Survival of Greater Bird-of-paradise and its habitat after selective logging: A preliminary observation in Papua

Department of Forest Resources Conservation and Ecotourism, Faculty of Forestry and Environment, IPB University, Bogor, West Java, Indonesia

^* Corresponding author: aniipb@indo.net.id; ani_mardiastuti@apps.ipb.ac.id

Abstract

Selective logging in a timber logging concession could affect certain species, including birds. The impact of selective logging on Greater Bird-of-paradise ( Paradisaea apoda) has never been studied before. The objective of this paper was to assess the survival of the Bird-of-paradise and its habitat against selective logging. The research was conducted in two timber concession companies in Papua in 2022 (September-November) and 2023 (July-August), by visiting areas with different cutting years (i.e., cutting block 2012-2035). The extant Bird-of-paradise was recorded based on direct visual and definitive calls by the male birds, then presented in scatterplot for further analysis. Bird habitat was observed and presented qualitatively. The habitat of the bird was a lowland tropical forest. A total of 141 observation points were recorded from 9 cutting years (including cutting years of planned/future years). The birds were able to be found in almost all cutting years, including very old logging blocks (11 years), very recent, and unlogged forests (i.e., future cutting blocks), suggesting that the Greater Bird-of-paradise has a high survival against selective logging. The habitat of the bird was also recovered quickly after selective logging, as the number of commercial timber harvested by the companies was limited.