Dwi Listyorini, an animal development regulation expert from Batu, East Java, said the impact of habitat loss is evident in the changing landscape around her hometown over the past decades. Forested areas surrounding Mt. Arjuno and Mt. Panderman, once dominated by dense vegetation, have been converted into villas, recreation parks and agricultural land.

She said the land conversion has altered natural water systems, triggering floods in parts of the highland city of Batu and affecting wildlife that once thrived in the area, including the Javan hawk-eagle, scientifically known as Spizaetus bartelsi.

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As a child, Dwi recalled frequently seeing the raptor circling above her village, an experience that left a lasting impression. Today, she said, sightings of the bird have become increasingly rare.

“Back then, I often saw Javan hawk-eagles circling above our village. I didn’t have to go far to see them. Now I hardly see them anymore,” she said.

Threatened raptor

Forest loss in Java and Bali has placed the endemic Javan hawk-eagle, listed as endangered on the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List, under growing pressure.

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