The author in Coron Island, Palawan

It is quite amazing that just minutes after the Department of Tourism launched its new campaign slogan, it’s more fun in the Philippines, last January 6, it became viral in the internet with numerous photographs showing some spectacular and awesome places in the country. Most of the photos display the beautiful landscape and seascapes in different islands of the Philippines, featuring white beaches, colorful marine line, crystal-clear rivers and lakes, lush forest, mystical caves and many more one can only imagine.

Having the privilege and opportunity to visit a number of these tourist destinations, due to my engagement as consultant to several conservation projects, I could only say that one of the must see destinations in the Philippines is the Coron Island, one of the islands in the Calamian Group of Islands, also known as Calamianes, in northern Palawan. The Calamianes also includes Culion, Busuanga and over a hundred more islands. Coron and Busuanga municipalities occupy the Busuanga Island, while Culion is a separate island municipality. There was one point in time when many were quite hesitant to visit Culion because it has been known as the leprosy colony of the Philippines.

Located within the municipality of Coron, the Coron Island is just less than an hour boat ride from the town proper in deep blue water usually sparkling under the broad day light. While approaching the island, the numerous walls of stones, competing with their dazzling and marvelous natural features, are scenes to behold. These stone walls are dotted with beautifully designed stunted trees, swaying in accordance with the rhythm of gentle winds coming from the ocean.

The breathtaking scenery further includes the white sand curved in different coves and coastlines of the island where visitors will surely be enticed to splash in ice-colored water, which is also competing with the splendor and beauty of the different rock formations. Fascinatingly, the island remains natural with no permanent structures usually associated with popular tourist destinations in the country.

But more than its wonderful natural features, Coron Island is also an important cultural site in the Philippines because it is the ancestral domain of the Tagbanua, one of the Indigenous Tribes in Palawan. In fact, this is precisely the reason why the island remains free from commercial establishments, such as privately-owned beach resorts, since the Tagbanuas are the sole owner of the whole island, including its surrounding coastal waters by virtue of a Certificate of Ancestral Domain Title awarded to the tribe by the National Council of Indigenous People.

The ancestral domain of the Tagbanuas covers 24,530 hectares and it was the first awarded CADT in the Philippines and the whole of Asia. Moreover, this ancestral land is also the first globally known Indigenous Cultural Conservation Area in the Philippines due to the efforts of the Tagbanuas in protecting and conserving the island. Tour operators are required to seek registration from the tribe for them to bring visitors in Coron Island.

This article is also available at: http://www.visayandailystar.com/2012/January/16/people.htm

Rina Bernabe de Alban Photo*

It seems the newly launched campaign slogan of the Department of Tourism, it’s more fun in the Philippines, is so far attaining one of its objectives in maximizing social media as a communication vehicle to popularize it. Just a few minutes after it was publicly released, it became a byword in Facebook and a worldwide trending topic in Twitter. Although not long enough and while many were talking about the launching, it was discovered, also in social media, that the slogan is not actually new, since exactly the same slogan was used by Switzerland on its tourism promotion in the 1950’s.  In spite the discovery of such similarity, the DOT campaign is now in snowball with social media users posting a lot of photos why it is indeed more fun in the Philippines.

Of course, the slogan did not come with all amusing reactions, but personally I am taking it positively, because it can be used not only in promoting the spectacular natural and cultural attractions, but including the amazing biological diversity of the country, as well. This new campaign of DOT is also capitalizing the generally friendly and fun-loving nature of most Filipinos.  I am hoping this new tourism campaign will likewise feature our numerous species of flora and fauna, many of which cannot be found elsewhere in the world.

Just try to imagine – the Philippines has two-third of the Earth’s biological diversity, comprising of at least 70 to 80 percent of the world’s plant and animal species, according to the Protected Areas and Wildlife Bureau of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources. The country is considered as a paradise to more than 50,000 recorded species, and many more unknown and undiscovered species.  More than half of these recorded species are endemic to the Philippines.

Our nation is ranked 5^th in the number of plant species and maintains five percent of the world’s floral resources. The PAWB further reported the endemic species in the country is relatively high with at least 25 genera of plants and 49% of terrestrial wildlife.  The report of PAWB claimed the country is ranked 4^th in terms of the number of endemic birds, while there are about 121 endemic species of fish. We are also known as one the most important centers for amphibian and reptilian diversity in Southeast Asia, the PAWB reported. This is precisely the reason why the Philippines is considered as one of mega-diverse countries of the world. It is indeed more fun in the Philippines to discover these assorted life forms usually found in equally beautiful and scenic habitats that similarly await discovery.

Lory Tan/WWF Photo*

Popularizing the different endemic species shall be aimed in gaining more global conservation support, especially so that many of our endemic species are already classified as threatened species – meaning their population is getting limited and a good number is already at the brink of extinction in the wild. One of the products that maybe explored is the bird watching since we have plenty of colorful endemic birds. While the DOT has already launched a campaign for bird watching in the Philippines, we need to further maximize the potential of the country for this activity. We are in the best position to engage in this kind of tourism product because many of our islands are possessing island endemic birds.

However, once we embrace in an all out campaign for our endemic species, it is also necessary to strengthen our protection mechanisms because there are unscrupulous and uncaring business persons who are engaged in illegal wildlife trading. Some of our endemic species are targeted for trading due to their reported food and medicinal values, while there are also species used for other commercial purposes, like clothing, bags, shoes and other accessories.  The other important consideration in promoting our endemic species is to ensure the implementation of a much responsible tourism activity that would not in any way disturb the species and their habitats. Tourism related activities involving species should be designed carefully to promote and implement biodiversity conservation and not just for fun.

Here’s an excerpt:

The concert hall at the Sydney Opera House holds 2,700 people. This blog was viewed about 20,000 times in 2011. If it were a concert at Sydney Opera House, it would take about 7 sold-out performances for that many people to see it.

Click here to see the complete report.

The Wildlife Month Celebration in Negros Occidental last November once again underscored the biodiversity importance of the province, and Negros Island in general, particularly in terms of the number of threatened endemic species and degree of threats. When we talk about endemic species we mean a kind of plant or animal with population that is only restricted in a particular area and Negros accounts several of these life forms. A particular species is declared as threatened when its population in the wild is getting limited and may soon be extinct.  The IUCN – World Conservation Union is a recognized international authority that assign a particular level of threat for every declared threatened species, although the Department of Environment and Natural Resources has likewise come out with an administrative order providing the list of threatened flora and fauna in the Philippines.

The endemicity of species found in Negros is clearly reflected in the common names of a good number of species, such as the Negros fruit dove, Negros stripped babbler, Negros forest frog, Negros bleeding heart pigeon, and Negros bare-backed fruit bat, among others. However, in a recent development the Negros bleeding heart pigeon has been renamed as the Visayan bleeding heart pigeon because it is also known to occur in Panay. Numerous other endemic species are shared by major islands comprising the West Visayas Bio-geographic Zone – Negros, Panay, Cebu and Masbate, such as the Visayan or Philippines spotted deer, Visayan warty pig, Visayan writhed hornbill and Visayan leopard card, to name a few.

One of the most important species found only in Mount Kanla-on Natural Park is the Negros fruit dove, which to date remains mysterious because it has never been recorded following its discovery in 1953. Although there are notions that the species might be an invalid one, the global science community continues to affirm the validity of Negros fruit dove as a distinct threatened species of the world.

It is quite unfortunate that many of the endemic species are already at the brink of extinction in the wild primarily due to habitat destruction and overexploitation. Most of these threatened species are forest dependent and it is not new to many of us that Negros has lost most of its natural forest. This reality is in fact the rationale beyond the commemoration of Wildlife Month so that the general public will be informed on the biodiversity relevance of Negros and the need to secure both species and habitat from further deterioration. Initial studies show the remaining forests in Negros still harbor most, if now all, of the threatened endemic species of the island. It is therefore of paramount importance to protect these forests from destructive activities.  A vast track of classified forestlands in Negros has already been converted into other land uses, which makes forest restoration a very challenging task. However, if we want our endemic species to survive, it is necessary that we shall engage in massive habitat restoration and not just a plain reforestation with the use of exotic species. Habitat restoration is the reestablishment of what the forest was before.

It is interesting to note that both the provinces of Negros Occidental and Negros Oriental are initiating the yearly commemoration of the Wildlife Month. In Negros Occidental, this year’s celebration was spearheaded by the provincial government through the Provincial Environment Management Office in partnership with the DENR, Negros Forest and Ecological Foundation, Inc., Philippines Biodiversity Conservation Foundation, Inc. and other institutions.

Note: All photos in this article were taken during the Wildlife Parade in Bacolod City.  Photos courtesy by the Philippines Biodiversity Conservation Foundation, Inc.

at: http://www.visayandailystar.com/2011/November/21/starlife.htm#starlife2

The proposed ordinance of Negros Occidental Sangguniang Panlalawigan Member Emilio Yulo III requiring national government agencies and permit applicants to consult and secure an approval from concerned local government units before implementing projects, with potential ecological concerns in their areas, is a very important local legislation once approved and enacted.

Local consultation and approval are actually requirements of numerous national guidelines pertaining to environment and natural resources management, and the proposed ordinance of Yulo, chairperson of the SP Committee on Environment and Natural Resources, will ensure participation of LGUs in decision-making processes of projects that may likely adversely affect the environment, such as mining and other extractive activities.

The Environment Impact Assessment System and its associated implementing guidelines require consultation and endorsement by Local Government Units prior to the implementation of environmentally critical projects in their respective areas of jurisdiction. This is part of the social acceptability mechanism during the environment impact assessment stage of any proposed project falling under the EIA system, and a requirement before the issuance of the environmental compliance certificate for the said proposal by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources. The proposed ordinance of Yulo localizes the application of this requirement under the EIA System of the Philippines.

It is also important to note that the proposal of Yulo is within the context of the Local Government Code and its relevant guidelines, particularly the Joint DENR – Department of Interior and Local Governments Memorandum Circular 2003 – 01 on the strengthening and institutionalizing the DENR-DILG-LGU partnership on devolved and other forest management functions. This guideline mandates pertinent DENR offices to submit comments by relevant LGUs on any application for tenure instruments, including resource extraction permits, before said instruments or permits are issued. The LGUs are given 15 days from the receipt of any application to submit comments to the DENR otherwise it will be presumed that the concerned LGUs fully endorse the said application.

Section 7 of the Joint DENR – DILG MC further stipulates that if comments of LGUs are not solicited for a particular permit, specifically issued within the forestland, the said permit shall be reviewed and all activities in the subject area shall likewise be suspended, until such time that comments of concerned LGUs are received. The guideline further warned the community, provincial and regional personnel of the DENR to be administratively in the event they failed to solicit the comments of LGUs and gave due course to the processing of the application. The proposed provincial ordinance clearly supports the provision of the LGC for LGUs to share responsibility with the national government in maintaining ecological balance in their respective territorial jurisdictions. The Sangguniang Panlalawigan, for instance, is given the authority to enact ordinances in protecting the environment and impose appropriate penalties on acts which endanger the environment.

DENR – DILG MC 2003 – 01 also provides opportunity for LGUs to participate in broader forest management functions through entering co-management agreement with the DENR. The co-management introduced in the guideline grants LGUs to manage identified forestlands covering even more than 30,000 hectares. Under this scheme, a management steering committee shall be organized to be responsible in policy and project development in forestlands subject of the agreement, with the concerned LGU chief executive and DENR representative as co-chair.

The agreement shall clearly specify the roles, responsibilities and accountabilities of officers and organizations involve in the co-management. The participation of civil society groups and relevant government agencies is encouraged in the management steering committee.

CORON, PALAWAN – The moment I disembarked from a commercial flight from Manila to this northern tip municipality of Palawan province last week, I immediately noticed a different kind and yet an awesome environment, which I thought could only be found mostly in African regions. The relatively dry scenery, with forest patches scattered in vast grasslands, reminded me of African animals that were transported and are surviving in Calauit, one of the islands comprising the Calamian Group of Islands or Calamianes. This island group also includes Culion, Busuanga and over a hundred more islands. Coron and Busuanga municipalities occupy the Busuanga Island, while Culion is a separate island municipality. Coron is another island in Coron municipality, a popular tourist destination in this part of the Philippines and an important ancestral domain of the Tagbanwas.

As we traversed the road from the airport to the town proper, several sites offer glimpses to what I compared with Jurassic, because you seem to be in an isolated place, with some strange animals may suddenly appear, especially with the mystique and serene ambient provided by the late afternoon’s Sun.  With the beautiful landscape, I could only imagine that I was in an African Safari. When I shared this observation to Lisa Paguntalan, she told me the scenery is actually a semblance of what the Calamianes, also known as Calamian Islands, looked like some 23,000 years ago.

Paguntalan, Director for Field Operations of the Philippines Biodiversity Conservation Foundation, Inc., and I were in Coron to attend the First Coron Environment Forum organized by Coron Initiative, through the efforts of Susan Santos de Cardenas of the Sustainable Tourism, Hospitality, Events and Marketing, and Al Linsangan of the Calamianes Cultural Conservation Network, Inc., with the participation of various local, national and international institutions. Paguntalan, a biologist by profession who has conducted intensive faunal study in Calamianes, further said there was a recent publication describing the ecosystem of Calamian Group of Islands as more of a Savannah type that is quite unique and different compared with other ecosystems usually found in other parts of the Philippines. This probably explains why those African species in Calauit survive and thrive, because the Calamianes is characterized by Savannah ecosystem, which is the original habitat of those animals.

Unlike with tropical rainforest, Savannah is actually a grassland ecosystem interspersed with relatively smaller trees that are widely distributed. The canopy of trees in a Savannah ecosystem is open, allowing grasses to survive and bloom in between trees.  Africa accounts the largest Savannah ecosystem in the world. This type of ecosystem is also exemplified with distinctive assemblage of flora and fauna. The features of Calamianes can be traced to the geological and biological history of the Philippines.  Scientists claim the Philippines Archipelago was divided by deep water channels and bisected by one of the world’s major bio-geographic divides, known to science as Huxley’s Line that produced several separate and highly distinct faunal regions. Palawan Island and its associated islands, or collectively called as the Greater Palawan Faunal Region, are the only parts of the Philippines lying west of Huxley’s Line. Such formation makes Palawan’s characteristics closely associated with the Greater Sunda Islands, comprising of Borneo, Java and Sumatra, than the rest of the Philippines. This explains why the biological composition, particularly the fauna and habitat, of Palawan is quite different from other islands in the country, as clearly presented in terms of its species endemism, accounting at least 16 endemic mammals and 17 endemic birds and a large but still poorly known endemic herpetofauna.

Through time, however, Calamianes reportedly evolved as a distinct group of islands and seemingly maintained its original Savannah ecosystem, while tropical rainforests developed in Palawan mainland.   It is by this account that Calamianes is considered as a sub-center of endemism within the Greater Palawan Faunal Region, because there are restricted species confined only in this group of islands, such as the famous Calamian deer, Busuanga tree squirrel and Culion tree squirrel, although there also regional endemic found in the area, like the Palawan stink badger, Palawan porcupine, Palawan flying fox and Palawan bearded pig.  The exceptional features of the Calamianes make this group of islands as an important biodiversity conservation area not only of the Philippines but the entire world.  The protection of the unique ecosystems and endemic species found in the different islands is therefore of paramount importance and that is precisely the primary motivation why it is being considered as one of the priority conservation sites of our organization, the PBCFI.

Author’s Note: Photos appearing in this article are all provided by Lisa Paguntalan of the Philippines Biodiversity Conservation Foundation, Inc. (PBCFI)

One of the objectives of this captive breeding in Puerto Princesa, Palawan is to release back to the wild the successfully captive bred-crocodiles.

The capture of a giant crocodile in the town of Bunawan in Agusan del Sur province in Mindanao made it to the headlines of local and international media organizations.  The croc, known to scientific community as Crocodylus mindorensis, is the biggest captured in the Philippines, weighing more than 1,000 kilograms and spanning at 6.4 meters. The Guinness Book of Record has recently confirmed the said crocodile is the world’s biggest in captivity.  It was intentionally hunted, because of the suspicion that this croc was responsible in several fatal attacks.

The local government of Bunawan provided a shelter for the croc, and with the upsurge of curious onlookers it is now becoming a sort of a crocodile eco-park.  Local officials are taking the opportunity of the crocodile’s capture and the establishment of an eco-park to boost tourism potentials and the subsequent increase in the revenue of the municipality. The croc is named after Lolong, the nickname of the hunter who died in a stroke while in a previous mission to trap this species.

The capture of Lolong did not come with amusement to all, since some concerns were already raised by advocates of animal rights and conservationists. While safety of the people was the primary motivation for such an action, led by the local government, there is now a question on the propriety of uprooting the crocodile from its natural habitat. Ashley Fruno, Senior Campaigner of the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals was quoted by the ABS-CBN online news saying, “The physical and mental frustrations of captivity often lead to abnormal, neurotic, and even self-destructive behaviors in animals, called ‘zoochosis. This mental illness is marked in other species by symptoms such as pacing, neck-twisting, head-bobbing, bar-biting, and other repetitive behaviors.” He added, “When you consider the immense size and power of the crocodile in question, his zoochosis symptoms could prove to be incredibly dangerous for both the staff, visitors and other crocodiles within the enclosure.”  The PETA urged the release of Lolong back to its habitat.

Lolong’s captivity will not guarantee the safety of local residents, in as much that there are several other crocodiles in the site where it was captured, which is part of the more than 14,000 hectares Agusan Marsh Wildlife Sanctuary.  This marsh is an important refuge of the remaining population of Philippines freshwater crocodiles.  The crocodiles were first known to exist on Earth about 230 million years ago, according to the IUCN-World Conservation Union Crocodile Specialist Group. The crocodile has a widespread distribution in the Philippines before, but the indiscriminate hunting and habitat disturbance and destruction led to its extinction in many islands of the country.

The declining population of crocodile became a reason for its declaration by the IUCN and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources as a critically endangered species, meaning it may likely extinct in the wild in the near future. The DENR has in fact initiated a crocodile captive breeding in Puerto Princesa, Palawan, with the end view of releasing back to the wild the successfully bred crocodiles.  Such measure is necessary to enhance the wild population of crocodiles. It should be noted that this species is endemic only in the Philippines and could not be found elsewhere in the world.

Contrary to common perception, crocodiles are not actually offensive in behavior. The crocs take offense only when they are being attacked and disturbed in their own territories. This feature of crocs is no different from humans. What will you do when intruders invaded your very own privacy at home? Moreover, the Earth is carefully designed to provide each creation a specific place to dwell and co-exist with other species similarly intended for that area.  Agusan Marsh is for crocs and other wildlife, and yet people invaded it and this probably gives a reason for crocs to become protective and defensive of their lives and habitat.  It is therefore very important to delineate the range of crocodiles’ habitat, install warning and safety measures and if possible free it from human activities.

The other myth about crocs is that they are greedy, because of their large mouth, the reason why corrupt government officials are tagged as crocs.  This accusation is unfair to crocs, because they are actually self-contained – they only eat what they actually need.  The crocodiles are also important in maintaining ecological balance, because they serve as predators to other species.  According to IUCN Crocodile Specialist Group, crocodilians are most active at night, and consequently, most feeding occurs between dusk and dawn. However, they are opportunists, and their preference for nocturnal activity is easily overridden if prey presents itself”.

It is quite unfortunate that Lolong has been uprooted from its home and is now separated from its fellow.  I hope the attraction Lolong is creating now will not trigger additional capture of crocodiles in the wild, but will give us reflection on the actions we are giving to crocs and other wildlife.

The Philippines is globally known for its numerous endemic species. These flora and fauna are scattered throughout the different islands of the archipelago, but there are also species restricted only to a particular island. Given the geological formation of the country, some endemic species are being shared between islands.  This is particularly true in the West Visayas Bio-Geographic Zone where the islands comprising it, Cebu, Negros, Panay and Masbate, have similar species composition, although there are also island endemic in these areas. The famous species shared by these islands are the Philippines or Visayan Spotted Deer and Visayan warty pig – the two critically endangered mammals reportedly extinct in the wild in Cebu.

The Tawilis of Taal Lake

One interesting scientific development was the recent announcement of the National Fisheries Research and Development Institute that the Tawilis (Sardinella tawilis) is similar to Sardinella hualienses, a fish inhabiting in marine waters in the municipality of Appari in Cagayan province. Such finding was based on the morphological and genetic assessment of these two species. Tawilis was earlier known as a freshwater sardine available only in Taal Lake in Batangas province and nowhere else in the world. The investigators, led by Dr. Mudjekeewis Santos, believe these formerly known two different species are actually one and the same, according to the report posted online by the People’s Television Network, Inc. However, Santos was also quoted saying, “This matter is still open to scientific debate”.

This recent finding is not actually new, because there were also instances in the past when one species, thought to be a different one, was declared synonymous to another species. For instance, the Rafflesia banaoana from Kalinga province, described by Botanist Pastor Malabrigo as a separate species, was refuted by the group of Botanist Julie Barcelona as the same species with that of Rafflesia leonardi, a species discovered in the adjacent Cagayan province. Malabrigo, however, is maintaining the species he discovered in Kalinga, specifically in Balbalasang-Balbalan National Park, is a different kind of Rafflesia.

Another similarity of species also involves another species of Rafflesia.  The Rafflesia speciosa, which was first recorded and described in Antique by Barcelona, was also later recorded in Mount Kanla-on Natural Park in Negros by Malabrigo.  Similarity of species composition between Negros and Panay is due to the fact that they are one landmass many years ago.  The Negros bleeding heart pigeon was thought to be an endemic species of Negros until it was discovered in Panay in 1990’s. Similarly, the Dobsonia chapmani, also known as the Negros naked-backed fruit bat, was considered as an extinct endemic species of Negros, until it was recorded in Cebu by the group of Biologist Lisa Paguntalan. However, this fruit bat was rediscovered in southern Negros Occidental by the group of Dr. Ely Alcala.

It is quite unfortunate though that most of our endemic species are already declared as threatened species by the IUCN-World Conservation Union and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, meaning their population in the wild is getting limited, and may face extinction if no proper protection measures are instituted. Even Tawilis is similarly threatened, because its production declines through the years.  The commercial value of this sardine is a constraint in declaring it as a threatened and protected species. Habitat destruction and over exploitation of endemic species are two major reasons why many species are listed as threatened species. Many of our endemic flora and fauna are forest dependent and the remaining natural forest in the country is already limited.