Tangkoko Forest, Vulnerable Area for Rare Animals

A raja udang (A. atthis), or common kingfisher, emits its distinctive call on Mar. 1 in the Tangkoko Nature Reserve near Bitung city, North Sulawesi. Tangkoko’s natural forests are an important habitat for several endemic Sulawesi animals, such as yaki (Celebes crested macaque; Macaca nigra), tarsier and cuscus. Hunting and forest conversion into agricultural land are endangering the existence of these endemic animals.

Heavy rain and muddy roads cannot deter us from exploring the Tangkoko forest, one of the nature reserves in Sulawesi. Unfortunately, until the sun set, none of the yaki could be found.

Previously, guards at the nature reserve made sure that yaki could be easily found. Yaki is a crested macaque (Macaca nigra), which is only found in the Tangkoko forest.

"I am sure we can find them. 99 percent sure, we will meet them. Only yesterday, a flock of yakis were seen in the guardhouse yard," said Jenly Gawina, the head of the Tangkoko Nature Reserve in Bitung during a meeting the reserve office on the edge of the Tangkoko forest, early March.

In the red list of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), yaki, whose entire body is covered with dark black hair, with a headed hairstyle, is categorized as an endangered animal.

It is estimated that there are less than 5,000 heads of yaki at present. Over the past 40 years, the yaki population has fallen by 80 percent due to habitat depletion, rampant poaching, and road construction in the Tangkoko forest area.

Yaki is one of the seven Sulawesi endemic primates which could not found anywhere in the world. Hundreds of kilometers across the Maluku Sea to the southeast, yaki is also found in small numbers in Bacan Island, North Maluku. Live in groups, yaki male with the largest body posture and fangs are known as the leader (alpha male).

Luckily, a day of walking under the rain in the afternoon through the Tangkoko forest, we could find other endemic animals, the spectral tarsier (Tarsius spectrum, also called Tarsius tarsier), the cuscus (Ai lurops ursinus), including some bird species, such julang sulawesi (Rhyticeros cassidix) and raja udang bird (Alcedo pusilla).

The animals are Sulawesi\'s endemic wildlife species, which cannot be found anywhere else in the world. The island of Sulawesi formed by the collision of three continental plates produces geological and ecological uniqueness.

Visiting Sulawesi

Sulawesi once made British naturalist Alfred Russel Wallace, amazed by the uniqueness of flora and fauna.

In his book “The Malay Archipelago”, AR Wallace wrote his experiences when visiting Sulawesi. He visited the island three times. He visited the island for the first time after he left the Lombok Island, West Nusa Tenggara, on Aug. 30, 1856. Wallace arrived three days later on the coast of Makassar. The visit to Makassar, which lasted until Dec.18, 1856, was a series of the Wallace journeys in the Archipelago, which started from Singapore in April, 1854.

Wallace revisited Makassar on July 11 to Nov.19, 1857. Two years later, for the third time, Wallace set foot on the earth of Sulawesi, this time in Manado, North Sulawesi. He lived in the city from June 10 to Sep. 23, 1859.

Gathering several types of insects and birds, he managed to find a rare pigeon typical of Sulawesi (Carpophaga forsteni) that he had long wanted. There, he also found the skulls of babirusa or deer-pig and anoa, also known as midget buffalo. On the southern coast of Manado, Wallace hunted for maleo bird (Macrocephalon maleo) which he called in abundance. He said maleo eggs much more delicious than chicken eggs. He managed to preserve 26 maleos in excellent condition.

In the final note at the Sulawesi chapter, Wallace expressed an extraordinary impression of the natural wealth, uniqueness, and peculiarities of a number of animals on the island. According to him, Sulawesi is a striking example and interesting study material about the geographical spread of a number of fauna there. While in Sulawesi, Wallace recorded 191 bird species and 14 species of terrestrial mammals.

A tarsier (Tarsius spectrum) clings to a tree on Mar. 1 in the Tangkoko Nature Reserve near Bitung city, North Sulawesi. The endemic Sulawesi animal is classified as vulnerable on the International Union for the Conservation of Nature’s (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species, which has no record of its population in the wild. In 1990-2000, nearly 30 percent of the tarsier’s natural habitat was destroyed when it was converted into plantations and farms.

Under threat

The Sulawesi endemic animals that (ever) inhabit in the Tangkoko forest include babirusa, anoa, and maleo. However, it is now difficult to find babirusa and anoa in Tangkoko. In fact, anoa footprints were last seen in 2015. There has been no record of the last time the babirusa was seen in the forest.

"In the late 1970s, anoa was fairly easy to find in Tangkoko. I have ever encountered a flock of anoa about 10. After that, only footprints were last seen in 2015," said Nestor Mirontoning, one of the personnel at the Tangkoko Nature Reserve.

In addition to facing a threat from poaching of endangered wildlife in Tangkoko, the native habitat for endemic flora and fauna had been twice severely burned, in 1990 and 2015. The most severe fires occurred during the dry season in August 2015, when about 2,500 hectares of Tangkoko forest, or more than half of the area, were destroyed by fire.

In terms of resources, the number of the personnel in the Tangkoko forest is also limited. With an area of about 4,000 hectares, Tangkoko were only guarded by 10 personnel. They routinely take turns patrolling the forest, including being a guide for tourists. Around the forest, there are also many residents who live in four villages.

Program Manager of the Yaki Protection Foundation, Harry Hilser, said that yaki played an important role in forest growth. As they eat more than 145 important fruit tree species, they help carry and spread seeds that support natural forest growth.

"It needs an immediate rescue action and law enforcement against yaki hunting. Equally important is to hold a campaign on the need of preserving yaki as a unique species and one of the key in maintaining the balances of our ecosystem," said Harry.

The Law Number5/2009 concerning Conservation of Biological Natural Resources and Ecosystem, there is a prohibition to take or remove protected plants and animals, whether in condition of alive or dead. However, there are exceptions to the ban, namely for research and science purposes.

For the sake of conservation, all parties must act quickly. A campaign on the importance of preserving animals and their habitats is needed to awaken the public and policy makers. Once extinct, endemic animals can no longer be recovered. It should not happen that one day we can only see the animals in the form of specimens. (VDL)