DENR needs to raise P100M to聽save these 6 species
Ma. Antonia Yulo-Loyzaga—RICHARD A. REYES
The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), citing its inadequate budget, is seeking the public’s help in raising P100 million for the conservation of six endangered species in the country.
These include the Philippine eagle, tamaraws, dugongs, the Philippine cockatoo, “pawikan,” or marine turtles, and the Palawan pangolin, all of which are “umbrella species,” according to Environment Secretary Maria Antonia Yulo-Loyzaga.
“Not only are they important on their own, but they are also important for the survival of other species in the ecosystem,” she said as the agency introduced its Save from Extinction program on Thursday.
READ: DENR partners with NGOs to protect 6 wildlife species
Through the program, which was first launched in October, the DENR has partnered with SM Supermalls and Banco de Oro (BDO) to facilitate donations for its conservation efforts.
Article continues after this advertisementThe public can donate through BDO’s ATM or bank branches, or they can buy Kultura merchandise from SM, the proceeds of which will be donated to the conservation of the six endangered species.
Article continues after this advertisement“Without action, we risk losing not just [these] species, but the essential services they provide—services that are vital for our own survival and to the web of life,” Yulo-Loyzaga said.
Dwindling numbers
The environment secretary pointed out that fewer than 400 pairs of Philippine eagles are left in the wild and only 610 to 1,120 Philippine cockatoos.
“The loss of habitat, driven largely by deforestation, urbanization that is unregulated, and destructive agricultural practices, is pushing our unique flora and fauna to the brink of extinction,” Yulo-Loyzaga said.
For the tamaraws, its current population ranges from 574 to 610 individuals, “a dramatic decline” since the species was first discovered in 1896. At that time, the tamaraw’s population was estimated at 10,000.
While she did not provide a specific number, Loyzaga also raised concern over the dwindling population of the pangolins, dugongs, and marine turtles. The DENR’s list of threatened terrestrial species, she noted, included 1,106 threatened fauna, or animals, and 984 threatened flora or plants.
Inadequate budget
However, Yulo-Loyzaga said the DENR would need at least P100 million more in funding for its conservation efforts, in addition to its current P100-million budget already allocated for the six species.
“We’ve managed to put at least P100 million for these six species, we want to achieve at least a counterpart of that P100 million,” Loyzaga said.
She cited the DENR’s inadequate budget as the reason why the agency needed additional funding for its conservation efforts.
“Let me tell you, just by way of percentages, the budget of the DENR is 0.48 percent of 1 percent of the total budget. And yet we are to be present in 30 million hectares of land, 220 million hectares of waters, over 36,000 kilometers of coastland,” Loyzaga said. “It is simply impossible.”
NGO partners
The additional P100 million fund would go to five nongovernment organizations (NGOs) that have partnered with the DENR in protecting the six endangered species.
These groups include the Philippine Eagle Foundation, which works to conserve the Philippine eagle, and the World Wide Fund (WWF) Philippines, which takes care of the dugong and marine turtles.
The Zoological Society of London, which handles the conservation of the pangolins, the d’Aboville Foundation for the tamaraws, and the Katala Foundation for the Philippine cockatoo, have also partnered with the DENR.
Khizia Steffan Madrona, conservation education and development manager of the Philippine Eagle Foundation, said the additional fund would help the organization conduct education campaigns and strengthen its forest-guarding programs.
It would also help enhance the “tracking and monitoring of wild Philippine eagles,” which will provide crucial data to guide conservation efforts, she added.
Emmanuel Schutz of the d’Aboville Foundation said the organization will conduct research and strengthen on-the-ground protection of the tamaraws.
Also known as the Mindoro dwarf buffalo, the endangered animal is being threatened by poachers for its bushmeat and would also become a bycatch of traps set by upland indigenous communities.
The Katala Foundation said donations would help fund local wildlife enforcers that will monitor and safeguard the habitat of the Philippine Cockatoo, while the Zoological Society of London said it would help the group gather more data on the pangolins.
WWF Philippines, for its part, said it would “improve selected fishing gears and promote its use to our fishers” to reduce the “accidental capture” of the dugong and marine turtles during fishing activities.
