time. They include biological and socio-economic surveys, community and local government workshops, advocacy dialogues, production of awareness materials, preparation of a proposal for a National Park and the inter-agency development of a Sumba Forest Conservation Strategy.

The area of forest on Sumba has been seriously depleted and the process of deforestation is continuing. The review of forest cover in 1994 concluded that closed-canopy forest then covered only c.10% of the island and was mainly confined to relatively small and isolated pockets. Some more extensive areas remain along the south coast. This area is supplemented by gallery forests in the steep river valleys that dissect the limestone topography. This review also revealed that 78% of Sumba is without any measurable forest cover (Jepson et al. 1996).

Loss of forest cover is due to a combination of grassland burning, an unsustainable level of utilisation of fuel-wood and other minor forest products, and clearance for cultivation. These practices constitute one process, which converts the forest edges into grassland and leads to ever increasing fragmentation of remaining forest patches.

Grasslands are traditionally burnt during the dry season, especially from June to October, to provide new grass shoots for stock and to attract game from the forest for hunting. Fires burn uncontrolled into forest edges, killing vegetation and altering species composition. Scorched trees are cut for fire-wood, after which the area is utilised for shifting dry-land agriculture. After three to five years, agriculture is abandoned because the nutrient-poor soil is exhausted, and conversion to unproductive grassland is completed.

The process of forest degradation by fire may have been exacerbating by the arrival of the plant Eupatorium odoratum, which appeared on Sumba in 1974. This shrub flourishes in forest edge and dies back during the dry season; the increased biomass increases the intensity of fires at the forest edge.

Additional factors which contribute to forest degradation are the lack of land tenure, which promotes shifting cultivation and uncontrolled stock-rearing. A rising population coupled with improved road access to forest areas has led to increased utilisation of wood for fuel and building materials (particularly timber) and minor forest products.

BirdLife’s conservation and advocacy work

Most of the remaining forest areas on Sumba are classed as protection forest and trees may not be legally felled. However, Sumba has only one protected area, that is the 15,000 ha Langgaliru Strict Nature Reserve which was established in 1983.

BirdLife International and PHPA (the Directorate General of Forest Protection and Nature Conservation of the Government of Indonesia) established the Sumba Forest Conservation Project in 1992. The initial aims of the project are to assess the conservation status of forests on Sumba, to review earlier proposals for protected areas and to prepare management recommendation for conserving forest resources.

Rapid surveys were conducted across Sumba in 1992. Seven key forest sites, which include the largest remaining areas of forest on the island, were identified. These sites are considered as a minimum protected area network for the island and would adequately cover all of the island’s important habitats of birds and biodiversity. Following a programme of advocacy work, support for the need to protect these seven forest sites was obtained from the local government (East Sumba and West Sumba districts) and local conservation office as well as local and national NGOs.

In line with these activities, further advocacy work was used to persuade the local government to consider and include the minimum protected area network (which covers important sites for the conservation of birds and biodiversity) in the district’s spatial plan. This has been carried out and well supported by local government. Additionally, efforts have also been made to persuade the local government to integrate forest and biodiversity conservation into their development plan.

The two most important sites on Sumba are Wanggameti (current status: protection forests; 42,500 hectares) and Langgaliru-Manupeu (current status nature reserve and protection forest; 50,200 hectares). These sites incorporate the largest remaining forest blocks on Sumba, and support the majority of the island’s bird species of concern. They are the richest areas in terms of forest biodiversity and represent the main watersheds for the island. Considering these points, these areas have been the focus of the BirdLife/PHPA project for the last two years and a proposal was made to the government for the establishment of the areas as a National Park.

The status of protection forest is primarily conferred on areas that function in protecting important watersheds (hydrological reason), whilst the level of protection to its biodiversity is usually relatively low. According to Indonesian law, the gazettment of an area as a Strict Nature Reserve limits local communities involvement in the management and use of the area. In contrast, a National Park, with its zoning system, can accommodate the needs of different interests groups for use of the land and resources in the areas. On Sumba, it was therefore considered that National Park would be the best option to propose for the areas that had been identified as of conservation concern.

After two years of careful research and lobbying, the two Head of Districts on Sumba submitted formal letters of support for the establishment of a National Park to the Governor of East Nusa Tenggara Province. They asked for a national park that encompassed the two areas in their respective districts to be established. These two letters were crucial, as without them the Governor would not give further consideration to any proposals. In December 1997, the Governor gave his support and approval, which came in the form of a letter to the Minister of Forestry. Following this, in January 1998, the Minister gave his approval for the establishment of the areas recommended by BirdLife as two national parks. The draft of the Ministerial decree for National Park is now being prepared, and it is anticipated that the formal letter of declaration will be issued during 1998.

There are 24 villages in and around Langgaliru-Manupeu, with a total population about 36,000 (6,365 families), and 15 villages in and around Wanggameti, with a population of about 20,000 (3,656 families). They are mostly poor farmers and are dependent on various forest resources for their subsistence as well as for generating income. In recent history there has been little involvement of these local communities in forest protection. They have had no clear and transparent community role, rights or responsibility in forest conservation and management and as a consequence there has been little interest from the communities.

It is believed that community participation in forest management offers the best hope for halting the fragmentation and degradation of Sumba’s forests and ensuring the equitable and sustainable use of remaining forest and associated natural resources. In order to develop and ensure full community participation in the design of forest conservation strategies in and around the proposed national parks of Langgaliru-Manupeu and Wanggameti, fieldwork has recently been carried out in 17 villages in and around Langgaliru-Manupeu and five villages in and around Wanggameti.

The field team is a multi-agency team consisting the local conservation office, the local forestry authority, BirdLife Indonesia Programme and the local NGOs of Tananua Sumba, Yayasan Wahana and Koppesda ('task-force' of the Nusa Tenggara Upland Development Consortium). These organisations work cooperatively with local communities living in and around the proposed national park, using a participatory approach. The objectives of the activities are to:

(1). Secure the views of local people and other stakeholders on boundaries and management needs for the proposed park, and to explore ways in which the declaration of the park might bring clearer rights and benefits in relation to forest use;

(2). assess local communities’ needs for forest resources, and trends in forests use and find solutions where there is a current or potential conflict of interest; and to

(3). gain their inputs on the pilot projects in relation to (a) community participation in reforestation, (b) 'bringing forest to garden through growing species, and (c), establishment and development of a network of local-community groups for forest management and conservation.

Understanding different currently recognised forest boundaries (official gazettment, traditional claim, colonial, etc.) is considered as crucial in order to identify agreed proposed boundaries that will avoid future conflicts. The community needs for forest resources, pressures and trends in forest and natural resources used by community as well as ‘outsiders’, and community perspectives relating to forest and land management all need to be understood in order to develop participatory national park management.

The result of these activities will provide valuable inputs to the local government as well as the Ministry of Forestry to the process of management plan preparation for the national park.

This appears to be the first time in Indonesia that communities have been consulted in depth about a proposal for a new protected area. BirdLife strongly believes that this process will ensure greater rights to the communities in relation to the forest area and will result in a respect for boundaries and a management regime that will be accepted by the local community. This in turn will minimise the occurrence of activities that are detrimental to the areas’ biodiversity and forest resources.

BirdLife Indonesia Programme is pleased to be a member of the Nusa Tenggara Uplands Development Consortium (NTUDC). This consortium is a network of organisations (local and international NGOs, government, community groups, researchers and scientist) who share the same aim, namely to find solutions to problems facing the uplands of Nusa Tenggara. Other organisations that have actively involved in the programme are also the member of the consortium.

There are many different groups of people - including local communities, local government, NGOs and private sectors - who have different needs and hopes for the future of Sumba’s forests. In order to make their varied activities compatible with conservation (and considering many forest areas in Sumba are at serious risks), integrated efforts to conserve the forest areas on the island need to be developed.

The Sumba Forest Conservation Strategy (SFCS) has been developed in order to accommodate various perspectives of relevant institutions and/or different groups of people involved in the management, utilisation and conservation of forest. The strategy mainly contains five issues, which are:

(1). protected area network development, focusing on the management of national park;

(2). re-greening, reforestation, and fire control;

(3). environmental educational and awareness;

(4). local community empowerment; and,

(5). policy, legal aspects and law enforcement.

The draft of strategy had been drawn up by the working group consisting the local conservation office, BirdLife Indonesia Programme and the local NGO of Tananua Sumba. Tananua Sumba has been working on the island for the last 15 years, focusing on community development and agroforestry.

In order to gain inputs and develop the active participation of other relevant government institutions, local NGOs, local community groups and other key groups of people (e.g. school teachers, religious leaders) in the preparation of the SFCS, two one-day workshops were held in April 1997 in East and West Sumba. In the workshops, beside giving inputs for the follow-up activities, participants which were more than 100 people, have also agreed with and given their support for the declaration of Langgaliru-Manupeu and Wanggameti as a national park. The revised draft of SFCS is now being finalised and will be published this year.

This brief paper demonstrates the process that is needed, in an Indonesian context, for successful establishment of a protected area. In Indonesia it is no longer possible, in the vast majority of areas, to successfully establish, safeguard and manage protected areas without entering into a serious and sincere dialogue with other stakeholders. In particular, this paper illustrates how community participation in the process can be used to enhance their awareness of environmental issues and to ensure their willingness to accept and respect protected area borders and associated legislation. Such dialogue also ensures that members of the conservation community understand the issues as local people see them, and assists in identifying potential areas of conflict at an early stage. Obtaining the trust and support of local communities may often be a long tedious and difficult process. But in countries such as Indonesia where government lacks the resources to monitor and enforce regulations in and at the borders of protected areas, such trust and support may be the only sure way of ensuring long-term survival of protected areas. Ornithologists everywhere need to learn to work in a consultative manner and to understand the wider picture if they are to achieve the long-term conservation objectives that they strive for.

BirdLife believes that, in Indonesia, this participatory process is an essential component of protected area establishment and management. Without community participation, the future of many conservation areas within the national protected area system is certainly not clear, because government does not have the capacity to monitor and manage the various areas that are protected, let alone those that are proposed for inclusion. At the present time, BirdLife is undergoing a similar process in Maluku province, with a proposal for a National Park on Halmahera and a Wildlife Sanctuary on Buru.

Jepson, P., Rais, S, Ora, A.B., Raharjaningtrah, W. 1996. Evaluation of Protected Area Network for the Conservation of Forest Values on Sumba Island, East Nusa Tenggara. PHPA/BirdLife International. PHPA / BirdLife International, Bogor. Report No. 5. 36 pp.

Stattersfield, A. J., Crosby, M. J., Long, A. J. and Wege, D. C. 1998. Endemic Bird Areas of the World: Priorities for Biodiversity Conservation. BirdLife International, Cambridge.

Sujatnika, Jepson, P., Soehartono, T. R., Crosby, M. J. and Mardiastuti, A. 1995. Melestarikan Keanekaragaman Hayati Indonesia: Pendekatan Daerah Burung Endemik (Conserving Indonesian Biodiversity: the Endemic bird Area Approach. Billingual. Bogor, Indonesia: PHPA/BirdLife International-Indonesia Programme.