Megapodes: Status Survey and Conservation Action Plan ... - IUCN

and their inland forest habitat, forested corridors are
required. A second part of this project could develop and
promote proposals for the establishment and maintenance
of such corridors.
Timescale: The need for this work is ongoing and this
project should continue through the duration of this
Action Plan.
Resources: Costs are likely to remain within $5,000–10,000.
Good communication among decision-makers is needed
at all appropriate levels.
Project 2. A conservation awareness
programme for the maleo.
Malleefowl. The National Malleefowl Recovery Team has produced
a comprehensive recovery plan for this unusual megapode.
instance to assess current priorities. The Megapode
Specialist Group supports all the recommendations made
in the recovery plan.
Maleo (Macrocephalon maleo)
Project 1. Improving protection of maleo
nesting grounds in Sulawesi.
Aims: To campaign for improved protection of maleo
nesting grounds both inside and outside existing protected
areas; to develop proposals for forested corridors linking
known nesting grounds and montane forest.
Justification: The maleo is endemic to the islands of Sulawesi
and Buton. It has suffered a considerable decline in numbers
in recent times due to over-exploitation of eggs by man, and
loss and degradation of habitat. Research work and
conservation initiatives have been underway since the late
1970s, but there is now a need for further protection of
known nesting grounds to prevent further decline, as well
as new protected status for certain priority sites.
Project description: This work should be carried out by, or
through, international and national conservation
organisations. Lobbying for improved protection of maleo
nesting grounds both inside and outside existing protected
areas is recommended, including such areas as Tambun
and Tumokang in NP Nani Wartabone (formerly NP
Dumoga-Bone), Hulurawa and Saluki in NP Lore Lindu,
Batu Katunda in NR Morowali, Libun, Tanjung Matop,
and Bakiriang. As maleos move between nesting grounds
Aims: To raise public awareness of reasons for the decline
in maleo populations and how these trends can be arrested
or reversed; to disseminate information on systems for
sustainable harvesting of maleo eggs, in conjunction with
Project 3.
Justification: Much of the decline in maleo populations
results from degradation of habitat in and around nesting
grounds, and over-exploitation of eggs. Increased public
awareness of the plight of this species and the reasons for
its decline may help reverse this trend. Successful
implementation of sustainable harvesting will help
safeguard this species in the long term.
Project description: Conduct a high-impact, conservation
awareness programme through the media and community
groups to raise the profile of the species. Local people could
be involved in projects to restore degraded habitat around
nesting grounds, which can then provide benefit in the form
of long-term sources for the sustainable harvesting of eggs.
As the symbol of Sulawesi, this species is widely known,
and can act as a flagship for more generalised conservation
awareness and environmental stewardship programmes.
Timescale: The need for this work is ongoing and this
project should continue through the duration of this
Action Plan.
Resources: This is a large-scale and long-term project, and
is likely to cost over $25,000.
Project 3. Developing a system for sustainable
harvesting of maleo eggs.
Aims: To design and promote a system for sustainable
harvesting of maleo eggs; to evaluate the effectiveness of
hatcheries in maleo conservation.
27