When the tiny island of Sangihe was first colonised in the 17th century, its forests were plundered for their natural resources of fruit, spices and fibres. When these were gone, the forests were replaced with plantations of bananas, coconuts, rubber and tea (7). After centuries of agriculture, Sangihe has now been almost entirely stripped of forest and only tiny patches remain (6) (8). Naturally, this has had a great impact on the island’s wildlife, including the elegant sunbird.
While the elegant sunbird is now thought to be able to survive in habitats without adjacent forest patches, agricultural practices continue to threaten even these areas (2), by removing the dense understory and scrub which the elegant sunbird requires (5). The species’ stronghold around Mount Sahendaruman represents the last remaining area of primary forest on Sangihe (6); unfortunately, this forest is inadequately protected, and agriculture continues to impinge at the forest edges (2).