Birds of Paradise Save Nimbokrang Forest
Birds of paradise, as the name suggests, seem to be bringing peace to the people living in the Grime Valley in Jayapura, Papua.
A lesser bird of paradise (Paradisaea minor) perches at the top of a tree in the forest of Rhepang Muaif in Nimbokrang district, Jayapura regency, Papua, Wednesday (24/11/2021)..
A brief moment before sunrise in Papua, a cenderawasih mati kawat (Seleucidis melanoleucus) broke the morning’s silence in the Grime Valley. Despite its relatively small body, its calls penetrated all corners of the forest. Now and again, it aimed its pointed beak at the sky.
From the observation tower, the yellow plumes along its flanks were clearly visible. For around 15 minutes, the bird perched atop a tree that stood 3 meters tall.
This is a glimpse of what was on offer at Rhepang Muaif Bird-Watching, a tourist attraction in Nimbokrang district, Jayapura regency, Papua, on Wednesday morning (24/11/2021). The cenderawasih mata kawat is like someone welcoming the guests. It is the first to greet visitors to this location.
The bird-watching observation tower bird is only about 1 kilometer from the local lodgings. From the 8-meter tower, visitors can view and take pictures of the many bird of paradise species in Papua.
Rhepang Muaif is home to 58 bird species, including seven species of the rare bird of paradise in the Rhepang Muaif forest area.
Several requirements must be met before entering the forest. First, avoid wearing flashy clothes. No smoking is allowed at the observation point. In addition, wearing perfumes with a strong scent is not permitted. Make sure you don’t oversleep, because the guides are waiting for their guests before 5 a.m.
After being welcomed by the cenderawasih mata kawat, or 12-wired bird of paradise, visitors will go meet the lesser bird of paradise (Paradisaea minor). It takes about 20 minutes to reach a tree where this bird of paradise appears. Unlike the previous location, there is no observation tower here. Visitors simply stand around the tree and observe the bird playing, hopping from one branch to another.
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According to Dance Wouw, 61, a local guide, the bird has sharp vision, so it cannot be observed from a short distance. This was why there was no observation tower here.
On that Wednesday morning, the chirps of the lesser birds of paradise were heard from various directions. However, none perched for very long on the branches. They alighted only briefly and then flew away.
The same thing happened at the third monitoring point to observe the king bird of paradise (Cicinnurus regius). The bird, with its distinctive dark red wings, apparently wanted to play hide-and-seek. It emerged for a moment, stepping on a rattan vine winding around a tree, and then flew off to disappear behind the thick foliage.
The beauty of these endemic birds of Papua can still be enjoyed thanks to a group of residents in Rhepang Muaif kampung who are determined to safeguard the forest together. They have converted the area into an ecotourism site that has provided an income for the local community since 2015.
A 12-wired bird of paradise (Seleucidis melanoleucus), locally called cenderawasih matawire, perches atop a leafless bough in Rhepang Muaif forest of Nimbokrang district, Jayapura regency, Papua, Wednesday (24/11/2021).
The Isyo Hills Bird Watching ecotourism site, where birds of paradise can be monitored, is located in Rhepang Muaif kampung, 105 kilometers from the provincial capital, Jayapura. It takes around 2 hours by land to reach the area from Jayapura.
The tourist ecotourism site is located in a 19,000-hectare communal forest that belongs to the Waisimon and Wouw families. Alex Waisimon is entrusted with managing the forest. At present, only 200 ha of the total forest area are managed as a bird of paradise bird-watching site. There are 13 beds for visitors who want to stay at the ecotourism site.
Rhepang Muaif is the habitat of 58 bird species. These include seven species of the rare birds of paradise that live in the Rhepang Muaif forest area. There are five species of birds of paradise that live in the Isyo Hills.
The activity of the birds of paradise is monitored from four posts that are separated from each other by 1-4 kilometers. There are only two times during the day to watch birds of paradise in the wild, from 5 a.m. to 6 a.m. and from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.
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Usually, the most popular bird of paradise species among tourists for taking photographs are the lesser bird of paradise, the 12-wired bird of paradise and the king bird of paradise. Apart from these, visitors can also watch other bird species endemic to Papua, like cassowaries and mambruk, the Victoria-crowned pigeon.
So far, visitors to the Isyo Hills Bird Watching ecotourism sport have come from the United States, Russia, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, China, South Korea and Japan. There are also domestic tourists. Before the Covid-19 global pandemic hit in early 2020, between 250 and 400 visitors came to Isyo Hills Bird Watching each year, with 30-40 visitors arriving in a month. During the pandemic, only around 10 or a little over a dozen visitors come each month.
A king bird of paradise (Cicinnurus regius) perches in a tree in Rhepang Muaif forest of Nimbokrang district, Jayapura regency, Papua, Wednesday (24/11/2021).
Accommodation rates for tourists wishing to stay in this destination vary. There is one package for a room, breakfast and a bird-watching tour that costs priced Rp 850,000. Another package worth Rp 1 million offers not only lodging, breakfast and a bird-watching tour, but also lunch.
“Over the last year, only 120 people have visited. The number of residents hired to work here has also been reduced from 30 to only 10,” said Carolin Waisimon, a member of the management staff at Isyo Hills Bird Watching.
Although the pandemic has reduced the number of visitors, the rights holders of the communal forest remain committed to giving up logging and hunting bird of paradise.
Concerns
The Isyo Hills Bird Watching ecotourism site was born when Alex Waisimon grew concerned about rampant logging activities and hunting of birds of paradise. Alex discovered in 2013, when he returned to his kampung in the Yenggu area.
For the previous 18 years, Alex lived in Bali where he worked as a tour guide. Alex lived on the resort island with his wife and four children.
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Alex then called on the people of Yenggu to abandon logging activities and hunting birds of paradise, as this would have a grave impact on the local people and the endemic forest wildlife, including birds of paradise.
Sadly, Alex’s attempt failed. Disappointed, he decided to go back to Bali. Yet a year later, Alex returned to his kampung to try again.
This time, Alex met with Jamel, a migrant from Java in Nembukrang Sari kampung, not far from Rhepang Muaif. From Jamel, Alex learned about the ecotourism potential of watching birds of paradise, which was sought by researchers, photographers and foreign tourists.
Alex became acquainted with Jamel’s protégé Dance Wouw, who had been working as a bird of paradise tour guide in Nembukrang Sari since the 1990s. Alex invited Dance to open a site for monitoring birds of paradise.
In 2015, Alex decided to settle down in Rhepang Muaif and start his mission of saving the forest and birds of paradise. Alex’s dream of saving the forest from illegal logging was welcomed by the Rhepang Muaif people.
An unbroken canopy covers the forest area that is home to Papua's endemic birds of paradise in Rhepang Muaif, Nimbokrang district, Jayapura regency, in this photograph taken on Wednesday (24/11/2021). Rhepang Muaif is home to 58 bird species, including seven species of the rare birds of paradise.
He first founded the Isyo Hills group with 15 members. This group worked to prevent illegal logging in Rhepang Muaif. Most members of the Isyo Hills group are rights holders of the Rhepang Muaif communal forest.
The group was born after Alex took a persuasive approach, explaining about the importance of conserving the forest to the local residents over several weeks at the house of one of his relatives.
Over a period of several months, the group managed to prevent 50 illegal logging attempts by the workers of some companies. In addition, they created a regulation to ban dumping waste and oil into the rivers in the area.
“The Rhepang Muaif community started becoming aware when I kept telling them of the serious impacts of massive logging. Since then, they have been determined to safeguard the forest they inherited from their ancestors,” said Alex.
I hope all regions in Papua can develop ecotourism according to their respective potentials
After the success of the Isyo Hills group, Alex revived Yawadatum, a customary group in Rhepang Muaif that had been dormant for decades. Yawadatum means “growing together” in the local language.
This group has become the engine of the bird-watching activities in Rhepang Muaif. Yawadatum has 30 members, each with a specific role in managing the ecotourism spot. Among these are cooking, guiding tours and making traditional handicrafts like noken bags and wooden bracelets to sell as souvenirs.
The success in Rhepang Muaif inspired a number of other kampungs such as Yenggu Baru, Yenggu Lama and Sawesuma in Unurum Guay district to replicate the bird-watching ecotourism model.
Next year, Alex plans to assist the communities in 13 other kampungs in Nimbokrang to promote them as ecotourism destinations. Ecotourism in these 13 kampungs offer watching birds of paradise as well as hill climbing and lake cruises.
“The bird of paradise monitoring destination in the Isyo Hills has, in the last several years, served as proof that ecotourism is the only way to save the forests of Papua. I hope all regions in Papua can develop ecotourism according to their respective potentials,” said Alex.
Younger generation
Apart from empowering local economies, Alex has been training the younger generation to cultivate their love of nature at the Isyo Hills Rhepang Muaif Nature School, which has been operating since 2020.
The school has two teachers who provide instruction to the local children to increase their literacy and knowledge of nature, including the wildlife species that live in their forests.
A lesser bird of paradise (Paradisaea minor) perches at the top of a tree in Rhepang Muaif forest, Nimbokrang district, Jayapura regency, Papua, Wednesday (24/11/2021).)
Besides the nature school, Alex also empowers the youth to succeed as the next generation of tour guides at the ecotourism sites.
Daud Wouw is one youth who has worked as a tour guide at Isyo Hills Bird Watching since 2018. Before, the 20-year-old worked with a company that had been engaged in illegal logging activities since 2016.
Daud earned between Rp 1.5 million and Rp 3 million per month at the company. The tree species that was illegally harvested was kayu merbau, or ironwood.
Since he took the job as a tour guide, Daud has changed his behavior. He has left the company engaged in illegal logging and has instead chosen to work with Alex.
“When I started working as a tour guide, I became aware that cutting down trees could cause major disasters for the community, like floods and the disappearance of the habitat of birds of paradise," said Daud.
There’s also Alex’s son Calvin Waisimon, who is also working as a tour guide at Isyo Hills Bird Watching. The 17-year-old left the urban life in Denpasar and came to live with his father in Rhepang Muaif in 2017.
Calvin is learning from his father how to identify the different bird of paradise species, detect their territory and know the paths that lead to the bird of paradise monitoring spots in the forest.
“I’ve been a tour guide here for the last three years. With my command of English, I take foreign tourists to watch birds of paradise directly in the forest,” said Calvin, who is in his final year at Yapis Nimbokrang senior high school.
Calvin wants to invite all school dropouts in Nimbokrang to become tour guides in their kampungs. “There are many dropouts here who are prone to consuming narcotics like cannabis and drinking alcohol. I want them to be engaged in more positive activities, like guiding tourists in their kampungs,” added Calvin.
This article was translated by Aris Prawira.
