Habitat of endangered maleo bird in C. Sulawesi rapidly shrinking

The habitat of the endangered
macrocephalon maleo (maleo bird) in Banggai district has been reduced
to 625 hectares of the 12,500 ha wildlife reserve set by the Forest
Ministry in 1982, an official has said.

"Rampant illegal logging in the past two decades had caused a e
significant decrease in the habitat of the bird which is on the brink
of extinction," Banggai district forestr and plantation office head
Djalal Yunus said here Sunday.

Irresponsible people opened forests in Bakiriang area recklessly for
cacao, coffee and other food crop plantations and sold logs to people
outside Bakiriang forests, he said.

To make thing worse, around 1,000 people have lived in the Bakiriang wildlife reserve in the past years.

"According to an investigation by the Banggai district administration,
in 2003 the number of people living in the protected reached only 300,"
Djalal said.