Conservation efforts continue despite the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly in the Philippines whose biodiversity makes it not only one of the richest, but also one of the most vulnerable in the world.
“We must act now despite the global pandemic,” said Grace Diamante, an executive director of Mindoro Biodiversity Conservation Foundation, Inc. (MBCFI), during a virtual advocacy event conducted recently by the Manila House Private Members Club.
Diamante was joined by Malampaya Foundation Inc. (MFI) executive director Karen Agabin, MFI marine biologist and conservation manager Pacifico Beldia II, and Western Philippines University professor Dr. Lota Creencia in discussing terrestrial and marine conservation efforts in Palawan, Mindoro, and the Verde Island Passage.
Since 2013, MFI has helped establish and manage over 335,000 hectares of marine-protected areas (MPAs) and marine management zones with communities, local government units, and national agencies. MBCFI seeks to conserve the unique and threatened environment, biodiversity, and natural resources of Mindoro Island, which is recognized as one of the global biodiversity conservation priority areas, particularly in terms of the number of endemic species, diversity of habitats, and degrees of threats.
There are reported sightings of returning endangered species in MPAs that have been effectively managed after five years, like the Napoleon wrasse in Coron. Black-tipped sharks and dolphins are also returning to areas that are well-protected.
As part of its marine rehabilitation work, MFI and its partners are restocking protected reefs within effectively-managed MPAs with over-extracted shell species like the abalone, trochus, and giant clam species, some of which are classified as endangered and locally-extinct.
Most notable is the return of the Philippines’ giant clam Tridacna gigas, declared locally-extinct in the 80s. Over 3,000 giant clam shells have been restocked since 2019.
MBCFI is working with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, the Tamaraw Conservation Program, and their Rangers and Wardens to conserve the Tamaraw or Mindoro dwarf buffalo, of which an estimated 480 are left in the world.
Other conservation efforts in Mindoro include the completion of MBCFI’s propagation of the endangered Philippine Teak at Ilin Island, Occidental Mindoro in 2019, 163 hectares of woodlot areas established, documentation of 54 fauna and discovery of one flora, and the ongoing construction of the Mindoro Biodiversity Conservation Center in Puerto Galera.
MBCFI is working with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, the Tamaraw Conservation Program, and their Rangers and Wardens to conserve the Tamaraw or Mindoro dwarf buffalo, of which an estimated 480 are left in the world.
Other conservation efforts in Mindoro include the completion of MBCFI’s propagation of the endangered Philippine Teak at Ilin Island, Occidental Mindoro in 2019, 163 hectares of woodlot areas established, documentation of 54 fauna and discovery of one flora, and the ongoing construction of the Mindoro Biodiversity Conservation Center in Puerto Galera.
