Lesser sulphur-crested cockatoos or yellow-crested cockatoos (Cacatua sulphurea) are among the most endangered parrots of Indonesia. They were once very common across central Indonesia, but in the past 45 years, their decline has been dramatic, with the loss of over 80% of the population. They are now threatened throughout their entire range in Indonesia. Due to the illegal bird trade and loss of their mangrove habitat, sulphur-crested cockatoos in Indonesia are considered critically endangered and, since 2005, they have been listed as Appendix I on CITES.

The Abbotti cockatoo, a subspecies of the sulphur-crested (Cacatua sulphurea abbotti), is one of the rarest cockatoos in the world. It was on the road to extinction, with only five known individuals in 1997. A small but slowly growing population is limited to Masakambing, a tiny and very remote island in the Java Sea.

From Five to 25

Since 2007, Perkumpulan Konservasi Kakatua Indonesia (KKI), an Indonesian NGO working with the Indonesian Parrot Project (IPP), began studying the Abbotti cockatoo population and initiating conservation efforts in Masakambing. Due to their good works, there has been zero trapping since 2009. A law was also passed to prohibit trapping, sale, or disturbance of this special species and their habitat. The population of cockatoos is increasing, but very slowly. The Natural Resource Conservation Authority in East Java recently reported that the population in Masakambing is now more than 25 individuals. Progress!

To protect the few remaining individuals, collaboration with the local community has been essential. Conservation education has also built community awareness and empowerment. KKI actively participates in campaigns to build community pride, encourage relevant stakeholders to enforce the law, and to initiate ecotourism programs.

Local Hands, Global Impact

The Masakambing community now welcomes ecotourism visitors, which helps to provide sustainable income for this community. They built this beautiful concrete statue in 2023 to exhibit their pride for the Abbotti cockatoos on their island. They also host a cockatoo dance and music presentation for visitors around this giant cockatoo made with natural palm fronds from the Lontar tree (Borassus sundaicus). The Abbotti cockatoos also eat the flowers from this tree.

In November 2023, Masakambing won the Heart of the Archipelago Tourism Village award from East Java’s Governor. The Masakambing community wishes for people of the world to visit them and witness the harmony they have created between the cockatoos and humans on this tiny, remote island in the Java Sea!

This month’s Lafeber donation goes to support the continued protection of the Abbotti sulphur-crested cockatoo and the good works of KKI, IPP, and the villagers of Masakambing.