philippines ConsErVation ProGrAMMe

Philippines CONSERVATION PROGRAMME
The Current Situation
The Philippines are recognised as a major
global biodiversity hotspot. This unique
archipelago of over 7000 islands has a rich,
diverse range of flora and fauna with one of
the highest densities of species endemism
in the world. The Philippines also have
a rapidly expanding human population
and associated high levels of habitat
destruction and poaching. The country
has already lost over 90% of its original
forest cover and continues to lose natural
habitat and species at an alarming rate.
Chester Zoo Support
Hornbills
The Philippines are home to nine species of hornbill, all of which
are endemic, and six of which are threatened with extinction. In
response to this situation the ‘Philippines Hornbill Conservation
Programme’, working closely with the Philippine Government,
was established in 1994. The programme aims to ensure the
future survival of the remaining Philippine hornbill species
and, through the use of hornbills as a flagship species, bolster
habitat protection activities and promote conservation in local
communities. A major programme component includes local
conservation breeding support and reintroductions, to establish
new populations in key protected areas. We support hornbill
conservation on the island of Panay through the ‘Philippine
Endemic Species Conservation Programme’, strengthening
the wild population of the Visayan Writhed-billed and Tarictic
Hornbills through a nest protection and anti-poaching project,
again relying heavily on the employment and participation of
local community members.
Working closely with local conservation organisations we
have supported conservation in the Philippines for over
a decade. From initial support for the Philippine Spotted
Deer this programme has grown to encompass several
different projects helping to protect the unique and
diverse, yet highly threatened, repository of natural wealth
found in the Philippines.
Polillo
The island of Polillo is an important area in terms of the
threats facing its endemic animals and plants. Through
the ‘Polillo Islands Biodiversity Protection and Monitoring
Project’ we support a wide variety of conservation
initiatives including funding for wardens’ salaries,
uniforms and equipment, training workshops, education
activities, field research and habitat restoration. All
project components work in close collaboration with
local communities to provide the skills, knowledge and
capacity to enable sustainable use of natural resources,
encourage local development and promote local
involvement and ‘ownership’ in the conservation of the
islands’ extraordinary natural heritage. Established ‘Local
Conservation Areas’ are core to this community based
conservation and are proving very effective.
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Philippine Cockatoo
The Philippine Cockatoo is another Critically Endangered
Philippine species and we provide major ongoing support,
financially and through staff involvement, to the ‘Philippine
Cockatoo Conservation Programme’. This very successful
programme has seen more than a four fold increase over the
last decade for the main population of Philippine Cockatoo
on Rasa Island. Ongoing activities continue to protect this
core population, whilst initiating similar protection schemes
for other wild populations. Translocation of birds from
breeding centres to establish new populations in suitable
areas is also planned, and education and awareness
activities are conducted at all project sites.
Threatened Endemic Species
For many of the Philippines Critically Endangered endemic
species, conservation breeding is an essential part of
conservation efforts. We support breeding centres on the
islands of Negros, Panay and Palawan. Aside from breeding
for future reintroductions these centres also act as hubs for
training, research, education and raising public awareness.
The Philippine Spotted Deer, Visayan Warty Pig, Philippine
Cockatoo, Visayan Writhed-billed and Tarictic Hornbills and
Philippine Crocodile are just a few of the species which are
reliant upon these centres for their future survival. Many
of these species are also in the collection at Chester Zoo
as part of European zoo populations being managed as a
component of global conservation programmes. We also
assist financially and technically many smaller projects in
support of endemic species conservation. Such projects
include research on the Philippine Forest Turtle and support
for the conservation of the Philippine Crocodile. Chester
Zoo staff have also conducted freshwater fish surveys in
key habitats, and helped coordinate taxonomic workshops
to bolster the capacity in-country for freshwater fish
conservation.
Cebu Island
The island of Cebu is perhaps the ‘hottest’ biodiversity
hotspot within the Philippines. Levels of endemism are
extremely high but habitat destruction means that less
than 1% of the original forest cover remains. Several of the
world’s rarest birds are endemic to Cebu, including the
Cebu Flowerpecker which occurs in forests which are also
home to one of the world’s most threatened trees, the Cebu
Cinnamon.
The ‘Cebu Biodiversity Conservation Foundation’ (CBCF)
oversees conservation activities on Cebu. The outstanding
community-based conservation work of the CBCF is
widely regarded as one of the most effective and sustained
conservation actions anywhere in the Philippines. We
support the local wardens who work to protect the
remaining forest and wildlife, restore degraded habitat and
promote community-based sustainable tourism.
The Future
Today we’re supporting a wider range of projects in the
Philippines than ever before. We work with several key
partners and will continue to consolidate these partnerships
to expand and strengthen our conservation support. There
is no short-term solution to the biodiversity threats in the
Philippines and Chester Zoo is committed to providing
ongoing support for this unique biodiversity hotspot.
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