The myriad of islands that make up the region known as south east Asia remains home to some of the most biodiverse habitats in the world. Rich ecosystems made further diverse by variation in altitude and coastlines allow life to thrive here.
All of this is despite human activity impacting the natural world over the last century, where rainforest has commonly been replaced with monocultures of various crops from horizon to horizon.
• Habitat across South East Asian Islands has been decimated by exploitation for timber, minerals and conversion for agriculture in the last century.
• The illegal wildlife trade is pushing many species to the brink of extinction, including numerous songbird species.
• Hunting, habitat loss and hybridisation with domestic species are threats to species in the region such as the Javan warty pig and wild cattle species like banteng.
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The illegal wildlife trade is one of the main drivers for species loss in this region, including the demand for wild-caught songbirds for the cage bird trade that has led to the Asian songbird crisis.
We began working closely with various conservation organisations to address the issue and find solutions. Since the first successful breeding of the critically endangered Javan green magpie at Cikananga Wildlife Centre in 2012, we’ve continued to establish an assurance population of the species, including right here at Chester Zoo.
Over the coming years we aim to develop a comprehensive programme of work designed to reverse threats and secure populations of a number of Asian songbird species
Additionally, we support orangutan conservation with a network of partners, ranging from on the ground research to building capacity in sanctuaries and advocating for sustainable palm oil. Working alongside conservation organisation HUTAN, our approach has combined scientific research with education to ensure proper protection and management of wildlife habitats. The same organisation and other NGO’s have also helped us establish a movement for sustainable practices regarding palm oil in the Malaysian state of Sabah.
Chester Zoo is also a core supporter of the Action Indonesia Global Species Management Plans (GSMPs) for lowland anoa, banteng and babirusa. Building on our own success with breeding these species, we’ve delivered training to Indonesian zoos and forestry office staff to help them achieve healthy ex-situ populations.
Find out more about all the projects we support across the South East Asian islands.
