In the suburbs of Mamujoo, a small town in the far west of Sulawesi Island in Indonesia, a pair of long-legged birds with black feathers and pink breasts crossed a busy road to reach a quiet part of a sandy tourist beach. There, the birds took turns digging a deep hole with their feet, then the female laid an egg several times the size of a chicken egg and buried it. When the birds left, one lurking hunter dug up the rare egg as a treasure.
New Threat to the Maleo Bird
The Maleo bird is considered a critically endangered species and is declining, living in Sulawesi and its surrounding islands – it is a reliable symbol of the country’s rich biodiversity. However, the bird now faces a new threat as Indonesia builds a new capital hundreds of miles away.
Declining Maleo Bird Numbers
The medium-sized birds, which do not exceed 60 cm (24 inches) in length, are distinctive with a small head that bears a bone protrusion resembling a helmet on top of its skull. Males are characterized by horns at the base of their upper beak. The birds are unusual in that their chicks can fly immediately after hatching.
Threat of New Capital Construction
West Sulawesi has been designated as a “support zone,” so the local government has constructed roads and planned the building of more ports here to transport construction materials for developing the new capital on Borneo Island.
Decline in Maleo Bird Numbers
It is essential to use conservation as an achievement and not to build projects while leaving problems behind. The Maleo bird numbers can still be revived, needing three essential elements for success: original forest to live in, a warm sandy breeding site on the beaches to lay eggs, and a safe passage for back-and-forth movement.
Conservation of the Maleo Bird
The government is working to keep the birds even with the massive development to support the new capital. The nesting sites of the Maleo bird are located less than 1 kilometer (0.6 miles) from the forest, but they are separated by a long paved road where Maleo birds hesitate to cross. When the birds successfully lay an egg for incubation in the sun-baked sand, poachers move in. One digs into the sand to a depth of about 50 cm (20 inches), takes the egg, and takes it home.
Current Efforts to Preserve the Maleo Bird
Mubarak and Abdullah, university students living around the Maleo bird’s nesting sites, live alongside the poachers. They built a simple shelter next to Mubarak’s house. Abdullah realized that the number of Maleo birds had sharply declined since he was a boy. Even though the residents of Mamujoo are aware of the bird’s rarity and that it is illegal to take Maleo eggs, some people still hunt the birds and their eggs.
Threat of Coastal Erosion
The shelter suffers from coastal erosion, which had destroyed it by the end of 2022, leading to the destruction or damage of the collected eggs. Now, they are trying to protect the Maleo bird by informing other residents not to hunt the birds or take their eggs.
Massive Development and Its Impact on the Maleo Bird
The government plans to build new maritime ports to transport construction materials to Nusantara, the new capital of Indonesia on Borneo Island. Activities like tree clearing and stone collection have disrupted forest habitats, and breeding sites on the beaches have become places for storing and processing stones for maritime ports.
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