Enviro News Asia, Jakarta — Indonesia recently released a publication showing that 1,835 bird species have been recorded in Indonesia. This means that nearly 17% of the world’s bird population can be found in the archipelago.
The update also revealed that over the past five years, 30 new species have been added—12 of which are newly described species and the rest are results of taxonomic splits. This highlights Indonesia’s immense potential for biodiversity.
Satyawan Pudyatmoko, Director General of Natural Resources and Ecosystem Conservation (KSDAE) at the Ministry of Forestry, expressed appreciation for the findings and publication released by Burung Indonesia in an official statement.
“Several aspects that remain suboptimal will serve as input for the government to continuously improve efforts and implement corrective actions to ensure bird conservation programs become more effective,” he stated.
The 12 newly described species include the Taliabu grasshopper-warbler (Locustella portenta), Taliabu leaf-warbler (Phylloscopus emilsalimi), Peleng leaf-warbler (Phylloscopus suaramerdu), and Taliabu myzomela (Myzomela wahe), described by Rheindt et al. in 2020. In addition, two species were discovered in Kalimantan by Irham et al. in 2022: the Meratus white-eye (Zosterops meratusensis) and the Kadayang blue flycatcher (Cyornis kadayangensis). From Papua, the satin fruit-dove (Melanocharis citreola) was described by Milá et al. in 2021.
Out of the 1,835 species, 558 are protected, 542 are endemic, and 470 have limited distribution.
According to the IUCN Red List threat status, 6 species are categorized as Data Deficient (DD), 1,437 as Least Concern (LC), 220 as Near Threatened (NT), 82 as Vulnerable (VU), 52 as Endangered (EN), and 30 as Critically Endangered (CR). From a habitat-based perspective, there are 228 Important Bird Areas (IBAs) and 23 Endemic Bird Areas (EBAs).
The publication notes that Indonesia’s bird population comprises 24 orders and 129 families. Of the total, 1,559 species (85%) are resident birds living entirely within the archipelago, while 276 species (15%) are identified as migratory birds that pass through Indonesian territory. This underscores Indonesia’s importance as a key area for migratory birds, in line with its role as a member of the East Asian–Australasian Flyway Partnership and the ASEAN Flyway Network.
One noteworthy aspect of the Burung Indonesia publication is the status change of 30 bird species. Based on the latest evaluation, 12 species have experienced an increase in threat status, indicating declining population conditions. Most of these are waterbirds and migratory species. Climate change and human disturbances during migration and overwintering phases are suspected to be the main factors behind the decreasing encounters with these migratory bird species in Indonesia.
On the other hand, 18 of the 30 species have shown a decrease in threat status. This may reflect improved field conditions such as population growth, habitat restoration, or reduced threats. The Oriental darter (Anhinga melanogaster) and black-headed ibis (Threskiornis melanocephalus) are two species that have shown factual improvements in population status. The protection of wetland habitats and key colony sites, geographic range expansion, increasing public awareness, reduced poaching, and successful conservation programs have all contributed to significant improvements in the conservation status of these species.
Currently, Satyawan announced that the government has established the National Partnership for the Conservation of Migratory Birds and Their Habitats (KNKBBH), officially formed through the KSDAE Director General Decree No. SK.16/KSDAE/KKHSG/KSA.2/1/2024 dated January 12, 2024. This partnership includes all stakeholders involved in monitoring and observing migratory birds, including researchers, practitioners, birdwatchers, KSDAE units, and citizen scientists.
The KNKBBH has expanded its focus beyond just migratory waterbirds to also include conservation efforts for other migratory bird groups such as raptors, seabirds, and forest/terrestrial birds.
“This expansion is a manifestation of our commitment to preserving the full diversity of migratory birds, which play a crucial role in maintaining ecosystem balance,” he said.
Conservation strategies and action plans for waterbirds and migratory birds are currently being developed as concrete steps to address increasing threat statuses, particularly for these groups. Collaboration among stakeholders—including practitioners, researchers, academics, NGOs, the private sector, local communities, and the media—has great potential to realize biodiversity conservation in Indonesia. With such collaboration, Indonesia can continue to maintain its status as one of the world’s biodiversity hotspots.
