Abstract
The wildlife trade has facilitated the introduction of invasive non-native species, which may compete with native species for resources and alter ecosystems. Some of these species have great potential to become invasive if released or escaped from captivity. Here we studied the pet trade in a group of open countryside birds, the mynas (Acridotheres spp.) in Indonesia, and identified the areas that are at high risk of facing the establishment of these species. Mynas are among the most invasive birds in Southeast Asia. Once established in a new area, they are almost impossible to eradicate and can have strong negative impacts on the ecosystem. Preventing their introduction is therefore essential. Yet, invasive non-native mynas continue to be traded openly. We present data on the trade in seven species of mynas on Java, Bali and Lombok, with three species being native to parts of one or two of these islands, but not to the remainder, and four that are non-native to the region. From 2016 to 2021 we conducted 255 surveys of 30 animal markets. We recorded over 6000 mynas that were offered for sale outside their native range. Areas most at risk because of their high prevalence in specific animal markets, are Greater Jakarta, eastern Java, Bali and Lombok. The number of invasive non-native mynas recorded was positively related to the size of the animal market. Indonesia is signatory to several international agreements (CBD, ASEAN) that have policies and guidelines to prevent the introduction of invasive non-native species, but compliancy is weak. Annually hundreds and possibly thousands of invasive non-native mynas are released by Indonesian conservation authorities in regions that are outside their native range. Effective management of, and regulation of trade in, potential invasive non-native birds in Indonesia falls short and inadvertently greatly aids both their introduction and establishment.
Highlights
IntroductionWe here use the term ‘invasive non-native species’ ( referred to as ‘invasive alien species’ or just ‘invasive species’) to refer to species that have been introduced, accidentally or intentionally, outside of their natural geographic range and that have interfered with the native resident species [12,13,14]
Yap and Sodhi [21] recognised two additional species of myna as among the 16 most invasive bird species in South-East Asia. These are the Javan myna A. javanicus, from Java and Bali that had been introduced via the cage bird trade into Singapore and from there expanded into West Malaysia, and the crested myna A. cristatellus from China and Indochina that had been introduced into West Malaysia and the northern Philippines, partially as a biological pest control and through the cage bird trade. We argue that those species that are traded in larger numbers outside their native range will have the potential to result in a larger introduction effort, either through deliberate releases or through accidental escapes
Focusing only on animal markets where specific myna species can be considered invasive, we recorded over 6000 mynas of seven species, i.e., 5569 common mynas, 301 crested mynas, 402 Javan mynas, 95 black-winged mynas, 74 grey-rumped mynas, 12 bank mynas, and 3 pale-bellied mynas (Table 2)
Summary
We here use the term ‘invasive non-native species’ ( referred to as ‘invasive alien species’ or just ‘invasive species’) to refer to species that have been introduced, accidentally or intentionally, outside of their natural geographic range and that have interfered with the native resident species [12,13,14]. These species are often introduced as a result of the globalisation of economies through the movement of people and goods [14]. A species can be native in the westernmost part of a country, but when it is introduced to the easternmost part of that country it can be considered an ‘invasive non-native species’, even though it has not crossed any international borders
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