Rapid oil palm exploration throughout parts of West Papua is threatening wildlife habitats, cultural traditions and ecological knowledge, according to fierce opponents of the practice.

Indonesian Forum for the Environment Papua executive director, Maikel Primus Peuki, said birds have been struggling to find shelter after natural vegetation was cleared.

"I once saw a bird flying far and high - it became so exhausted that it fell and died," Mr Peuki told a Jubi podcast.

"At first, I thought someone had shot it, but there were simply no trees left for it to shelter in.

"Birds cannot nest in oil palms."

Mr Peuki said such incidents in South Papua province illustrated the differences between natural forests and oil palm plantations despite both plants having leaves and producing oxygen.

He said replacing diverse forests with monoculture plantations reduces the variety of habitats available to Papuan wildlife.

"Imagine birds flying long distances becoming exhausted and falling dead," Mr Peuki said.

"It is a distressing reality because those birds know where their homes are."

Mr Peuki highlighted the role Indigenous knowledge of Papuans play in maintaining an ecological balance, including seasonal calendars which guide communities on when to also hunt wild pigs.

Both Papuan cultural traditions and ecological knowledge have been passed down for generations.

Dr Ignasius Ngari, a lecturer in environmental studies at a prominent Catholic education institution, said animals instinctively relied on habitats and could struggle when those environments disappeared.

"When their habitats are replaced by monoculture crops such as oil palm, they must find new homes, which requires time and adaptation," he said.

"Otherwise, they may disappear and die."

Dr Ngari also said birds play an important role in Indigenous Papuan knowledge systems, with their calls and behaviour used to interpret environmental changes and anticipate potential dangers.

Communities in the Cendrawasih Bay region of West Papua, including Yapen and Biak islands, have traditionally interpreted certain bird calls as warnings of impending natural disasters.

In Yanggu Baru village located in the Jayapura regency, residents associate the bird calls with events in their daily lives.

Dr Ngari added this relationship between people, animals and plants was also reflected in the concept of totemism, in which a species or natural elements represent the identity, ancestry and spiritual connections of a clan or a community.

Several Marind clans in the South Papua province maintain spiritual relationships with plant and animal totems, which are connected to Dema ancestral spirits.

Marthen Waisimon, a former village head, said a bird known locally in the Nimboran language as Yasu was believed to signal the arrival of visitors when it sang in the morning.

"Elders have long taught us that when the bird sings in the morning, visitors will arrive later that day," he said.

Mr Waisimon also said generations of traditional knowledge had taught residents to interpret other bird calls as signs of events, including natural disasters and impending deaths.

"We always protect our forests and trees because these birds are important to us and are our companions," he said.

"We must protect the forests and trees because they are the birds' homes, where they build their nests."