Decades of painstaking efforts to conserve the Philippine eagle (Pithecophaga jefferyi) seems to be paying off, but much more needs to be done to protect its fragile population.
This was according to Environment and Natural Resources Secretary Ramon J. P. Paje, who urged the public to take part in the observance of the 16th Philippine Eagle Week on June 4-10.
He said this year’s celebration calls for greater awareness on the importance of the charismatic and iconic raptor, which is also known as “Haring Ibon” or king of birds.
“Nurturing this unique heritage found only in this part of the world is a gift of the Filipino people to the global community,” Paje said.
The environment chief said this year will be extra-special because three new additions to the eagle’s population were recorded last December, providing a glimmer of hope for the national bird.
He said the Regional Eagle Watch Teams in Regions 9 and 11 of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) discovered one at the Mt. Apo Natural Park in Davao Oriental and reported the birth of two new eagles in Linay, Zamboanga del Norte and Midsalip, Zamboanga del Sur, respectively.
“In the midst of the government efforts to restore our dwindling forests, the presence of these birds boosts our hope of achieving a thriving forest ecosystem and a constant reminder that wildlife can co-exist harmoniously with humans,” Paje pointed out.
For her part, Director Theresa Mundita Lim of the DENR’s Biodiversity Management Bureau (BMB) lauded government partners whose efforts to help save the Philippine eagle from extinction has been encouraging.
Lim said the most welcome surprise was the recent documentation of a family of three eagles at Mt. Mingan in Gabaldon, Nueva Ecija by the Haribon Foundation after a sighting of a juvenile was first reported by a group of botanists in February 2014.
She disclosed that a plan is being hatched by the DENR, the Haribon and the local government of Gabaldon to intensify the protection of Mt. Mingan in order to ensure the perpetuity of the eagles as well as the mountain’s bountiful streams that water the town’s farmlands.
Lim also cited the sightings of the eagle on Leyte Island in February 2013, which led the Institute of Biology of the University of the Philippines-Diliman and the Philippine Eagle Foundation to conclude the existence of the Philippine eagle on the island where the raptor was once thought to have been extirpated.
The BMB chief also assured that the bureau remains steadfast in saving the remaining habitats of the Philippine eagle, many of which are already being managed as protected areas.
“We are continually surveying areas critical for the survival of the Philippine eagle and other threatened species to be conserved in partnership with local government units and the communities,” she added.
Acclaimed as one of the treasures of the Philippine wild, the national bird is the largest eagle in the world. With its height of one meter and a wing span of two meters, the Philippine eagle reigns supreme in the tropical forest as a top predator. A pair of this majestic bird occupies 7,000 to 13,000 hectares of forest territory.
Ironically, the commanding presence of the Philippine eagle has not spared it from human persecution and the pressures of deforestation. With an estimated population of no more than 500 hundred pairs in the wild, it remains to be one of the most critically endangered birds in the world.
The annual celebration of the Philippine Eagle Week is mandated through Presidential Proclamation No. 79 issued in 1999.
At the opening of classes this month, DENR personnel are scheduled to give lectures in schools as part of the nationwide campaign highlighting the role of the youth in nature conservation. In Metro Manila, fun learning activities and photo exhibits await park visitors at the Ninoy Aquino Parks and Wildlife Center in Quezon City on June 8.
Lim said that this year’s theme — “Your action, your future: Empowering the youth for environment conservation”– seeks commitment from the young generation to conserve the country’s rich biological resources.
“This plea resonates to the very core values to strengthen the Filipinos’ respect and care for the environment. Such determination would allow future generations to admire the beauty of our national bird, protect our national treasure and to preserve the Filipino heritage,” Lim said. [PNA]
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