Growing uneasy with his life as an illegal logger, Mahroji, 42, decided to become a bird watcher in Aketajawe Lolobata National Park on Halmahera Island, North Maluku. Although he is not a scholar, he has become a first point of reference for ornithologists in Halmahera.
The Binagara area of Ake Jawi village in South Wasile district, East Halmahera regency, North Maluku, was cold and dark one day near dawn in mid-March. Mahroji was still readying his equipment to venture into the forest. "Even at night, we can still see many animals. Sometimes they are sleeping and we can see their nests," he told his group of visitors.
At around 3 a.m., he started guiding his visitors into the forest, taking point, armed with a flashlight and a machete. About 500 meters from the entrance to Aketajawe forest, Mahroji told his visitors to stop and indicated that they would see the spectacled monarch (Symposiachrus trivirgatus) about 100 meters ahead.
He was right. The group found the spectacled monarch with its chicks in a nest in a tree beside the path. The visitors could view them and take close-up photographs.
This bird loves to nest here, so it\'s easy to find.
Mahroji has memorized the bird\'s behavior and habits. When laying eggs, the bird tended to choose a tree that stood close to the forest path.
"This bird loves to nest here, so it\'s easy to find," said Mahroji, who knows many unique and rare plants and animals. Finding Wallace’s standardwing (Semioptera wallacii), a bird admired by and named after Alfred Russel Wallace, is very easy. He knows where it can be found and the best time to photograph it.
The bird-watching group spotted several standardwings atop a small hill in the middle of Aketajawe forest, after trekking for three hours along the path and crossing several rivers. Mahroji made sure the group arrived at the observation point before dawn.
The standardwings arrived just as the mist began to fade – and not just one, but three. They bathed in the morning sun while dancing among the branches and eating betel nuts. A sudden rustling sound burst forth, creating an extraordinary moment for photographing the standardwing.
School dropout
Mahroji\'s ability makes him a trusted guide for university students and tourists that come to observe the birds in Aketajawe forest. The manager of the Aketajawe Lolobata National Park asks him to accompany every group of research students that visits the park. Some non-profit organizations also often ask for his help with their environmental conservation activities.
Mahorji, who dropped out of school in the third grade, has taught himself about the forest’s fauna and flora.
His parents, Satimin and Ponijah, migrated to Halmahera in 1986 from Sumberberas village in Muncar district, Banyuwangi, East Java. He has been close to the forest and all life in it since then.
He first worked as an illegal logger specializing in sandalwood and agarwood to make a living, earning about Rp 1.5 million per month.
As it grew increasingly difficult to find agarwood and because he was often chased by forest rangers, Mahroji decided to look for a new livelihood.
"My life grew uneasy. I was always playing cat-and-mouse with the rangers," recalled Mahroji. In 2012, he found a job at a nickel mining company on Obi Island.
In was during his time with the mining company that he started learning about a variety of flora and fauna. He accompanied every expert into the field when they arrived on a visit. Mahroji recorded everything he saw and heard.
I was finally allowed to join [them], but I was tasked with transporting goods.
He worked only a year at the mining company, and cultivated the land at his house on the edge of Aketajawe forest. He often met the visitors who came to the national park. His botanical and biological interests made him want to learn from the researchers who came to the forest, even though his requests to join them ere rejected time and again.
"I was finally allowed to join [them], but I was tasked with transporting goods," he said.
As he worked as a porter, Mahroji sought knowledge from the visiting experts. He followed them on the trail with a small notepad in his pocket. He took careful notes of every flora and fauna they came across, as well as the behavior of animals and where they could be found. He also learned English.
"At first, they were just ‘codes’. It took me a long time before I knew what they meant," he said.
He later undertook various training workshops to deepen his knowledge. Armed with this new knowledge, he took photographic documentations of the many bird species that lived in Binagara. The researchers appreciated his photographs and used them in their research.
Five years later, Mahroji has found his life’s purpose. "I’ve found my world here. I trek through the forest with experts and learn many things. I grew to realize that everything in the forest is valuable," he said.
KOMPAS/SIWI YUNITA C
Mahroji
Mahroji
Born: Banyuwangi, East Java, 11 Oct. 1977
Occupation:Volunteer, Aketajawe Lolobata National Park
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