As one of the last green lands on earth, Papua and West Papua are blessed with the true beauty of nature. There are many unique, wild animals and plants living here. One of the most famous ones is Cendrawasih.
About Cendrawasih – Birds of Paradise
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The locals know them as ‘cendrawasih’. According to the government’s latest data in November 2021, at least 258 species of birds are the natural residents of the Raja Ampat forest area. Six out of ten are endemic species to Papua.
These birds of paradise consist of different sub-species. There are Cicinnurus respublica (the bald cendrawasih), Monarcha julianae (Kehicap kofiau), Paradisaea rubra (the red cendrawasih), Tanysiptera ellioti (Kingfisher or Cekakak pita kofiau), Aepypodius bruijnii (Maleo waigeo), and Pitohui cerviniventris (Raja Ampat pitohui).
All of these birds of paradise can be found in Raja Ampat as their natural habitat. Since they are as gorgeous as their names, many bird-lovers, photographers, and nature activists are mighty interested in them.
Unfortunately, they are not the only ones interested in cendrawasih. There are bird poachers and hunters too. Being captured by a camera is safe, but poachers and hunters are definitely dangerous to these West Papuan animals. When birds of paradise get captured, poachers sell them to collectors while hunters literally collect them.
Alvian Sopuiyo, the head of the Warkesi Forest farmers group, admitted that he used to hunt these birds of paradise himself. He then preserved them in formaldehyde before selling them dead to collectors. According to him, the last time he bought formalin was up to 20 kilograms before using them on the birds.
Sopuiyo then explained that one preserved cendrawasih would usually cost Rp500,000. However, he claimed that the price was not high enough for him.
What had finally stopped Sopuiyo from doing such deeds was his own guilty conscience. He had grown tired of having to hide from the law enforcement and the officers from the conservation agency. He felt that he had committed sin since he was doing that for temporary money, while many people had already been campaigning against hunting and killing cendrawasih.
If there are more people willing to stop poaching and hunting like Sopuiyo had, then our next generation will still get to see the real-life birds of paradise instead of in old historical records.
About Warkesi
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There have been efforts made by the West Papua Natural Resources Conservation Centre to protect and nurture these endemic birds. They even involve local residents around the forest area.
So far, the Warkesi forest farmers’ group has been facilitated and established in the center as part of the endeavors for protecting these endemic animals. There is also a center that functions as the tourism development to observe the red birds of paradise in the forest.
The role of the group is to maintain the forest aimed for tourism development. In the buffer zone of West Waigeo Nature Reserve, the forest’s area is 300 hectares wide.
Sopuiyo had transformed himself from a hunter into the head of the farmers’ group, which have carried out the sightings of birds of paradise since early 2018. Bird-watching has helped the farmers’ group to gain income. To observe cendrawasih, each visitor must pay IDR250,000. The revenue goes to the farmers’ group.
The COVID-19 pandemic has caused many tourist sites managements to limit the number of visitors. Some have even had to be closed for a while. Others have been completely closed down, especially due to the lack of maintenance, care, and financial support. Is it the same case with the Warkesi forest area?
To avoid spreading the Coronavirus, the number of visitors to Warkesi has to be limited. Sopuiyo, however, has felt much better with his new career as part of the maintenance team in the area. It is legit, so he no longer has to run and hide from law enforcement.
Edwin Dawa, a professional birdwatching tour guide, is the person who first introduced Sopuiyo to the possibility of living without having to sacrifice one of the West Papuan endemic animals. Hand in hand, they both now are consistently spreading awareness on the importance of wildlife conservation.
Of course, that includes preserving the lives of cendrawasih, instead of preserving their bodies in formaldehyde.
The Importance of Warkesi For The Population of The Birds of Paradise
As West Papuan animals, cendrawasih birds need to be protected and preserved at all costs. After all, their natural beauty is almost irresistible to watch. In the Warkesi forest area, even a single bird of paradise that flies can be seen by many people bound below.
Of course, birds of paradise are not the only bird species people can see when visiting Warkesi. There are other birds too, like kakatua jambul kuning (yellow-headed cockatoos), kakatua raja nuri (Raja Nuri cockatoos), and maelo waigeo.
Warkesi is a perfect, earthly paradise for the birds of paradise—for as long as those looking after it with care in West Papua. Sopuiyo and his team are some of them here.
