![]() The discovery of the snub-nosed monkey exclusively on the basis of the TEK provided by hunters of Kachin, Myanmar, the natural resource management techniques of Maori and Dusun people, conservation of Orangutans through taboos and weather forecasting by the Kenyah of Borneo are examples of the contemporary relevance of TEK. TEK can provide information on the temporal and spatial distribution patterns of different species that could complement scientific data, and thus aid in fostering biodiversity conservation and management. This observation is in line with the analysis of scientific publications for 25 years by Brook and McLachlan which shows that papers reporting TEK are lacking. The documentation of Iban TEK on wild birds in Sarawak and the exceptional work on the TEK of Filipino communities are noteworthy examples of the few studies that exist. However, there is dearth of studies on the TEK on hornbills of Borneo and nearby regions. The cultural importance of hornbills to Borneo’s indigenous communities such as Ibans has also been fairly documented. Decades of hard work by researchers have ensured that we have quality scientific data on the hornbills of the Sundaland hotspot. , while discussing the magnitude of animals hunted by loggers, commented that the loggers who were adept in hunting were Ibans from traditional hunting backgrounds, offering a glimpse of the traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) possessed by the Iban hunters. shows that around 6000 helmeted hornbills are hunted per year in the Indonesian Borneo. However, there is no decline in hunting, and the advent of commercial hunting and shotguns have only aggravated the rate of species loss due to hunting. Loss of forests and cultural loss have happened on parallel fronts in Borneo, leading to either downscaling or abandoning of festivals such as Gawai. Researchers have questioned if hornbills, culture and hunting practices can co-exist. Feathers of Helmeted, Rhinoceros and Asian Black Hornbills are used by Iban and Orang Ulu men and women as adornments during traditional dances performed during festivals such as the Gawai Kenyalang, while their casque is used to make earrings. In Borneo, hunting of hornbills by various communities is one of the reasons for the rapid decline in their populations. albirostris are of immediate concern from the conservation point of view. The island of Borneo where Brunei Darussalam is situated is home to eight species of hornbills: Anthracoceros malayanus (Asian Black Hornbill), Anthracoceros albirostris (oriental pied hornbill), Anorrhinus galeritus (Bushy-crested Hornbill), Berenicornis comatus (White-crested Hornbill/White-crowned hornbill), Buceros rhinoceros (Rhinoceros Hornbill), Rhabdotorrhinus corrugatus (Wrinkled Hornbill), Rhinoplax vigil (Helmeted Hornbill) and Rhyticeros undulatus (Wreathed Hornbill). However, forest loss, logging and hunting pose severe challenges to the survival of extant hornbill species. For the survival of our remaining rainforests, it is critical that these offspring grow into maturity and fulfil their ecological role. The estimated offspring production rate of Rhinoceros Hornbills breeding once in 1.5 years is 2.0625 per 10 birds in the population. Hornbills are slow-breeding species requiring large tracts of forests to survive. However, logged forests could also serve as refuges to hornbills, making them habitats worth conserving in contemporary times. ![]() Naturally, primary lowland rainforests that are rich in tall growing and fruit-bearing trees form the principal habitats of hornbills. For the farmers of the forest too, availability of fruits is one of the two crucial factors for breeding, the other factor being availability of tall trees with cavities for nesting. ![]() In human farming communities, the favourable season of marriages generally follow the harvest when there is plenty of food available. Thus, they are fondly referred to as ‘farmers of the forest’. Largely frugivores by diet, hornbills play an important role in dispersing seeds of fruits above 2 cm in diameter in the tropical forests of Africa and Asia, ensuring the survival and regeneration of forest ecosystems. Of the 59 extant species of hornbills, 31 are found in Asia. Hornbills are large birds belonging to the Bucerotidae family and are known to possess several unique traits in the avian world such as cooperative breeding, female self-incarceration during nesting and mostly monogamous pairing.
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