A TOTAL of 18 new species of birds, bats and fishes have been added to the long list of unique species that thrive on the island of Mindoro. The newly recorded species were revealed by the Mindoro Biodiversity Conservation Foundation Inc. (MBFCI) during a news briefing highlighting the launching of MBFCI’s studies on Mindoro island’s biodiversity, conducted in partnership with the Malampaya Deep Water Gas-to-Power Project, at the Ninoy Aquino Parks and Wildlife Rescue Center in Quezon City on Friday.
The discovery includes 10 new species of birds, three bats, three fishes, a snake and an owl.
Among the newly recorded faunal species are the Oriental Cuckoo (Cuculus saturatus), Pacific Golden Plover (Pluvialis fulva), Barred Rail (Gallirallus torquatus), Oriental Pratincole (Glareola maldivarum), Brown Booby (Sula leucogaster), Hoopoe (Upupa epops), Mantanani Scops Owl (Otus mantananensis), Green-faced Parrotfinch (Erythrura viridifacies), Mindoro Stripe-faced Fruitbat (Styloctenium mindorensis), Hairy winged Bat (Harpiocephalus harpia), Orange-fingered Myotis (Myotis rufopictus), Black-crowned Night-Heron (Nycticorax nycticorax), Broadhead Sleeper Goby; “Urabog” (Eleotris melanosoma), Goby “Bukatot” (Stenogobius opthalmoporous), Black Bulbul (Hypsipetes leucocephalus), Asian Paradise Flycatcher (Terpsiphone paradisi), and Ragged-tail Pipefish; “Kabayo” (Lophocampus retzii).
Director Theresa Mundita Lim of the Biodiversity Management Bureau (BMB) of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) said that Mindoro has always been considered to be a separate biogeographical region from the rest of the country, explaining why certain unique species or what she describe as “island endemics” are found only in Mindoro.
She said the latest discovery would help the DENR and the BMB come up with policies and programs in the future to protect them from various threats.
“This new information should help us to emphasize the importance of Mindoro in our biodiversity-protection programs and to plan development on the island in a way that should consider this biodiversity significance, knowing that, if any of these [Mindoro’s unique wildlife] disappear, we lose all opportunities to maximize their potential to provide benefits for, first, the Mindoreños, and for the entire country,” Lim said.
The discovery highlighted anew Mindoro’s rich and unique biological diversity and the need to enhance protection and conservation efforts on the island, Grace Diamante, executive director of MBCFI which works closely with the DENR, local governments and other stakeholders for the protection of Mindoro’s biodiversity, said.
The technical reports published and launched by the group include the Mount Halcon Management Plan; Naujan Lake National Park Site Assessment and Profile Updating; Apo Reef Natural Park Rapid Site Assessment; Apo Reef Natural Park Ecotourism Management Plan 2015-2020; Mount Calavite Wildlife Sanctuary Rapid Site Assessment ; Conservation Needs Assessment Physical Profile; MBCFI Program Thrusts 2010-2020; Spatial Analysis of Biophysical and Socio-Economic Variables in Support of Decision-Making on Conservation and Development Issues: A Case Study of Mindoro Island; Island-wide Survey of Fauna & Flora; and Field Inventory of Selected Sites for Priority Conservation.
Diamante said the studies were conducted to provide policy-makers, including local governments, valuable information and inputs on how to best address the challenges in protecting and conserving Mindoro island.
Through the studies, MBCFI’s team of biologists and wildlife experts discovered a total of 16 new species of fauna found endemic in Mindoro and two new species—the Asian Flycatcher and Black Bulbul—were first recorded in the Philippines. The Black Bulbul and Asian Flycatcher were spotted at the Apo Reef Natural Park, in Sablayan, Occidental Mindoro by MBCFI’s team during an expedition in March 2013. The Black Bulbul is a widespread species with several subspecies ranging from India, Southern China to peninsular Southeast Asia and Taiwan.
The Asian Asian Flycatcher has subspecies throughout mainland Asia from Afghanistan to India, China, Korea to Indonesia in insular Southeast Asia.
Mindoro, an island divided into two provinces, Occidental Mindoro and Oriental Mindoro, is known for hosting a number of unique wildlife species, including the Philippine tamaraw (Babalus Mindorensis), the country’s national animal, which is endemic to Mindoro, and the Philippine freshwater crocodile (Crocodylus Mindorensis), which can be found only in the Philippines.
Many of Mindoro’s wildlife species are on the brink of extinction mainly because of massive habitat loss, destructive human activities, such as logging and slash-and-burn farming and illegal wildlife trade.
Lim said the discovery also underscores the need to enhance environmental-protection programs on Mindoro island and educate the people about the unique species that may be endangered and rendered extinct if destructive human activities remain unchecked.
“The richness of Mindoro’s natural resources and biodiversity is something that the Philippines can truly be proud of. It calls for stronger collaboration among the various stakeholders to protect and conserve these wildlife species and their natural habitats,” Diamante said.
She said MBCFI would continue to conduct information campaign to increase awareness in communities on Mindoro island, as well as enhance the people’s knowledge on how to sustainably develop the island without causing harm to its wildlife or their natural habitats. Mindoro Island is recognized as one of the global biodiversity conservation priority areas, particularly in terms of its number of endemic species, diversity of habitats and threats to wildlife. For years, Malampaya has supported MBCFI’s projects as part of its commitment to sustainable social and environmental development in areas where it operates.
The MBCFI priority sites include the Naujan Lake National Park, Apo Reef National Park, Mount Calavite Wildlife Sanctuary and Mount Halcon.
Image credits: illustration Emie T. Ramoso