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ctivists have lauded the government’s recent move to expand its list of protected flora and fauna, but the decision has triggered protests from bird-loving communities across the country as the updated list includes several bird species that are popular among collectors because of their melodious chirps.

The updated list, which aims to promote sustainability and proper treatment of protected animals and plants, saw a surge in the number of protected species, from 294 in 1999 to 921 this year; 564 of which are birds, including popular cage birds such as murai batu (white-rumped shama).

The expanded list bars individuals from trading or keeping protected flora and fauna as stipulated in the 1990 law on natural resources and ecosystem conservation. According to the law, those who are found guilty of breaking the law face up to five years in prison and Rp 100 million (US$6,852) in fines.

“Many people have been keeping as pets or breeding endemic birds like murai batu or jalak suren [mied pyna]. The ministry seems to have overlooked this fact,” said Wisnu Muhammad Daya, the chairman of Kicau Mania, an organization comprising bird lovers and breeders.

He said the organization recorded that there were around 400 legal breeders across the country who had been helping in the conservation of protected birds through legal trading activities.

“Most of us get a bird by purchasing it legally. We are concerned the updated list will cause some of the breeders to lose their livelihoods, as they aren’t allowed to trade birds anymore,” he said.

Therefore, he added, the organization had demanded in a recent discussion that the ministry exclude from the list four of the most popular species of cage birds, namely the white-rumped shama, the mied pyna, cucak ijo (greater green leafbird) and anis kembang (chestnut-capped thrush).

Kicau Mania also demanded that authorities protect breeders from being prosecuted for keeping and trading protected birds.

Days after the revised list was issued in July, several local bird collector associations reportedly staged peaceful rallies protesting the ministerial regulation, saying it was issued without going through the proper steps involving all stakeholders.

Responding to the issue, the ministry reiterated that the newly revised list of protected animals and plants did not apply retroactively meaning owners of protected species that were obtained prior to the enactment of the regulation are not subject to prosecution.

“Breeders are also urged to register themselves with the ministry or our local representatives for free. This is to guarantee that the protected birds traded among bird lovers come from legal breeders, not directly from nature,” the ministry’s director general for natural resources and ecosystems, Wiratno, told The Jakarta Post recently.

Such a mechanism, he added, was to ensure that breeders and other bird lovers abided by conservation principles, as animals needed to live in their natural habitat to thrive and avoid the threat of extinction.

The ministry is also working with civil society organizations to draft guidelines for bird-singing contests to allow bird owners to uphold local traditions without putting conservation efforts at risk.

“In the meantime, we will see whether we can exclude the popular cage birds,” Wiratno said.