Data Collection

YPI with the Department of Natural Resources (Balai Konservasi Sumber Daya Alam-Kalimantan Barat) conducted interviews with 95 bird shop owners previously identified through market surveys conducted between 2015 and 2018. Surveys were conducted at bird shops across 14 districts of West Kalimantan, Indonesia, in Pontianak City, Kubu Raya Regency, Landak Regency, Sanggau Regency, Sintang Regency, Melawi Regency, Kapuas Hulu Regency, Mempawah Regency, Singkawang City, Sambas Regency, Bengkayang Regency, Ketapang Regency, and North Kayong Regency from July to September 2018. Data collection was conducted by seven local YPI employees using a semistructured interview with bird shop owners.

Survey

Surveys were conducted in teams of three with one individual recording responses, one conducting the interview, and one documenting the process. All survey respondents were told upon the start of the survey the objective of the survey and that the results would be used for both nonprofit and government purposes to better inform the design of a potentially beneficial program. Verbal consent was required before the start of the survey and was recorded with an audio recorder. All names of respondents were kept confidential.

Socioeconomic characteristics of bird traders such as income, gender, ethnicity, age, education, and employment were recorded. Participants in the bird trade were asked questions about their personal backgrounds, length of involvement in the bird trade, whether or not they would consider changing business professions, and so on. Our survey team also asked bird shop owners about licensing, number of shop customers and workers, and income. All surveys were recorded to note any additional details or responses. The full translated survey questionnaire can be found in Online Appendix 1.

Data Analysis

Data from recorded interviews were simplified, and responses were classified by each question or socioeconomic indicator asked of the respondents. All interviews were recorded and used to review at a later time if marked responses were unclear. Data were analyzed and figures were produced using R studio. We used linear regression models to test for relationships between the length of involvement in the songbird trade and age of respondents as well as income and the length of involvement in the trade. We used an analysis of variance in cases where predictor variables were categorical such as permit type, whether selling birds was the individuals main source of income (yes/no), or willingness to change businesses (yes/no) and response variable was continuous. Results have been summarized in the form of tables, figures, and descriptions with a number and percentage of responses from those surveyed (see survey Online Appendix 1). In addition, descriptive responses were coded with a predefined scale (e.g., yes —1 or no—0) that allowed us to categorize attitudes or motivations. The survey was simple, and pieces included in this manuscript did not require coding of long responses based upon attitudes or motivations and in all descriptive cases responses were coded with binary responses (yes/no).

Shop Owner Demographics and Bird Trade Involvement

A total of 95 bird shop owners were interviewed with 83% male and 17% female shop owners. Seven major ethnic groups were identified among shop owners: Chinese, Javanese, Malay, Madurese, Bugis, Dayak, Padang, and Unknown. Nearly half of respondents were Chinese and about a quarter of the respondents were Javanese (Table 1).

Respondents were grouped into five education level categories: elementary school, middle school, high school, higher education, and not finished. Of the 95 respondents, nearly half had completed high school. Only 5% of respondents had completed any college (higher education) (Table 2).

There was a weak but statistically significant (df = 89, r² = .535, p = .015) linear relationship between shop owner age and length of involvement in the trade (Figure 1). Age varied among bird shop owners; the majority of respondents were aged between 31 and 50 years. Respondents’ length of involvement in the bird trade also varied greatly (range: 1–20 years, Figure 1). Over a third of respondents (35%) had been involved for 2 years or less, a third (33%) had been involved for 3 to 5 years, and a quarter (25%) had been involved for 6 to 20 years (Figure 2). Only 2% of shop owners had been involved for more than 20 years and 5% did not respond (Figure 3 and 4).

Figure 1.

Age and length of involvement in the bird trade for all bird shop owners interviewed.

Figure 2.

Number of respondents by age of bird shops surveyed.

Figure 3.

Length of time involved in the songbird trade across shop owners surveyed.

Figure 4.

Average income reported by shop owners in response to the length of involvement in the songbird trade.

Figure 5.

Number of monthly visitors estimated by sellers to visit their shop every month.

Figure 6.

Estimated average number of birds sold each month by shop owners.

Figure 7.

Number of employees and customers present in bird shops at the time of survey.

Figure 8.

Average income of respondents grouped by whether or not their main source of income was from selling songbirds across four permit types and those that did not have permits.

Figure 9.

Willingness to change businesses and whether or not bird selling was identified as a main source of income varies across income.

Shop owners were also asked if they traded other types of animals; 60% of respondents said that they sold other animals and 35% indicated that they only sold birds. Five percent did not respond. When asked their reason for initially engaging in the bird trade, 59% of respondents said that they first opened a bird shop as a hobby, whereas 24% said that they were involved purely for business prospects. Twelve percent said that it was a combination of both, and 5% did not respond.

Income and Licensing

The average income for 43% of respondents was less than or equal to IDR 3,000,000 a month (∼US$212), and 43% made over IDR 3,000,000 a month. Average monthly income for over a third of respondents (34%) was below West Kalimantan’s legal minimum wage of IDR 2,211,266 (∼US$159) per month. Five percent did not respond (Table 3).

We found no statistically significant correlation (df = 89, r² = .066, p = .46) between the income and the length of involvement in the songbird trade meaning those involved longer in the trade did not necessarily have improved profit margins.

We also investigated whether selling songbirds was the individual’s primary source of income or whether it was supplementary to other income sources. Fifty-five percent of respondents claimed that selling birds was their main source of income and 40% said that it was supplementary to another line of work. Five percent did not provide an answer. Regarding profitability, 79% of respondents claimed that that their business was profitable, whereas 17% of bird shop owners said that they were not making a profit from selling songbirds. Four percent did not respond.

Bird shops noted between 1 and 1,000 visitors per month. Almost a quarter (22%) of shops said that they had between 10 and 200 visitors per month. Roughly a third of shops (30%) said that they had between 201 and 500 visitors per month, and another 28% claimed between 500 and 1,000 visitors per month. Nineteen percent of shop owners were not sure or did not give a response (Figure 5, 6 and 7).

As far as birds sold per month, the majority of respondents (57%) said that they were unsure as to the numbers or did not respond. Over a third of shop owners (37%) estimated that they sold between 1 and 10 birds per month and only 6% said that they sold any more than 10 birds per month (between 11 and 30 birds per month).

Bird shop owners were asked whether they possessed licensing related to the selling of wildlife. A Surat Izin Tempat Usaha (SITU) permit is required permission for the physical location or existence of any business in Indonesia. A Surat Izin Usaha Perdagangan (SIUP) permit is required for businesses engaging in any type of trade in Indonesia; in this case, the trading of live birds. Sixty-three percent of bird shops had no permits whatsoever. Nineteen percent of bird shops had only SITU permits, 5% had only SIUP permits, and 13% had both SITU and SIUP permits. We found no statistically significant difference in income across permit type, indicating that the permit type is not influenced by higher or lower profit margins (f = .492, df = 85, p = .689) (Figure 8 and Figure 9).

The number of employees and customers in the shops while the interview was being conducted was also noted. Most bird shops (83%) had one to two employees. Eleven percent of shops had three to four employees, and for 6% of shops the number of employees was unable to be discerned or not stated. Throughout the conduction of the interview, which lasted 25 to 45 min, shops had zero to four customers present (Figure 9).

Switching Enterprises and Business Alternatives

Our survey team inquired as to whether respondents would be interested in changing businesses to move away from songbird trading. Of the 95 respondents, 55% individuals were interested in changing businesses; however, 13% of those only wished to stop selling live birds but continue selling bird paraphernalia like cages, food, and so on. Twenty-eight percent of respondents were not interested in changing business and 17% of (Table 4) respondents did not respond or were not yet sure. Therefore, 47% of the individuals interviewed were considered to be candidates for transitioning out of the bird trade industry via enrollment in Planet Indonesia’s Environmental Entrepreneur Program.

We also asked about business alternatives that respondents would consider switching to and their reasoning for choosing said business. Potential other business categories varied widely: eight people were interested in opening general food/goods stores, eight others were interested in opening stores that sold other animals such as chickens and fish, and six more were interested in opening and café or coffee shop. Interest in opening specialty stores was also common: three people showed interest in opening a cake shop, three people in fishing equipment stores, two people in automotive stores, two people in clothing and mobile phone stores, two people in garden/decorative plant stores, one person in a cosmetic store, one person in a vegetable store, one person in a farming store, and one person in an animal feed supplier store. Five people were not yet sure of what business they would change to and two others were actively looking for other (unspecified) work. When asked about reasons for their interest in these specific businesses, responses ranged from adapting to demand for products to relying on previous work experience and skill sets.

Of the 45 bird traders who are willing to switch businesses, the majority have been involved under 5 years. Forty percent were bird traders who had been involved in trading under 3 years and 20% of traders had involvement for between 3 and 5 years. Twenty-seven percent of bird traders had been involved between 5 and 10 years, and the remaining 13% had been involved for over 10 years.

We investigated whether income varied across willingness to change business (yes/no) or between shop owners who indicated whether selling birds was their main source of income (yes/no). We did not find that income varied between those willing to change businesses or whether it was their main income source (f = .088, df = 89, p = .767).

However, for the subset of 45 bird traders willing to switch industries, most traders earned below IDR 5,000,000 per month. Nearly a quarter of respondents (22%) said that they earned between IDR 500,000 and 1,000,000 (∼US$35–US$70) per month which is well below the monthly minimum wage standard for West Kalimantan (IDR 2,211,266 or ∼US$159). About half of bird traders (47%) said that they earn between IDR 3,000,000 and 5,000,000 (∼US$212–US$359) per month.

Based on these three indicators of length of involvement in the bird trade, average income, and willingness to change business, Planet Indonesia identified 19 shop traders to be approached for our Environmental Entrepreneur Program. A further look into the subset for the 19 candidates showed alternative business options of 5 people interested in opening general food stores, 3 people in cake specialty stores, 2 in automotive, and 2 in the sale of other animals. One person was interested in each of the following specialty stores: decorative plants, a café, fishing equipment, and a coffee shop. Two people were still unsure as to what business they would switch to and one was actively looking for other (unspecified) work. Reasons behind interest in changing businesses ranged from high market demand to applicable skill sets of respondents.

Conservation Implications

Our survey was conducted to provide insights for an evidence-based design of an alternative business program run through YPI. YPI uses a combination of law enforcement, microfinance, venture capital, and behavior change triggers to address the songbird trade in Indonesian Borneo. A major obstacle to address the trade has been linked to state-led legislation which allows for the majority of songbirds in Indonesia to be traded freely (Conrad, 2012; International Union for Conservation of Nature, 2019; Jepson & Ladle, 2005; Jepson et al., 2011; Rentschlar et al., 2018).

Our results provide new insights as there appears to be an opportunity for alternative business models for songbird traders in West Kalimantan. However, caution should be observed, and this intervention should be accompanied with legal action to ensure that songbird traders simply do not shift to online trade or join our program but continue selling songbirds. To address this, YPI has coordinated with government agencies to ensure that shop owners enrolled in this alternative business program if caught selling wildlife, protected or not, will be arrested. In 2019, 19 shops have volunteered to close down, surrender all songbirds, and join the alternative business program facilitated by YPI.

Our study also provides insights into the possibility to leverage taxation and business laws to address the songbird trade, as many businesses did not have proper permits to legally operate. This is an important finding as the majority of conservation groups focus on natural resource-related laws, but our study shows that using a variety of legislation, such as business permits and taxation, could be a viable intervention to reduce the severity of the Indonesian caged-bird trade. In addition, given the option, many shop owners expressed a willingness to change industries if given proper resources and training to do so. Thus, our findings indicate that in West Kalimantan more than two thirds (∼70%) of all shops could be closed by leveraging business and tax laws combined with an alternative business approach. If this holds true across other provinces in Indonesia, this could provide critical insights into the design of conservation strategies and interventions.

Debate on the efficacy of various strategies to combat wildlife trade (e.g., law enforcement, wildlife farming, antipoaching, and poverty reduction, among others) remains heated among conservationists (Challender, Harrop, & MacMillan, 2015; Phelps, Carrasco, & Webb, 2014; Phelps, Webb, Bickford, Nijman, & Sodhi, 2010). Our study reveals that perhaps the debate should not solely be focused on whether law enforcement is effective or not but rather if conservation groups should take an inventory on the suite of rules and regulations at their disposal. In West Kalimantan, more than half of bird markets in the region could be closed or at least sanctioned using regulations that are unrelated to the trade or exploitation of natural resources. Our findings support the claim that a multifaceted approach to wildlife trade leveraging a variety of legal, economic, and demand reduction strategies is needed.

Further studies are needed to provide insights into the socioeconomic characteristics of the songbird trade in Indonesia (Burivalova et al., 2017). Our study was designed to provide insights for a better informed strategy to combat the Indonesian caged-bird trade in West Kalimantan. Therefore, limited inference can be drawn from this study due to its regional sample size and geographic nature. Our study is the first study of its kind to investigate the socioeconomic characteristics of shop owners—the most important link between rural trappers and urban consumers—and provides novel insights on how this critical linkage may be addressed to limit illegal songbird trade.