Post by admin on Aug 28, 2014 8:36:32 GMT 8
PH birds caught between discovery, extinction
Despite emergence of new species, they need env'l care for survival
Monch Mikko E. Misagal
August 27, 2014
The Philippines is blessed to have a diversity of birds — among the highest in the world, local environmental officials say with pride. But the country is unfortunate, too, to be touted by these same scientists as a “biodiversity hotspot” because of threats of extinction to a high number of species amid the discovery of new ones.
“The number of bird species has increased because more studies are being done, [but] we have received results and studies that conclude the declining populations of Philippine birds,” Department of Environment and Natural Resources – Biodiversity Management Bureau (DENR-BMB) Director Dr. Theresa Mundita Lim told the Manila Bulletin.
Bird species in the country numbered 604 in 2012, up 5.6 percent from 572 species in 2000, according to data from the Haribon Foundation.
Contributing to the formation of bird species is the “species splits,” seen on the Philippine hawl owl branching into distinct Cebu and Camiguin hawk owl species, Haribon Foundation Chair John Philip Lesaca said.
Despite these developments, the species are experiencing threats and population declines, which Haribon Wildlife Biologist J Kahlil Panopio described as a “common nationwide trend.” And this in particular has been made obvious in the wake of the death of a mother Philippine eagle in Davao City two weeks ago. The incident, which left behind a seven-month-old young, is currently under investigation.
CRITICALLY ENDANGERED SPECIES
The 2012 International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) study, as stated in the new Haribon book titled “The State of Philippine Birds,” bared that around 50 percent of the species experienced a decreasing population trend, compared to 35 percent that had stable populations.
There are 17 critically endangered, 14 endangered, 53 vulnerable, and six data-deficient bird species in the Philippines, according to the book.
The Philippine eagle, the national bird, remains critically endangered despite being sighted on the outskirts of the Sierra Madre mountains.
The other critically endangered species endemic in the Philippines are the Philippine cockatoo, Rufous-headed hornbill, Sulu hornbill, black-hooded coucal, Cebu flowerpecker, Negros bleeding-heart, Mindoro bleeding-heart, Sulu bleeding-heart, Isabela oriole, Blue-winged Racquet-tail, and the Negros fruit-dove.
HABITAT DESTRUCTION, DEFORESTATION
Lim, Lesaca, and Panopio, along with Philippine Biodiversity Conservation Foundation, Inc. Field Operations Director Lisa Paguntalan, agreed that habitat destruction primarily causes the worsening state of Philippine birds.
For Paguntalan, habitat loss can spell death for some bird species.
“Many of these species, such as eagles, hornbills, and woodpeckers, depend on trees for food, or on nesting sites. They don’t just nest on any trees, and they can live only under specific types of trees,” she said. A pair of Philippine eagles, she added, require around 7,000 hectares of forest land to survive.
Around 67 percent of Philippine birds, according to the Haribon book, spend their lives or part of their lives in forests.
“Birds serve as a good indicator of our forests’ state, and help in expanding them,” Lim said. “Birds are most affected by deforestation, which leads to habitat loss.”
“There are now only a few patches of forest in the Philippines that are considered pristine old growth. Based on the current trend in deforestation in the Philippines, forest birds are most at risk because of the number of threats that they encounter,” Lesaca said.
From 1934 to 1988, the Philippines lost 9.8 million hectares of forest land. At present, BirdLife International has declared 27,397 of the country’s land area of 300,000 square kilometers as Important Bird Areas, which are vital for the conservation of birds in a global scale.
As of 2010, the total Philippine forest area covers 6.84 million hectares, according to DENR data. An exception to the deforestation trend, according to Lim, is the 47,270-hectare Mt. Kitanglad in Bukidnon.
“Habitat loss [combined with] other factors, such as hunting, habitat encroachment, and pollution synergize as pressures to threaten birds into extinction,” Panopio said.
OTHER THREATS
Lesaca said that forest birds also face other environmental threats, such as mining and energy production, residential, commercial and industrial development, agriculture, hunting, and ecosystem modification.
This sentiment is shared by Paguntalan, who said that some people even make the situations worse by dealing with the environment “recklessly.”
“Pet trade and poaching also add stress to the affected bird species, such as hornbills, cockatoos, parrots, and doves, especially bleeding hearts,” she said.
Lesaca revealed that agricultural birds, especially the Philippine cockatoo, are threatened because they are treated as pests and food sources by local farmers.
“If urbanization, aquaculture, and lake and mangrove destruction are done in the name of progress, there will be a huge imbalance. When there is imbalance, man will be the first victim, and will be the one suffering. It’s not just the birds and other animals,” he said.
Amid these issues, Lim pointed out that some bird species still manage to survive.
BIRD PROTECTOR
DENR-BMB has established important bird and biodiversity areas as lands protected by the national government, through the National Integrated Protected Areas System (NIPAS) created via Republic Act 7586 enacted in 1992.
A related law, Republic Act 9147, or the “Wildlife Resources Conservation and Protection Act,” penalizes any person found guilty of killing or destroying any critically endangered wildlife species with imprisonment from six to 12 years, and/or a fine between P100,000 and P1 million.
To perform its duties more effectively and to encourage more partnerships, the bureau received P1 billion as its sectoral budget allocation this year, P400 million higher from that of last year.
Despite the budget increase, Lim admitted that the bureau’s existing mechanisms are still “insufficient” to arrest the decline.
“[To address this], we are training law enforcement agencies so they can be more capable of enforcing [environmental laws],” she said. The penalties for wildlife-related violations, she added, must be increased and the laws’ implementation must be strengthened.
Meanwhile, Paguntalan said that wildlife enforcement officers must boost their capabilities to spot and rescue threatened birds from illegal captivity.
INDIGENOUS PEOPLES’ HELP
Aside from relying on concerned government agencies, Filipinos can also tap indigenous peoples in addressing the issue, Panopio emphasized.
“Indigenous people, [such as] the Agtas of General Nakar, Quezon, can often spot Philippine eagle species,” he said, adding that they have had some encounters with the species in the wild.
For her part, Lim hopes that Filipinos will be more aware on the role of Philippine birds in the society.
“We are a high-biodiversity country, that some of our unique bird species have been part of our natural heritage. If they disappear, part of us will actually disappear along with them,” Lim said.
Source: www.mb.com.ph/ph-birds-caught-between-discovery-extinction/
Despite emergence of new species, they need env'l care for survival
Monch Mikko E. Misagal
August 27, 2014
The Philippines is blessed to have a diversity of birds — among the highest in the world, local environmental officials say with pride. But the country is unfortunate, too, to be touted by these same scientists as a “biodiversity hotspot” because of threats of extinction to a high number of species amid the discovery of new ones.
“The number of bird species has increased because more studies are being done, [but] we have received results and studies that conclude the declining populations of Philippine birds,” Department of Environment and Natural Resources – Biodiversity Management Bureau (DENR-BMB) Director Dr. Theresa Mundita Lim told the Manila Bulletin.
Bird species in the country numbered 604 in 2012, up 5.6 percent from 572 species in 2000, according to data from the Haribon Foundation.
Contributing to the formation of bird species is the “species splits,” seen on the Philippine hawl owl branching into distinct Cebu and Camiguin hawk owl species, Haribon Foundation Chair John Philip Lesaca said.
Despite these developments, the species are experiencing threats and population declines, which Haribon Wildlife Biologist J Kahlil Panopio described as a “common nationwide trend.” And this in particular has been made obvious in the wake of the death of a mother Philippine eagle in Davao City two weeks ago. The incident, which left behind a seven-month-old young, is currently under investigation.
CRITICALLY ENDANGERED SPECIES
The 2012 International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) study, as stated in the new Haribon book titled “The State of Philippine Birds,” bared that around 50 percent of the species experienced a decreasing population trend, compared to 35 percent that had stable populations.
There are 17 critically endangered, 14 endangered, 53 vulnerable, and six data-deficient bird species in the Philippines, according to the book.
The Philippine eagle, the national bird, remains critically endangered despite being sighted on the outskirts of the Sierra Madre mountains.
The other critically endangered species endemic in the Philippines are the Philippine cockatoo, Rufous-headed hornbill, Sulu hornbill, black-hooded coucal, Cebu flowerpecker, Negros bleeding-heart, Mindoro bleeding-heart, Sulu bleeding-heart, Isabela oriole, Blue-winged Racquet-tail, and the Negros fruit-dove.
HABITAT DESTRUCTION, DEFORESTATION
Lim, Lesaca, and Panopio, along with Philippine Biodiversity Conservation Foundation, Inc. Field Operations Director Lisa Paguntalan, agreed that habitat destruction primarily causes the worsening state of Philippine birds.
For Paguntalan, habitat loss can spell death for some bird species.
“Many of these species, such as eagles, hornbills, and woodpeckers, depend on trees for food, or on nesting sites. They don’t just nest on any trees, and they can live only under specific types of trees,” she said. A pair of Philippine eagles, she added, require around 7,000 hectares of forest land to survive.
Around 67 percent of Philippine birds, according to the Haribon book, spend their lives or part of their lives in forests.
“Birds serve as a good indicator of our forests’ state, and help in expanding them,” Lim said. “Birds are most affected by deforestation, which leads to habitat loss.”
“There are now only a few patches of forest in the Philippines that are considered pristine old growth. Based on the current trend in deforestation in the Philippines, forest birds are most at risk because of the number of threats that they encounter,” Lesaca said.
From 1934 to 1988, the Philippines lost 9.8 million hectares of forest land. At present, BirdLife International has declared 27,397 of the country’s land area of 300,000 square kilometers as Important Bird Areas, which are vital for the conservation of birds in a global scale.
As of 2010, the total Philippine forest area covers 6.84 million hectares, according to DENR data. An exception to the deforestation trend, according to Lim, is the 47,270-hectare Mt. Kitanglad in Bukidnon.
“Habitat loss [combined with] other factors, such as hunting, habitat encroachment, and pollution synergize as pressures to threaten birds into extinction,” Panopio said.
OTHER THREATS
Lesaca said that forest birds also face other environmental threats, such as mining and energy production, residential, commercial and industrial development, agriculture, hunting, and ecosystem modification.
This sentiment is shared by Paguntalan, who said that some people even make the situations worse by dealing with the environment “recklessly.”
“Pet trade and poaching also add stress to the affected bird species, such as hornbills, cockatoos, parrots, and doves, especially bleeding hearts,” she said.
Lesaca revealed that agricultural birds, especially the Philippine cockatoo, are threatened because they are treated as pests and food sources by local farmers.
“If urbanization, aquaculture, and lake and mangrove destruction are done in the name of progress, there will be a huge imbalance. When there is imbalance, man will be the first victim, and will be the one suffering. It’s not just the birds and other animals,” he said.
Amid these issues, Lim pointed out that some bird species still manage to survive.
BIRD PROTECTOR
DENR-BMB has established important bird and biodiversity areas as lands protected by the national government, through the National Integrated Protected Areas System (NIPAS) created via Republic Act 7586 enacted in 1992.
A related law, Republic Act 9147, or the “Wildlife Resources Conservation and Protection Act,” penalizes any person found guilty of killing or destroying any critically endangered wildlife species with imprisonment from six to 12 years, and/or a fine between P100,000 and P1 million.
To perform its duties more effectively and to encourage more partnerships, the bureau received P1 billion as its sectoral budget allocation this year, P400 million higher from that of last year.
Despite the budget increase, Lim admitted that the bureau’s existing mechanisms are still “insufficient” to arrest the decline.
“[To address this], we are training law enforcement agencies so they can be more capable of enforcing [environmental laws],” she said. The penalties for wildlife-related violations, she added, must be increased and the laws’ implementation must be strengthened.
Meanwhile, Paguntalan said that wildlife enforcement officers must boost their capabilities to spot and rescue threatened birds from illegal captivity.
INDIGENOUS PEOPLES’ HELP
Aside from relying on concerned government agencies, Filipinos can also tap indigenous peoples in addressing the issue, Panopio emphasized.
“Indigenous people, [such as] the Agtas of General Nakar, Quezon, can often spot Philippine eagle species,” he said, adding that they have had some encounters with the species in the wild.
For her part, Lim hopes that Filipinos will be more aware on the role of Philippine birds in the society.
“We are a high-biodiversity country, that some of our unique bird species have been part of our natural heritage. If they disappear, part of us will actually disappear along with them,” Lim said.
Source: www.mb.com.ph/ph-birds-caught-between-discovery-extinction/