Rapid Action Fund

Organisation: Friends of National Parks Foundation 

Project focus: Continued breeding success and intensive population monitoring of the Bali Starling on Nusa Penida

Location: Nusa Penida, Bali, Indonesia

Project dates: September 2020 to February 2021 (Phase I);  
November 2021 to April 2022 (Phase II) 

Species: Bali Starling (also known as Bali Myna) Leucopsar rothschildi

Supported by: Fondation Segré

 

The challenge

In Nusa Penida, where there is a lack of natural nest hollows, Friends of National Parks Foundation (FNPF) engage international volunteers to install and maintain a network of nest boxes. These nest boxes, found across public, private and religious lands, allow the Bali Starling population to breed. If the nest boxes do not get regular upkeep, they are quickly overrun by bees, snakes, rats and geckos.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic travel restrictions, there are no international volunteers to help FNPF with the upkeep of the nest boxes. Without care, it would not be long before the nest boxes begin to deteriorate, which would have resulted in the species’s decline. To add to the challenge, the lack of international volunteers has also taken away the only source of funding for the FNPF local staff.

There was an urgent need to seek alternative income sources in order to continue the presence of field staff to maintain nest boxes, deter poachers, and monitoring breeding. 

The project

Phase I

FNPF sought emergency funding from the ASAP Species Rapid Action Fund to stop the nest box network falling into disrepair. ASAP funding will be used to pay the local staff to cover the activities of and donations from international volunteers until travel restrictions are eased. Over the course of the project, local staff will:

  • Maintain the nest box network
  • Grow the nest box network for the upcoming breeding season
  • Act as a deterrent to poachers through their presence
  • Continue to engage with schools and communities

Phase II 

In November 2021, FNPF received additional funding from the ASAP Species Rapid Action Fund to:  

  • Maintain field staff to monitor the nest boxes 
  • Establish accurate and intensive monitoring during the breeding season 
  • Expand the network of nest boxes to tourist areas  
  • Strengthen engagement with tourism operators  

 

The ASAP Species Rapid Action Fund is supported by:

 

 

Image credits: Friends of National Parks Foundation

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