Endangered Javan Raptor Sightings Indicate Possible Recovery

Dyah Ayu Pitaloka Jakarta Globe 15 Aug 13;

Malang. Conservation officials have hailed an increase in the population of the Javan hawk-eagle, Indonesia’s national bird, at an East Java national park, after earlier sounding the alarm about a drastic drop in the population of the endangered species.

Elham Purnomo, the coordinator of the Javan hawk-eagle monitoring program at the Bromo Tengger Semeru National Park, said on Thursday that 10 distinct individuals had been spotted between July 31 and Aug. 4, up from just five from the last survey in September last year.

He added that further positive news was that four of the hawk-eagles sighted were juveniles, indicating that conditions at the park were conducive for the birds to continue breeding.

“Our next step will be to look for their nests. We’ve received reports from residents in the area about possible nesting sites,” Elham said.

Conservation officials need to identify actively used nests in order to get a more accurate estimate of the hawk-eagle population, he added.

Rosek Nursahid, the chairman of the conservation group ProFauna Indonesia, welcomed the announcement, noting that in 1997 only two of the birds of prey were spotted in the area.

He said the observation could be an indication that the condition of the forests there were still good for the Javan hawk-eagle. However, he warned against being overly optimistic about a recovery in the population, saying that a more comprehensive survey, including identifying nests, was necessary.

The Javan hawk-eagle, found only in the last remaining tracts of forests in Java, is classified as an endangered species by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature, and the trade in the bird is strictly prohibited under national and international regulations.

An estimated 600 individuals remain in the wild, but their numbers are threatened by habitat loss and poaching for the illegal pet trade.