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In This Issue
Our 
Beautiful 
Friends 
Feathers




Purple-naped lory








abbotts investigate nest hole








Palm in Papua













s2 at nesthole






Drh. Wita













yellow-crested cockatoo














Bonnie boat














reticulata kb august 08







Red Cheeked Parrot photo by Dudi & Dwi



















The Indonesian Parrot Project

&

  Konservasi Kakatua Indonesia 

are proud to announce the launch of a new book and KKI's appearance on a talk show 

 

RARE COCKATOO ABBOTTI and Masalembu Archipelago

  

 
 
With presentations by: 

Dudi Nandika, KKI
Dwi Agustina, KKI
Stewart Metz, Director IPP (via video)
Bonnie Zimmermann, VP, IPP (via video)
Dr. Dewi M. Prawiradilaga, PhD, Indonesian Institute of Science
Hudaya, Msc. Director, Biology Department As-Syafi'yah University
Dian Agista, Burung Indonesia
Ige Kirstanto, Kutilang Indonesia

 

This new book which will be available in both Indonesian and English will feature interesting new findings throughout the Masalembu Archipelago. Topics will include: 

 

  • the four species of Yellow crested cockatoos with the focus on Cacatua sulphurea abbotti 
  • a study of the ecology of these rare cockatoos
  • a reassessment of Wallacea Line
  • Conservation programs and new laws
  • Biodiversity of the archipelago flora and fauna
Look for it online SOON!  
 
 
Dudi Nandika working on the book

 
Dwi Agustina assembling the books
  

 

 

The Rarest Cockatoo, on the Threshold of Extinction:

Is it too Late to Save the Masakambing Cockatoo?

(Cacatua sulphurea abbotti)

 


 

June 2013 Parrots International Symposium  

 

by

Stewart Metz, M.D.

Director, the Indonesian Parrot Project (IPP)

and

Bonnie Zimmermann (Vice President, IPP)

Dudi Nandika (Konservasi Kakatua Indonesia; KKI)

Dwi Agustina  ( KKI).

 

BACKGROUND

 

There are four subspecies (races) of Yellow-crested cockatoos (Cacatua sulphurea) and each is at a high risk of extinction, albeit to varying degrees.  CITES recently elevated this entire species to the highest level of risk-Appendix 1 ('Critically Endangered').  

 

  • C.s. parvula:  The largest population of C.s. parvula is on Komodo Island. Total population of this subspecies in the wild: probably less than 1000;
  • C.s. sulphurea: found only in Sulawesi and nearby islands. Total population: 150-200, as determined by recent surveys by KKI and IPP;
  • C.s. citronocristata (Citron-crested cockatoo; found only on Sumba Island. Total population is controverted but probably  less than 1500;
  • C.s. abbotti; found only on Masakambing Island in the Masalembu Archipelago, deep in the remote Java Sea .Total population: 15 individuals. We have focused on the Masakambing (Abbott's) cockatoo since they might be the rarest cockatoo in the world.

 

They were discovered  by Dr. W.L. Abbott in 1907, although this finding was not reported until 1919 by Oberholser.  Little or nothing was else was reported until the 1980's, when men from Bali and Sumbawa Islands trapped hundreds of them, inducing their depletion.  Initially, the Abbott's Cockatoo was present on both Masakambing and its sister island Masalembu, but it has since become extinct on Masalembu.  Large-scale logging or conversion of forest for planting of crops, has also been a major factor since it is  critical both to supply  trees for nest holes and flora for foodstuffs. It has became largely depleted; in its place, coconut trees have replaced 90-95% of the island's habitat.

 

Therefore, both illegal trapping, and destruction of habitat, must be resolved in order to pull them back from the brink of extinction. Censuses were carried out by Setiawan, Agista, and colleagues between 1994 and 1999. Fortunately for assessment of the size of the population and assessments of the outcomes of various interventions, a complete census is possible on Masakambing, which is a tiny island (5 km�).  These investigators found that the Masakambing cockatoo was nearly extinct, running between only 5 to 8 individuals.  Starting in 2007, an intensive effort to conserve these cockatoos was launched by Dudi Nandika and Dwi Agustina of Konservasi Kakatua Indonesia, KKI ("Conservation of Indonesian Cockatoos"), studies which were initiated and funded by S.M., after hearing of their plight at a meeting of LIPI (the Indonesian Institute of Science). Those of us in the Indonesian Parrot Project (www.indonesian-parrot-project.org) have been very fortunate to collaborate closely with them (KKI) in their in-the-field work up until the present.  Later, Disney Wildlife Conservation Fund and Loro Parque Fundacion provided significant funding to IPP. Here are brief discussions of just a few of our approaches:

 

First and perhaps, most important, we are teaching the school children (and adults) about their cockatoo, and why and how to conserve them.  It would take a paradigm shift in their almost non-existent knowledge, and and a resurgence in pride in their cockatoo in order to enlist their protection of this parrot.To accomplish this, Dudi and Dwi carried out what we call our C-A-P (Conservation-Awareness-Pride) Program which involves extensive interaction with and intensive teaching of the villager children, involving production and donation of  t-shirts , backpacks, coloring books and stickers with pictures of cockatoos with  conservation messages;  and took some of them on bird-watching trips, which they had never done previously. These static objects were reinforced with videos made by us, allowing us to show the cockatoos and teach about conservation in an enjoyable and visually stimulating way.

 

KKI and IPP also wrote and saw passed a local law-the first one--to forbid any further harm to the cockatoos. It reads, in part,

 

"Everyone [is] forbidden to catch, hurt, kill, save, possess, keep, bring and trade cockatoo ; [and]  is forbiden to [export] the cockatoo from Masakambing ... Every person who lives inside or outside of Masakambing is  forbiddiden to trade it."

 

"Anti-trapping/anti-smuggling posters and billboards were placed in critical locations (for example, harbors , through which illegally obtained cockatoos might be smuggled).

 

The results of this work have been very encouraging. Students who completed the

C-A-P Program were given questionnaires before and afterward, which demonstrated major changes in their recognition of the issues described above, and desires to conserve their cockatoo.

 

The loss of most of the natural  habitat has caused a major shortage of wood, especially mangrove, which the villagers like to use to make charcoal and build ships, but which the cockatoos use for breeding and perching.. Therefore, we initiated a program in which the students are planting new mangrove colonies. To deal with the shortage of their natural foodstuffs, we have initiated another project for the schoolchildren to plant sunflower and corn as new crops to serve as foodstuffs for cockatoos and people alike.

 

Most importantly, for the first time, the population of cockatoos has reversed a consistent downward trend (reaching a low of 5) into a trend which seemingly has consistently risen .

 

The latter suggests that cockatoos are successfully breeding ; indeed, copulation, and raising of fledglings, has been observed. This is especially encouraging since our program there has only been in operation for 5 years.  Similar programs have been, and will continue to be, enacted for other subspecies of Yellow-crested cockatoos.

 

BUT CAN THE YELLOW-CRESTED COCKATOOS BE SAVED?

 

Carl Jones and his collaborators (with long-term support from the World Parrot Trust) instituted a multi-pronged program to conserve the Mauritius Parakeet. In 1987, they too found only a remnant population of similar size to that of the Masakambing cockatoo--8 parakeets; now there are over 550!  However, captive breeding and release played a large role in that program; this technique which probably will not become available on Masakambing Island.

 

It might be optimal to start a captive breeding program (as carried out for the Mauritius parakeet); however this seems nearly impossible logistically at this time.  BirdLife International has written: "Although a good idea in principle, in practice it has not been possible to advance captive breeding...on any substantial scale in Indonesia."

 

There are major dangers that remain for the Masakambing cockatoo, even above and beyond the factors which have led to their current precarious situation. Here are a few:

 

  • Need for a long-term solutions with benefit to local villagers  (capacity building);
  • Protection from illegal trade, including use of forged paperwork;
  • Enforcement of zero quotas for trapping;
  • Decimation of trees suitable for foodstuffs and for nesting;
  • Risk of annihilation from natural disasters, including flooding of nests and drought;
  • Predatory attacks (especially raptors);
  • Gene effects of low population size;
  • Inbreeding; "bottleneck effect" (random drift);
  • Potential effects on breeding:  aging population;  potentially submaximal ratio of females to males (thus far, however, female=male);
  • Potentially, disease

 

A small remnant population also leaves them at the mercy of major environmental events (eg; volcanoes, tsunami, disease, flooding). With the Abbotti cockatoo, this risk is exaggerated by their tendency to flock together. We have seen up to 73% of the entire world's population perching on the same tree a potential  'set-up' for even relatively small disasters. In fact, it was the trapping of whole flocks of these cockatoos using nets in the 1980's that largely led to their current decimation.

 

We are sanguine now that work on the conservation of the Masakambing cockatoo has resumed in earnest after a long hiatus. However, considering the speed and depth to which the population of these cockatoos has fallen, the time and opportunity left to save them may last only a while longer. To paraphrase statements of others: 

 

" If we can save these cockatoos (and other parrots) birds, perhaps we can also save ourselves..."

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Indonesian Parrot Project