HEARD IT THROUGH THE GRIPE-VINE
We often talk of Pinoy Pride; but isn’t it ironic that most of us can readily identify a Chinese Panda or Australian Kangaroo, before we’d recognize the Philippine Pangolin? There are numerous species of fauna and flora endemic to the Philippines, and several of them are threatened, on the verge of extinction – yet we can blithely talk about, and be proud of, Philippine biodiversity; while it’ll be on our watch that these species will disappear from the face of the planet forever! And yes, the pangolin is the one that looks like an armored, scaly anteater.
These thoughts were running through my mind as I was attending the media lunch organized by our Department of the Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) and the SM Group, at Lanson Place, Mall of Asia complex, last week. The Save From Extinction initiative has six umbrella species of Philippine fauna to spearhead their communications campaign – in the air, the Philippine Eagle and cockatoo, in the sea, the dugong (sea cow, related to the manatee), and pawikan (marine turtle), and on land, the Philippine Tamaraw and Pangolin. But it’s impressed upon us as that these six are just the tip of the iceberg, an iceberg of species of both fauna and flora that are on the critically endangered list that the DENR and the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) have put out.
For those who need the natural history refresher, endemic species are animals or plants that are native to a specific area, and are not found anywhere else in the world. They’re important for biodiversity and the proper functioning of ecosystems; but by their very nature, they’re often vulnerable to extinction. The Philippines is recognized globally as one of the 17 megadiverse countries, a biodiversity hotspot; as there are 1.7 million different species on Earth and the Philippines is home to 52,177 species, of which half (more than 26,000) are endemic – found exclusively in our country.
To appreciate that better, know that of the 1,238 terrestrial vertebrate species that are considered endemic, 618 are found in the Philippines. One hundred twenty-one of at least 3,214 species found in our waters are endemic. Five of the seven known marine turtles in the world are found here in the Philippines; and in our country alone, we have five percent of the world’s species of flora. That’s how biodiverse we are!
But with urbanization, the richness of our biodiversity, and the natural habitat of several of these endemic species, are threatened. Plus there’s man; and the avarice that makes the trade of exotic animals such a lucrative market. Our Philippine Eagle is hunted and poached; the cockatoos are trapped; and as the Katala Foundation explained, in their lowland forest habitats, there are only some 1,000 cockatoos left.
The dugong faces the constant degrading of its habitat; while the pawikan are hunted and eaten, if not trapped and sold – with their nests destroyed. The tamaraw is poached, and in Mindoro, there are only around 600 surviving. The pangolin is consumed for its purported medicinal properties.
There are established IUCN thresholds that have to be met, or exceeded, in order to rescue these species from imminent extinction. Remember what I was saying about these six umbrella species being the tip of the iceberg? The DENR recognizes 1,106 species of fauna, and 984 species of flora that are on their endangered watchlist.
Plus you just don’t have enough Forest Rangers who can effectively enforce the more than adequate conservation and protection laws that exist. The truth is when it comes to the cash-rich exotic animal trade; the responsible NGO’s, and foundations, along with the law enforcers, have to offer viable alternatives of livelihood and income for those working for these poaching syndicates. And that’s a tall order. I even can easily imagine how these very law enforcers can be induced to look the other way.
So there is a gargantuan task and uphill battle facing the DENR, the NGO’s and foundations. Private public partnerships are so important, and the DENR is thankful to the SM Group for making this Save From Extinction initiative one of their advocacies. SM Retail’s Kultura has created a wonderful collection of diverse SFE merchandise spreading the message; and BDO, with the Forest Foundation, will be accepting SFE donations through their digital channels, their 4,300 ATM’s, and the over 1,200 BDO branches.
We in media have a role to play in drumming up awareness and support for all the endangered species. And the public has to make its’ voice heard, so that the right steps can be taken. I recall how in social media, China would create a buzz surrounding pregnant pandas, and there would be a global audience following the daily progress to delivery. I can only pray that there won’t come a time when here in the Philippines, we’ll be following the final days of the last surviving Philippine Pangolin.