Avian diversity and ethnoornithology in Pawukon - a 19th-Century Javanese manuscript : informing contemporary conservation of vulnerable species

Abstract The progressive erosion of Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) in Java, a process exacerbated by colonial disruption, has created a critical disjuncture in biodiversity data. This research examined the 19th-century Javanese “Pawukon” manuscript—a calendrical divination system—as a biocultural archive to reconstruct historical avifaunal diversity and investigate its implications for contemporary conservation paradigms. Through a multidisciplinary framework integrating philological analysis, ethno-ornithology, and ecological assessment, this study catalogues more than 45 avian illustrations, correlating them with 51 potential species, broadly classified into songbirds, raptors, piscivorous birds, and coastal birds. Comparative analysis with contemporary IUCN Red List data elucidates a significant conservation status shift: of the identified taxa, 36B are classified as Least Concern, one Data Deficient, while a substantial subset faces threat, including eight Near Threatened, two Vulnerable, two Endangered, and two Critically Endangered. A critical finding is the predominance of songbirds among the threatened categories. The manuscript evidences an ethno-ornithological framework, where birds functioned as potent cultural symbols (e.g., raptors denoting sovereignty) and aesthetic commodities. This historical baseline underscores a profound paradox, wherein cultural practices once fostering human-avian connectivity, notably aviculture, now manifest as a primary extinction driver through commercial trade. This study posits that such historical manuscripts provide an indispensable benchmark for quantifying anthropogenic impact on biodiversity. It concludes that effective conservation strategy must be grounded in the integration of TEK, advocating for policies that leverage cultural symbolism and transition avicultural practices toward sustainability to safeguard Java’s biocultural heritage.