Homes for Sumatran Hornbills

Nest boxes of three designs for hornbills were built and in 2008 were erected on large trees within a sector of the Harapan Rainforest in southern Sumatra, Indonesia, which is a 101,000-hectare ecosystem restoration initiative. The forest contains all nine of Sumatra’s hornbills, of which six are considered Near Threatened. As of early 2009, a few visits by hornbills had been recorded, but with no nesting attempts. A monitoring programme is being put in place, with training and incentives for local people so as to integrate the scheme into the conservation plans and activities for the area.

This paper was presented at the 5th International Hornbill Conference jointly organised by the National Parks Board (Singapore) and the Hornbill Research Foundation (Thailand), in Singapore on 22nd–25th March 2009.