By Ling Hui
KUCHING, Dec 1: The Sarawak Forestry Corporation (SFC) has recently succeeded in listing ‘burung empuruk boyak’ or Straw-headed Bulbul (Pycnonotus zeylanicus) in Appendix I of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna (CITES CoP19) in Panama, Central America.
Sarawak Deputy Premier-cum-Minister for Natural Resources and Urban Development II Datuk Amar Awang Tengah Ali Hasan in stating this, added that ‘burung murai’ or White-rumped Shama (Kittacincila malabarica) was also listed in CITES Appendix II.
“The listings are intended to save these bird species from the threat of extinction,” he said in his ministerial winding-up speech in the august House today.
According to the CITES official website, Appendix I lists species that are the most endangered among CITES-listed animals and plants, meaning international trade in specimens of these species are now prohibited except for non-commercial purposes.
Appendix II, on the other hand, lists species that are not necessarily now threatened with extinction but that may become so unless trade is closely controlled.
Both songbird species, based on information from the Forest Department Sarawak, are commonly found in the lowlands as well as hills of Sumatra and Borneo. — DayakDaily
