Last colony of milky storks
The Matang Forest Reserve in Perak is reputed to be one of the
worldââ¬â¢s best examples of sustainably managed mangrove forest.
That claim, however, may be dubious as a species it hosts, the milky
stork, is on the verge of extinction. Once abundant along the peninsula
West Coast, the waterbird is now confined to Matang and recent
observations hint at a population that may be as low as four
birds.
Yes, milky storks are facing imminent extinction in the wild in Malaysia.
How did we allow them to reach such a dire state? It appears that
conservation measures taken so far have been too little, too
late.
Wildlife Protection and National Parks Department (Perhilitan) cannot
curb human activities there since Matang is not a wildlife sanctuary
but a timber production forest reserve. Proposals for a wildlife
reserve and a Ramsar Site (wetland of international importance under
the Ramsar Convention) have for years, been ignored.
The Forestry Department did set aside no-logging zones but this was of
little help as tree-cutting and human activities persist in adjacent
sites. Deprived of the tall trees needed for nesting, the storks fail
to multiply. To worsen things, eagles, monkeys and monitor lizards prey
on their chicks and eggs.
No juvenile stork has been seen for over 20 years in Matang. The
conservation status of the species is so alarming that Perhilitan wants
it declared as ââ¬Åendangeredââ¬? instead of just ââ¬Åvulnerable.ââ¬?
Safe refuge
The last chance left for the species is re-introduction of captive-bred
birds. Zoo Negara has successfully bred them since 1987 and now has
over 90 birds. If these birds are freed in Matang and start breeding,
there is hope yet for the species to repopulate the wild.
But this can work only in a secure habitat. Otherwise, the captive-bred
birds will suffer the same fate as their wild cousins, whose population
had plunged by 90% in the last 20 years due to shrinking mangroves and
human disturbance.
Hence, Perhilitan has repeated its call to the Forestry Department to
enlarge the ââ¬Åprotected forestââ¬? cover in Matang by an extra 644ha ââ¬â
which is not a lot considering that Matang sprawls over 40,466ha. The
Forestry Department had previously protected 1,883ha at Pulau Kelumpang
and 103ha at Pulau Terong, two islands where the storks feed and roost.
ââ¬ÅFor effective conservation of the milky stork, larger areas of
undisturbed mangroves are necessary to buffer the lakes found on the
two islands,â� says David Li, waterbird conservation officer at Wetlands
International.
ââ¬ÅEven if the birds go extinct, we can reintroduce captive-bred birds.
But this is a wasted effort if the habitat is not secure,â� adds Li, who
had led an 18-month study on conservation of milky storks jointly
conducted with Perhilitan and the Malaysian Nature Society (MNS).
The study repeated proposals for a wildlife reserve and Ramsar Site, as these will give Perhilitan a say in managing the area.
Li asserts that conserving the site will benefit migratory birds which
winter in Matang. As the mangrove cover declines, so has fisheries
production and the population of these birds ââ¬â by as much as 75% to 95%
in the past 10 to 17 years. Gulls and terns are the worst affected.
Perhilitan held a workshop in March to discuss the study findings,
bringing together experts in bird breeding and conservation. However,
little has been done since to implement the recommendations or pass
them on to the relevant ministry.
Its biodiversity conservation director Siti Hawa Yatim says Perak
Perhilitan has held informal talks with state foresters. A meeting
might be called in future.
She says a re-introduction programme will start in Matang early next
year. Initially, 10 captive-bred birds will be kept in an aviary at the
Perhilitan centre in Kuala Gula to be habituated to the new environment
prior to release. Perhilitan will also build tall perches for the birds
to build nests and will consider culling predators.
Siti Hawa says the re-introduction programme could not start any
earlier as it must follow IUCN (World Conservation Union) protocol.
ââ¬ÅBefore releasing captive-bred birds, we must first study and address
the threats such as from predators, water quality of the mudflats (as
this will affect food supply) and food sources.â�
Although Zoo Negara can spare a few birds from its healthy flock of
milky storks, Perhilitan is not taking any chances to avoid a
recurrence of two past unplanned releases.
In 2003, 15 milky storks given to Taiping Zoo two years earlier took
off and were never seen again, all because of failure to keep their
feathers periodically clipped, which prevents long distance flight.
In another project in Kuala Selangor Nature Park by MNS, only four of
the 10 birds received in 1998 survived. When funding ran out in 2003,
the damaged aviary was not repaired and the birds, left to escape.
Seven storks were later seen in nearby Jeram and Bagan Sungai Buloh but
since 2004, sightings have only been of four birds. With nearby coastal
mangroves cleared for prawn aquaculture, these birds face a survival
battle. There is no close watch to see how these storks are faring in
the wild ââ¬â a fact that has angered some bird lovers.
At the March workshop, bird conservationists urged for more facilities
for captive breeding. Zoo Negara had previously donated milky storks to
Penang Bird Park, Kuala Lumpur Bird Park and Malacca Zoo. One chick was
hatched in the KL Bird Park last year. MNS wants to restart its project
but it failed to secure funding from car giant Honda, losing out to a
rhino conservation project proposed by World Wide Fund for Nature.
That is the sad story of milky storks and birds in general. ââ¬ÅThey often
lose out to the bigger animals like tigers, elephants and orang utans,â�
laments Siti Hawa. Perhilitan itself failed to get funding for milky
stork projects in the Eighth Malaysia Plan (2001 to 2005). It finally
did in the Ninth Plan (2006 to 2010) and that made next yearââ¬â¢s
re-introduction plan possible.
Now we can only hope that the project is not delayed. Otherwise milky
storks will be the sixth bird species to be extinct in the wild in
Peninsular Malaysia, joining the green peafowl, white-winged duck,
white rump vulture, long-billed vulture and gold-crested myna.
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