X-From_: tgray  Wed Nov 11 10:26:02 1992
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Date:         Wed, 11 Nov 1992 10:26:05 PST
Reply-To:     Tom Gray <tgray@IGC.APC.ORG>
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From:         Tom Gray <tgray@IGC.APC.ORG>
Subject:      IPS: Eagle Rescue in Philippines?

/* Written 12:06 am  Oct 30, 1992 by newsdesk@igc.apc.org in igc:ips.englibrary
*/
Copyright Inter Press Service 1992, all rights reserved.  Permission to re-
print within 7 days of original date only with permission from 'newsdesk'.

Area: Opecna Morning Transmission
Title: PHILIPPINES: Hope for eagle on the edge of extinction


an inter press service feature

by lian nemenzo

davao city, philippines, oct 27 (ips) -- a clever captive
breeding programme may be the last hope of saving the majestic
philippine eagle, which has been driven to the edge of extinction
by its shrinking rainforest habitat.

on sunday, a second baby eagle was successfully hatched at a
breeding centre near this city in the southern island of
mindanao.

another eaglet which hatched at the same nursery in january is
already flexing its growing wings, and pecking with relish at
bits of meat that its doting keepers feed it.

the breeding centre is run by the philippine eagle
conservation programme foundation (pecp). both birds were
conceived through an intricate artificial insemination process
and are the first tropical eagles to be born in captivity.

the philippine eagle is the world's largest bird of prey,
standing about a metre tall and with a wingspan of nearly two
metres. each bird ranges over a territory of 60 to 100 sq kms.

''there is now a glimmer of hope for their survival. but it
can only be realised through concerted action on our part,'' the
pecp said in a statement.

to take the symbolism further, the first eagle is called pag-
asa (hope) and the one born on sunday was named pagkakaisa
(unity) in honour of the government's reconciliation efforts with
leftist and rightist insurgents.

excessive logging and slash-and-burn farming have denuded the
country's once-lush rainforests, pushing the philippine eagle and
other bird and animal species to the brink of extinction.

the philippines loses some 119,000 hectares of forests every
year. forest cover is now down to 20 percent, way below the 54
percent needed to maintain ecological balance in this mountainous
archipelago.

deforestation has taken a heavy toll on wildlife. at least 18
of its remaining 1,075 animal species are now endangered.

stephen paspe, deputy executive director of pecp, says there
are now about 50 remaining philippine eagles, found in only four
of the country's more than 7,000 islands. (more/ips)


philippines: hope (2)

''it is a success story for captive breeding and for the
entire wildlife conservation movement,'' says maribeth reyes-
baril, information coordinator of haribon foundation, a group
dedicated to saving endangered wildlife.

''it is a victory for the country's wildlife rescue efforts,
but its impact is diminished by the absence of a strong forest
protection policy,'' says von hernandez, executive director of
the green coalition.

''the state of philippine forests is so alarming that even if
a total log ban were immediately implemented, it will take over
50 years to turn the situation around,'' he adds.

conservationists agree that unless rainforests are protected
from further degradation, the philippine eagle has little chance
of surviving in the wild.

but reyes-baril believes there is still hope if a total log
ban is effectively enforced to allow the forests to regenerate.
she says reforestation projects must be closely monitored even
after the tree-planting stage.

last week, philippine president fidel ramos ordered the
enforcement of a new law banning all commercial logging in the
virgin forests of the nearby island of palawan.

vice president joseph estrada also urged japan and taiwan
monday to stop buying logs illegally cut from the philippines'
once-lush islands.

besides captive breeding, the pecp conducts field work and
education campaigns to save the eagles and their habitat. paspe
says there have so far been 36 confirmed sightings of the rare
eagle in the remaining patches of forest in the country.

the philippine eagle -- formerly called the monkey-eating
eagle -- is a health indicator of a forest. being on top of the
food chain, it regulates the populations of its prey and helps
maintain the diversity of tree species.

''if they are not present in a forest, it means that forest is
too small for the eagle and therefore cannot sustain life
below,'' says paspe.

''by using the philippine eagle as the focal point of our
conservation efforts, we are in the process saving other wildlife
and their habitat.''

the pecp also organises livelihood projects for communities in
nest sites, teach them the value of conserving wildlife and
introduce improved farm technology to stop slash-and-burn
agriculture. (end/ips/en/ln/kd/92)


item closed
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