Sulawesi is one of the main islands in Wallacea, a biogeographical region that covers the central and eastern Indonesian archipelago and comprises thousands of islands. It is known as a habitat for many endemic fauna species. This is due to the formation of Sulawesi, which is historically different from other large islands in Indonesia.
In East Indonesia, Sulawesi has experienced a significant decline in biodiversity, especially in the distribution of fauna in recent times. This decline is partly due to the rampant illegal hunting and trade of wildlife.
One such place that is active in trading of wildlife is Makassar. Seeing this rampant activity, Dr Risma Illa Maulany SHut MNatResSt and her team were curious and conducted research that revealed more about the wildlife trade. The results of their research were later written in an article titled Tracing Current Wildlife Trade: An Initial Investigation in Makassar City, Indonesia.
“The decrease in the quality and quantity of our biodiversity is due to habitat destruction, habitat modification, habitat fragmentation, and the biggest cause is wildlife trade and poaching,” said Risma when met directly in her office, on Thursday (08/07).
Risma’s research shows that there are 13 points where wildlife is being marketed in Makassar. These locations are spread across six sub-districts, mostly in Rappocini and Ujung Pandang sub-districts. Rappocini has the highest number of stores selling animals with almost 50 stores.
The amount of animals traded on the market reached 62 species with a total of 2,642 animals from a variety of animals including birds, mammals and reptiles. As many as 18% of the findings showed endemic fauna of South Sulawesi.
There are five species of animals protected by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) and the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN), such as the fischer’s lovebird (Agapornis Fischeri), common barn owl (Tyto Alba), Wallacean box turtle (Coura amboinensis amboinensis), and two types of python (python molurus and malayopython reticulata).
Sadly, some of the trafficked animals are endangered species such as the purple-naped lory and Wallacea box turtle. There are also vulnerable animals such as the Burmese python, and three other species with near-threatened status such as the fischer lovebird, blue-streaked lory and tanimbar corella.
It is not surprising that this kind of wildlife trade activity in Makassar is highly impelled by market demand. Most collectors are encouraged by lifestyles or hobbies as keeping animals is a trend in society.
“They (collectors) have a community. I think this trend is one of the triggers. Pet shops are everywhere and they are not only offering services or merchandise for ordinary or domestic animals, but also exotic animals such as iguanas, pythons, and some wild animals,” said Risma.
In addition, wildlife trade by collectors is also believed to be related to an individual’s social status. The majority of wildlife trade are birds that are sold as pets. In Jawa, bird keepers are often labeled as rich and classy, and this view seems to have also spread to other regions such as the Bugis and Makassar communities.
From an economic perspective, animals are widely traded at a range of prices, the cheapest being one US dollar to the most expensive being 350 US dollars.
Some of the main fauna suppliers are from Maluku, Papua, Kalimantan, Jakarta and Sulawesi. The Philippines is also a major supplier of fauna to Indonesia, which is then traded in Makassar.
The traded animals will then be sold to various areas of Indonesia. Not only domestic demand, but also foreign demand. China is one of the main destination countries for smuggling to be used as medicine or food.
“For wildlife trade, the entry points are at airports and harbors, which actually require special treatment from the government,” explained Risma.
During the research process, Risma and her team of students encountered several difficulties, especially in obtaining information from several sources. She admitted that the parties involved in this illegal activity were not easy to interview and needed a special approach.
For example, some animal traders in Makassar said they did not know about the conservation status of the wildlife they were trading. This is despite the fact that every year, the South Sulawesi (Sulsel) Natural Resource Conservation Agency (BKSDA) conducts socialisation and patrols 10-12 times. Some traders also try to hide their traded wildlife to avoid inspection by officers.
This lecturer from the Faculty of Forestry hopes that the government could act more optimally. She said that several agencies involved in preventing wildlife trade need to improve collaboration and communication between each other to overcome illegal wildlife trade.
“There needs to be collaboration from the transnational level to the national level so that we can prevent the smuggling of wildlife trade. Of course, we must cooperate with related parties,” she said.
Risma also hopes this research will trigger the emergence of other studies so that the wildlife trade can be stopped. Makassar, as the center point and link between several regions in Indonesia, is highly vulnerable to such illegal activities.
Read the original version in Bahasa Indonesia.
Original writer: Zidan Patrio
Translated by: Nabila Rafiqah Awaluddin & Muhammad Alif M.
