Rare Animals Threatened by Poisons Chemicals

 

A team of wildlife researches from the Philippine WEagle Foundation Inc. (PEF) has found that the remnant of lowland dipterocarp forests in the Talomo-Lipadas and Panigan-Tamugan Watersheds, the current source of Davao's drinking water, is the habitat of some 28 species that can be only found in the Philippines.

"We were able to document 171 vertebrate species, 28 of which are endemic to the Philippines," said lead researcher Director Jayson Ybanez, who presented the study at the Ateneo de Davao University.

Unsustainable agriculture, illegal logging and population pressure continue to threaten these fragile habitats and may force 28 of them into extinction. 

Ybanez said: "One of the threats that we found out is that banana plantations and farms are slowly encroaching towards the forest, even in areas which are considered environmentally critical areas as defined in the Watershed Code!"

Adaptive management would be a good scheme, wherein interventions are considered experiments where you refine your way of doing conservation and through that, all of your partners learn through doing. Very well said, Sir Ybanez... .

Water For Life

Davao City Water District's Tibungco Water Supply System serving residents in Tibungco Relocation Phase 2 was blessed and inaugurated last October 25, 2012. The newest water system was funded by the Water for Life foundation of the Vitens-Evides International, a water utility in The Netherlands, which donated 5.4 million Pesos in 2010 or the establishment of said facility and financing of new service connections..

Father Boy Roland T. Ong blessed the facility. Present during the event were Vice-Mayor Rodrigo Duterte, third district Congresswoman Mylene Garcia - Albano, acting head of city Building Office engr. Jaime G. Adalin representing Mayor Sara Duterte, and many others.

The Water for life foundation, Davao City Water District and the Local Government of Davao City that jointly undertook this project was thanked by homeowners president Celso Cabansag in behalf of all residents.

Davao Watersheds Home to Half the Philippines' Bird Species

I was really happy to learn about it because of an article in MINDANAO DAILY MIRROR several days ago.

Imagine, 70 percent of the Philippine inventory of endemic bird species have been confirmed to be living in the Mount Talomo-Pangigan area. Results rom a recent study conducted by the Philippine Eagle Foundation, Inc. (PEF) revealed that the watershed is home to at least 124 bird species as studied in a series of field surveys conducted from 1997-2012.

The Philippines has currently 169 endemic bird species on record., 45 of which are only found in Mindanao. According to the report, 66 of the 124 species which were covered by the research study are Philippine endemic, while 24 of them are Mindanao endemic. This led the study authors to conclude that the watersheds hold an "impressive" percentage of local avian fauna.

Interface Development Interventions, Inc. Executive Director Ann Fuentes said that this significant find underscored the importance of Davao's watersheds in protecting and sustaining a rich biodiversity of organism that can only be found in the Mindanao region.

Other than the Philippine Eagle, the report also identified that the Tarictic of Mindanao hornbill, Penelopides panini, is the second most threatened bird in the watersheds due to illegal pet trade and because it also being hunted for food. Dwindling forest cover has contributed much to the decline of the local populations.

The Talomo-Panigan watershed areas along with the adjacent Lipadas, are the sites of aquifers which provide the current and future supply for Dabawenyos.

In 2010, the department of Tourism has announced that bird watching tours are becoming an emerging option in Philippine tourism. As a biodiversity hotspot, the Philippines has over 600 bird species with a high concentration of bird species per kilometer.