New research has shown an Indigenous community in Indonesia is protecting one of the world's rarest cockatoos without abandoning a centuries-old sacred tradition.
The study, led by the Australian National University (ANU), Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM) and Perkumpulan Konservasi Kakatua Indonesia (KKI), has documented how Huaulu people of Seram Island, located in the eastern part of the archipelago, worked with conservation researchers and government authorities to adapt the sacred Cidaku initiation ceremony.
Young Huaulu men traditionally wear the salmon-crested cockatoo's distinctive crest feathers during the Cidaku ceremony — which marks the transition to adulthood — however the ceremony now uses naturally moulted feathers collected from wildlife rescue centres, preventing the need for the endangered bird to be hunted.
Working with Huaulu Elders, Mansuela National Park authorities and KKI, researchers helped establish a "feather bank" as part of the study, which provides naturally shed feathers from rehabilitation centres, eliminating the need to hunt wild birds for the ceremony.
The Indonesian Government has formally recognised the co-designed solution, which offers a model for conservation efforts which work with Indigenous communities rather than against them.
Senior author Dr George Olah from the Fenner School of Environment and Society said the research challenges the idea that traditional cultural practices and wildlife conservation are at odds.
"We found that for the contemporary Huaulu, the spiritual potency of the Cidaku ritual relies less on the violence of the hunt and more on the inherent spiritual integrity of the species itself," Dr Olah said.
"Through a series of participatory focus group discussions, the community co-designed a solution that respects their oral customary law and practices, while ensuring the survival of the wild cockatoo population."
Notably, the study found commercial wildlife trafficking is the primary driver of the species' decline, while Indigenous communities are often disproportionately blamed for the loss of wild cockatoo populations.
The research also found Huaulu peoples view the use of authentic moulted feathers as preserving the ceremony's spiritual integrity while ensuring the survival of wild cockatoos.
Lead author Dwi Agustina from UGM and KKI said the project demonstrates that conservation is most effective when Indigenous communities help shape the solution.
"This agreement does more than just protect a species; it validates the community's role as the rightful stewards of their environment," Ms Agustina said.
"It shows that when we move beyond freezing culture in the past and instead support its evolution, we can achieve outcomes that benefit both biodiversity and Indigenous identity."
Ms Agustina said the findings have implications well beyond Indonesia.
"Saving the salmon-crested cockatoo requires saving the culture that reveres it," they said.
"This study proves that you don't have to choose between cultural continuity and ecological survival - you can have both."
The research team said it hopes the study will serve as a global model for biocultural conservation, demonstrating that successful conservation interventions are most effective when they are co-designed with local leaders and embedded within existing cultural frameworks.
The study has been published in the Journal of Ethnobiology.
