Main results
Successfully established the first long-term conservation program of Talaud Cuscus on Salibabu Island, one of the last strongholds of the species in Sangihe-Talaud Islands, North Sulawesi, Indonesia. This program consists of 1) research to study the latest status of cuscus ecology and levels of threats, 2) capacity building to train and empower local youth as cuscus scientists and champions, 3) outreach and community engagement to protect cuscus habitat and reduce hunting pressure, 4) multi-stakeholder collaboration to create conservation networks to support Talaud Cuscus programs in general, advocate it as the flagship species of the districts, and identify future research priorities and conservation action plan for Talaud Cuscus.
Training – increasing local capacity and Research – knowing the latest status of cuscus population and its threat
From June to July 2021, research training was undertaken on Salibabu for the local youth to equip them with skills to record cuscus presence scientifically and familiarise with the methodology. At the same time, a socioeconomic survey was conducted using in-depth interviews with the local community, traditional leaders, and chief of villages on Salibabu Island, suggesting that Talaud Cuscus has been hunted intensely mainly for local consumptions (e.g. occasional sources of meat, special meat for wedding/religious celebration, and snacks for traditional alcoholic drinks) and only a few were hunted for pet.
Outreach to nurture the sense of pride among community about cuscus
We have created educational materials to initiate a pride campaign on Salibabu island, working together with the girls from the villages and priests to arrange, so far, five campaigns have already been attended by 134 kids. Posters of Talaud Cuscus were put on the public transportation and people's houses. One village, Alude, where the cuscus was most found, had declared its commitment to protect Talaud Cuscus, joined by Musi village.
Multi-stakeholder collaboration
In the end of project, we have successfully held an online Focus Group Discussion on 1 April 2022, attended by government partners, other conservation NGOs, research institutions, and universities to identify research and action priorities for Talaud Cuscus and integrate it into ongoing conservation programs. The second Focus Group Discussion was held on 3 June 2022 in Melong (the capital of Talaud) and attended by half of the chief of villages on Salibabu Island, local forestry and conservation authorities (BKSDA Sulawesi Utara and representatives from Dinas Kehutanan Sulawesi Utara), and local youth groups. Attendees agreed to work together ahead in formulating island-wide protection for Talaud Cuscus and propose this as part of Talaud development agenda.
This project is co-funded by Stiftung Artenschutz and activities in 2022 is also co-funded by a new partnership between PROGRES-Stiftung Artenschutz and IUCN SSC Asian Species Action Partnership (ASAP)
