Tanjung Aru’s beloved rare parrots must not be relocated, say birdwatchers Amar-Singh HSS and Ron Pudin.
TANJUNG ARU Beach in Sabah is an idyllic beach with tall old Casuarina trees, lovely sand and some of the most magnificent sunsets in the world. Located on the outskirts of Kota Kinabalu its proximity to the city makes Tanjung Aru Beach a great place to bring the family and have a peaceful day out. Many tourists visit the site daily.
Equally important is that Tanjung Aru Beach is home to an endangered parrot, the Blue-naped Parrot (Tanygnathus lucionensis). Blue-naped Parrots are medium sized parrots with green plumage, blue on the nape and mid-crown, broad orange-buff edging on wings and yellow on the undersurface of the tail.
(Feature image: Little is known about the global population of the Blue-naped Parrot but the number of locations it is found is declining | Photo: Amar-Singh HSS)
These uncommon parrots can be easily found around Tanjung Aru Beach and regularly draw many local and international bird watchers.
BirdLife International lists this species as Near Threatened. Estimates of the population size of this narrow range parrot are very old (1993) and probably inaccurate but could be as low as 1,500 worldwide.
BirdLife International states that population numbers are decreasing due to trapping and forest loss. The population of the Blue-naped Parrot at Tanjung Aru Beach is maintained but small at around 30-50, due to competition with other birds for the nesting holes in the old, beach-side Casuarina trees (Phillipps, Q. & Phillipps, K., 2014).
Many other birds also use the location including Oriental Pied-Hornbills (Anthracoceros albirostris), Green Imperial-Pigeons (Ducula aenea) (Near Threatened), Pied Imperial-Pigeons (Ducula bicolor) and Nankeen Night Herons (Nycticorax caledonicus).
Most are protected under Sabah’s Wildlife Conservation Enactment 1997.
Habitat for many birds
Tanjung Aru Beach also serves as a safe harbour and first point of land for many bird species during the annual bird migration from Russia, China, Japan and Korea.
Some are uncommon, like the Grey-streaked Flycatcher (Muscicapa griseisticta), Lesser Crested Tern (Thalasseus bengalensis) and Chinese Egret (Egretta eulophotes).
There have been a number of attempts to develop the location with plans for many hotels, a golf retreat and a marina. From as far back as 2014, local conservation groups have frequently raised concerns about the project, its environmental impact and insensitivity to the needs of the public.
A 2014 Environmental Impact Assessment report for the development is uploaded to the website of the Environment Protection Department, Sabah. The report acknowledges that development at the site will significantly and irreversibly impact birds and other wildlife during construction.
A suggestion was to relocate to an alternative site, the parrots and hornbills with the trees and build nesting boxes in those trees. Our opinion is that it is uncertain if this will succeed. At the very least will require years of work and considerable expertise, which we might not have.
The project specifications have changed but the information is not public.
Leave the beach alone
We call on the local authorities and Sabah government to cancel all projects in the Tanjung Aru Beach area that so badly impact the wildlife. We can always get a new site for hotels, a golf course and a marina but cannot afford to lose both this rare parrot species and a wonderful location for families to have a day out.
It would be good for Malaysia to be recognised as a country that saves endangered species rather than one that destroys the environment.
Dato’ Dr Amar-Singh HSS is Editor of the Malaysian Bird Report and Ron Pudin is President of the Sabah Bird Watchers Association.
[Edited by SL Wong]
The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of Macaranga.
References:
Blue-naped parrot Tanygnathus lucionensis species Factsheet | BirdLife DataZone. (n.d.). BirdLife DataZone.
Phillipps, Q. & Phillipps, K. (2014). Phillipps’ Field Guide to the Birds of Borneo, 3rd edition. John Beaufoy Publishing, UK.
‘Special Environmental Impact Assessment for Tg. Aru Eco Development, Kota Kinabalu, Sabah’. Tg. Aru Eco Development Sdn. Bhd. October 2014.
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