Traditional policies on using wild species are critical in developing scenarios for community engagement in conserving wild species populations. As such, this study examines the traditional practice of harvesting eggs from Moluccan Scrubfowl Eulipoa wallacei on Haruku Island, Indonesia, and its implications for bird population conservation. Using a closed-ended questionnaire, we surveyed 200 respondents in the productive age group (aged 15–65 years). It was found that most of the community supported adopting the traditional policies due to the high demand for eggs, which required daily harvesting. According to the community, egg harvesting has no adverse effect on bird populations, but hunting and habitat destruction does reduce the number of eggs available for harvesting. The community concluded that traditional conservation policies prioritise the conservation of adult birds and their habitats, not bird eggs. Particular attention should be paid to egg conservation efforts by establishing a quota for egg harvesting and limiting egg-harvesting time. Conservation efforts must also take into account the growing community awareness of the importance of conserving Moluccan Scrubfowl eggs.

Invasive predators have decimated island biodiversity worldwide. Rats (Rattus spp.) are perhaps the greatest conservation threat to island fauna. The ground nesting Palau Micronesian Scrubfowl Megapodius laperouse senex (Megapodiidae) inhabits many of the islands of Palau’s Rock Island Southern Lagoon Conservation Area (RISL) in the western Pacific. These islands are also heavily visited by tourists and support populations of introduced rats, both of which may act as added stressors for the scrubfowl. Using passive chew-tag and call playback surveys on five tourist-visited and five tourist-free islands, we investigated if rats and tourists negatively affect scrubfowl, and if higher rat activity is associated with tourist presence. Rat detection probability and site occupancy were significantly higher on tourist visited (89% and 99%, respectively) compared to tourist-free islands (52% and 73%). Scrubfowl were detected at significantly more stations on tourist-free (93%) than tourist visited (47%) islands and their relative abundance was higher (2.66 and 1.58 birds per station, respectively), although not statistically significantly. While rat occupancy probability likewise had a non-significant negative effect on scrubfowl numbers across islands, our results show a negative relationship between tourist presence and scrubfowl in the RISL. Our findings also suggest that rat populations may be augmented by tourist visitation in the RISL. Although this situation may not seriously affect the scrubfowl, it may be highly detrimental to populations of other threatened island landbirds.

The maleo Macrocephalon maleo (Megapodiidae; Galliformes) is a megapode, endemic to Sulawesi, Indonesia, that lays its eggs communally in geothermally or solar-heated soil. The majority of maleo nesting grounds are threatened to some degree and over one-third of known sites have been abandoned. Maleos are severely threatened by habitat degradation and uncontrolled egg-collecting. Hunting of adult birds is also contributing to their decline in some areas. Conservation measures implemented so far have not been sufficiently effective in preventing maleo population declines. In order to safeguard the maleo from further declines we recommend that the laws protecting the maleo and its habitat be strengthened as a matter of urgency and that long-term community conservation and environmental awareness projects be implemented. To achieve these goals we advocate the formation of a collaborative network of international NGOs, Indonesian conservationists, government departments and local communities.