One type of hornbill (hornbill) that is currently in danger of extinction is the ivory hornbill. This bird became the mascot of the city of West Kalimantan. The distribution is also the most widespread in Sumatra and Kalimantan.

Not only in Indonesia, hornbills are also a rare animal in Southeast Asia. The threatened status of the ivory hornbill is officially announced International Union for Conservation (IUCN) in 2018. The animal has the status of critically endangered or in danger of extinction.

The extinction of hornbills is not without cause, these are some of the causes:

1. High rate of poaching

The current decline in the number of hornbills or hornbills is due to increased poaching.

Based on data from the Ministry of Environment and Forestry (KLHK) in the Strategy and Action Plan for the Conservation of the Ivory Hornbill for 2018-2028, it is stated that hunting of the Ivory Hornbill has increased every year, especially since the last five years. .

Hornbills are illegally hunted for their heads and beaks, which are sold to various countries. Most of these products come from West Kalimantan.

According to the Ministry of Environment and Forestry, the peak of hunting for hornbills will occur in 2021. Hunters are under pressure due to the high demand from small investors and foreigners. High demand and high profits make it an impetus for the community to carry out poaching.

The results of an investigation by the Ministry of Environment and Forestry found that hunting in West Kalimantan was initiated by a group of village hunters consisting of 2-5 people.

Every time they enter the forest, they will bring back at least 2 to 10 hornbills. Seeing this makes a lot of money. In the end, the other villagers joined in as well. So hornbill poaching is becoming more and more rampant.

The hunters will choose the place of the hunt during the fig tree season, since at that time the hornbills gather.

Some of the habitats that are hunting locations include Gunung Leuser National Park, Kerinci Seblat National Park, Bukit BArisan Selatan National Park, Gunung Palung National Park, and Bukit Baka Bukit Raya National Park.

After getting their prey, they will send hornbills to small or large reservoirs using land routes. Then it will be shipped abroad by air and sea.

2. Illegal trade

The Ministry of Environment and Forestry stated that one of the reasons for the illegal wildlife trade was the beauty of their body parts. The bird, which is included in the movie The Lion King, has artistic and aesthetic values ​​that arouse the interest of fans.

Body part to be used as decoration such as for emperors in China is evident from the Ming dynasty. Not only is it sold abroad, it turns out that in the country it is also used as a magical tool that serves as a bridge between ancestral spirits and society.

This situation occurs in the Dayak community in Kalimantan. For them, the balung hornbill means courage, majesty, leadership and protector.

The existence of this illegal trade is a crime that has high commercial profits. The Ministry of Environment and Forestry noted that the country has the potential to lose up to IDR 9 billion per year due to illegal trade. The same thing happened to the hornbill.

Enggang collectors already have small collectors in cities with strategic value such as Medan, Riau, Palembang and Lampung. While in Kalimantan, collectors can be found in Ketapang, Melawai, Putusibau, and Samarinda.

3. Destruction of the original habitat

Damage to the original hornbill habitat has reduced the numbers of these birds in the wild. The reason is because there is a clearing in the forest where hornbills live.

As a result, these endemic Indonesian birds have lost their natural habitat. So they move or even die. The clearing of forested land is the greatest threat to the original habitat because it influences the function of the ecosystem that supports life in it.

In 2014, the Ministry of Environment and Forestry recorded 12.9 million hectares of primary and secondary dryland forests remaining in Sumatra and Kalimantan. However, up to 60% are still suitable for hornbill habitat.

Using the same data, if a comparison is made with the potential habitat of hornbills in 1990, it is estimated that about 5.3 million hectares or up to 222,289 hectares per year have been deforested.

Therefore, most of the deforested areas are caused by conversion for industrial needs such as timber, plantations, and agriculture that are carried out on various scales.