Maleo Macrocephalon maleo population recovery at two Sulawesi nesting grounds after community engagement to prevent egg poaching

Abstract

Sulawesi's endemic maleo bird Macrocephalon maleo, a megapode that lays its eggs in communal nesting areas of warm sand or soil, is classified as Endangered on the IUCN Red List, with its decline generally attributed to habitat loss and poaching of its large eggs. Despite decades of protection under Indonesian law and numerous field conservation efforts, no conservation projects have yet documented a recovery in local numbers, and the overall maleo population continues to decline. We aimed to test whether the maleo's decline could be reversed in two community-based conservation programs in the Tompotika region of Central Sulawesi, in which maleo eggs were left undisturbed in situ and egg-taking (poaching) by humans ceased by community agreement. Subsequently, maleo numbers have increased four-fold after 14 years and three-fold after 5 years at two different locations. Our results suggest that: a) at these sites, egg poaching by humans is the primary threat to maleos, above habitat loss and natural predation; b) maleo populations can recover if egg poaching is prevented and eggs are left undisturbed; c) interventions such as translocating and/or artificially incubating eggs may be unnecessary if poaching is stopped; d) communities may voluntarily choose to end poaching with appropriate outreach work, which may or may not include economic incentives.