Who hasn't heard of the Bird of Paradise? The beauty and grace of its form have earned it the title of "the bird of paradise." However, human greed is what has made this bird from Papua become endangered.
As if not satisfied with merely admiring its beauty, for a long time, irresponsible hands have sought to take it from nature. The newspaper Kompas once wrote that, around the years 1900 to 1930, this brightly colored bird was hunted on a large scale for the European market. A millennium has passed, yet the hunting of the Bird of Paradise still persists.
Various efforts have been made to protect this bird. Not only for the species itself but also for the surrounding nature. This includes in Aisandami Village in Wondama Bay, West Papua. Currently, the area is being protected by its people through an ecotourism initiative.
"We want to protect the Bird of Paradise," said Melania Hegemur, the Treasurer of Aisandami Village Ecotourism. The idea to create ecotourism emerged from the awareness of the local residents. It started in 2016 after the community received a series of environmental education sessions from WWF.
This initiative then grew and embraced various elements within the community. "We want to invite the community to realize that this is for their children and grandchildren," Melania recalled when she first began socializing the idea of ecotourism. Initially, not many people wanted to participate, as they did not understand the benefits. However, after about three years of raising awareness in the community, this initiative began to show positive results.
"Now there are even 3 former hunters who have become guides," said Melania. These former hunters of the Bird of Paradise realized that if the heavenly bird continued to be hunted and disappeared from nature, no guests would visit the Aisandami ecotourism village.
One of the main attractions of Aisandami Village is the establishment of a Bird of Paradise observation site. Visitors will be accompanied by guides, who were once hunters, to deepen their understanding of the beauty of this heavenly bird. "Now, the former hunters have homestays and benefit from ecotourism," Melania explained.
Aisandami Village is located on about 700 hectares of land and is home to around 130 households. A two-hour drive from Wasior, visitors can enjoy various nature tourism activities. Local guides are always ready to take visitors on trekking trails through the mangroves, explore the beauty of the underwater world, or row small boats to enjoy the marine potential of the area.
In addition, to satisfy hunger between activities, visitors can try sago with coconut, processed black fruit, sea cucumber crackers, and other local specialties. Handicrafts made by the locals are also available for visitors to take home.
With funding support from Blue Abadi Fund (BAF), Aisandami Village was able to build a Bird of Paradise observation post, a mangrove trekking route, and promote the tourism packages offered. Additionally, efforts were made to improve the community's capacity and the quality of local handicrafts.
