Birdwatching Training for Rangers of Yang Highlands Wildlife Reserve
Protection of Forest & Fauna (PROFAUNA) Indonesia held a short training on birdwatching for rangers stationed at Yang Highlands Wildlife Reserve on 5-6 August 2016. The training took place at Baderan village, Situbondo, East Java, and was attended also by rangers from Kawah Ijen, PROFAUNA's rangers, and PROFAUNA's supporters.
Birdwatching training is important to improve their capacity in providing assistance for the Nature Conservation Agency in identifying bird species correctly during forest patrols. Bird monitoring data will be very helpful for the conservation management in the reserve.
The topics were delivered by Made Astuti, a senior birdwatcher who is also PROFAUNA's founder. Made, having been doing birdwatching since the 90s, said "Birds are easy to find almost everywhere, which is why bird identification skill is essential for rangers to make their patrol more efficient."
During the session, the 25 participants had the opportunity to directly observe the area around Baderan village bordering Yang Highlands Wildlife Reserve. Most of the participants had never done birdwatching before, yet they were thrilled during the two-day training.
They identified about 15 different bird species during observation, including kingfishers, wagtails, bulbul, eagle, etc.
"I am so stoked to be able to join this training, because finally I know the proper names of the birds I find around here. Usually I just called them by their local names," said Samhaji, an employee of the Nature Conservation Agency in Baderan office.