With a population of about 400 pairs left in the wild, the critically endangered Philippine Eagle needs utmost protection against deforestation, poaching, and other human activities that contribute to the loss of its habitat.
IBANEZ
Thanks to the dedicated people at the Philippine Eagle Foundation who are tirelessly for the conservation of the rare Philippine Eagle.
One of the most important figures in the eagle’s conservation efforts is Dr. Jayson Ibañez, research and conservation director, at the Davao-based Philippine Eagle Foundation.
For nearly 30 years now, Ibañez, who obtained a PhD degree at Charles Darwin University, has dedicated his career for the conservation of the Philippine Eagle.
The seasoned conservationist pioneered research on Philippine Eagle home range, survival, and habitat use through radio, satellite, and GPS/GSM telemetry.
Under his watch, his team studied 26 eagles with state-of-the-art telemetry technology that improved the scientific knowledge on Philippine Eagles.
Moreover, Ibañez also contributed to PEF’s “culture-based conservation” approach that engages marginalized Indigenous People communities in species and nature conservation programs.
“We realized that more than 80 percent of the eagle habitats of Mindanao are within the ancestral domain of the indigenous peoples,” Ibañez said. This made the indigenous communities the front liners in environmental protection.
Under the program, the PEF is conducting extensive education in indigenous communities as well as providing them with livelihood programs.
Along with the PEF team, his conservation work has also contributed in protecting the watersheds to help strengthen natural defenses against environmental hazards and calamities.
His accomplishments in the field of conservation have earned him numerous awards and recognitions from local and international communities.
Among them are Bronze Award from the UK-based BP Conservation Program in 2004, Biodiversity Recognition Award from the government in 2015, and Second Place for the Yale International Society for Tropical Foresters (ISTF) Innovation Prize-Biodiversity Conservation edition in 2015.
Ibañez was also a recipient of Whitley Fund for Nature (WFN-UK) conservation awards in 2015 and received a continuing grant award in 2017 which is also referred to as the Green Oscars that recognizes and supports conservationists from around the world who are making a difference through grassroots and science-based approaches.
The most recent recognition was the Charles Darwin University Alumni Awards given last November.
