AT least nine pairs of the Philippine Eagle (Pithecophaga jefferyi) are breeding in Northern Mindanao’s vast forest, officials of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) said.
Officials of the DENR told the BusinessMirror in an interview that latest reports coming from the Philippine Eagle Foundation indicate an increasing population of the rare monkey-eating eagle in Northern Mindanao, which boasts of having a total of 10 protected areas (PAs) covered by the National Integrated Protected Areas System Act.
The Philippine Eagle Foundation is the DENR’s conservation partner for the conservation of the rare Philippine Eagle, believed to be the largest bird of prey in the world that can only be found in the Philippines. The Philippine Eagle is considered “critically endangered.”
According to Ruth Tawantawan, regional director of the DENR in Region 10, there are nine nesting sites in Northern Mindanao, all within the PAs in the region.
“We are proud because it only means that our ecology remains healthy and intact. The Philippine Eagle is an ecosystem indicator,” Tawantawan said. “If there is a Philippine Eagle in the area, it means there’s enough wildlife to support its survival.”
Officials of the DENR in Northern Mindanao consider these PAs as the region’s “ecological treasure” that needs to be protected by the people.
Tawantawan said the DENR Region 10 Office is embarking on a project to build the region’s wildlife database, starting with those in the region’s PAs.
She said it is highly possible there are also other Philippine Eagles breeding or nesting outside the PAs in the region.
The PAs in Region 10 include five natural parks and four landscapes and seascapes, and one natural monument.
The natural parks are the Mount Kitanglad Range Natural Park, Mount Malindang Range Natural Park, Mount Balatukan Range Natural Park, Mount Inayawan Range Natural Park and the Mount Kalatungan Range Natural Park.
The landscapes and seascapes are Mimblisan, Bacolod-Kauswagan, Baliangao and the Initao-Libertad protected landscapes and seascapes.
The Mount Timpoong-Hibok-Hibok Natural Monument is the only protected area in Northern Mindanao under the category of a natural monument.
According to Tawantawan, each of the PAs are protected against destructive human activities, including illegal logging and hunting for trophies or illegal wildlife trade.
“Since 2012 Northern Mindanao has been declared as free of illegal-logging activities. We also have strict rules against hunting.”
Marilou Clarete, chief conservation and development division of the DENR Region 10 Office, attributed the success of various conservation programs of the DENR in Northern Mindanao to the support and cooperation of various stakeholders led by the local government units (LGUs).
“Over the past several years, the number of nesting sites of the Philippine Eagle has been increasing,” Clarete said. “It means that our environment is very healthy and we need to protect them more.”
According to her, there are only a few known nests found in the Mount Kitanglad Range Natural Park. “We now have eagle’s nest outside protected areas.”
Clarete said local officials are very protective of the environment in Northern Mindanao and actively take part in formulating policies that will ensure the sustainable management of the region’s natural resources, knowing of the values of biodiversity and the ecosystem services they provide.
“Livelihood projects are very important in conservation,” she said, noting that the implementation of the National Greening Program over the past five years provided livelihood and employment to many upland dwellers through reforestation and forest protection.
“Communities here plant trees and protect the forest because of the program,” she said, underscoring the need to continue the massive reforestation program to expand the forest cover in the region.
“It should be continued because it provides job and livelihood to the people and we need to expand our forest ecosystem to conserve our biodiversity,” she added.