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HARAPA N R AINFO R E S T
IND O NES IA
ME S S I N A S TR A I T
I TA LY
WHAT MAKES IT SO SPECIAL? WHAT MAKES IT SO SPECIAL?
This verdant tropical forest rivals the Amazon in biodiversity
richness. Alongside 305 bird species, it also supports
spectacular large mammals such as the Sumatran Tiger. Messina Strait is an important migration route, especially
for raptors. Thousand-strong flocks funnel themselves over
the narrowest sea crossing, measuring just 50 kilometres
between mainland Italy and Sicily, causing a spectacular
‘bottleneck’.
WHO LIVES HERE?
Storm’s Stork, Short-tailed Coucal, Wallace’s Hawk-eagle
HOW WAS IT THREATENED?
Illegal logging, agricultural encroachment, forest fires and
mining all imperil the ecosystem and the livelihoods of
indigenous peoples. Despite significant progress, our work
is ongoing.
OUR RESPONSE:
In an unprecedented legal move, our Partner Burung
Indonesia, supported by BirdLife, persuaded the
government to allow private organisations to manage
logging concessions to restore ecosystems. Harapan
means ‘hope’ in Indonesian: as the first site in our Forests
of Hope programme, Harapan has created the legal
framework for other Partners to follow suit.
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WHO LIVES HERE?
European Honey-buzzard, Western Marsh-harrier, Red-
footed Falcon
HOW WAS IT THREATENED?
This bottleneck used to be a hotbed of poaching, with
as many as 5,000 Eurasian Honey-buzzards illegally shot
down for sport every year.
OUR RESPONSE:
In the 1980s, our Italian Partner LIPU set up ‘anti-poaching
camps’ where volunteers watched over birds and reported
illegal activity. Despite threats, violence and even a bomb
destroying LIPU’s local office, community awareness and
law enforcement have drastically reduced poaching, saving
over 85,000 honey-buzzards.
BIRDLIFE • OCT-DEC 2019