‘I’m helping cause extinctions’: Inside Indonesia’s illegal wildlife trade

As the UN reveals up to one million species face being wiped out, Indonesia’s island of Sulawesi is at the frontline of the battle against extinction.

Preview Above: Dateline investigates the illegal wildlife trade in Sulawesi driving species to extinction. Watch it now On Demand.

A damning report from the United Nations, the first global assessment of the state of nature in 15 years, revealed up to one million animal species face extinction within decades due to human influence.

The report warns that Earth could be heading towards its first mass extinction since non-avian dinosaurs died out 66 million years ago.

Last year, the International Union for Conservation of Nature compiled a list of animal extinctions in every country around the world. The study revealed the USA has lost more species than other country since record-keeping began in the early 20th century: 237 species. Australia is fourth on the list with 40.

But these statistics don’t show the whole picture or exactly what’s at stake. Indonesia, for example, has only two confirmed extinctions, with 82 species critically endangered. Yet on its biggest Island, Sulawesi, many species are on the brink of vanishing forever.

Located in central Indonesia, Sulawesi is home to many rare species. The sale of these species on the illegal wildlife market contributes an increasingly valuable source of income to the citizens of this developing nation.

The thirst for exotic pets, souvenirs and bush meat have made Sulawesi an easy target for illegal wildlife traders. Compounded by inadequate and often corrupt law enforcement, on this island the dollar value of an animal far outweighs its intrinsic value to the ecosystem.

Local Biologist Billy Lolowang estimates ‘80-90 per cent of the wildlife in Sulawesi are facing extinction’.

“We are sleep walking into ecological disaster,” he tells Dateline.

This drive for dollars is no more apparent the bush meat markets. Pigs, wild rats, snakes, bats and more are laid out all over tables in an environment that is barely regulated.

While a small number of locals can plead ignorance to the effect of their actions on the struggling eco system, bush meat trader David knows that selling his most popular product, fruit bat, is directly contributing to species decline.

“I feel like I’m helping cause extinctions because, I’m one of the people who sells it… It’s what people want. They want bat meat,” he says.

“If there are none left or they’re extinct… all we’ll be able to do is show children pictures, like dinosaurs.”