Tinagong Dagat Critical Habitat: Haven for Five Globally Threatened Species
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Tinagong Dagat Critical Habitat: Haven for Five Globally Threatened Species The municipality of Lambu- Located on its upper stream is a block of nao in Iloilo is a watershed- classified forestlands with an area of 8,725 has., dominated landscape which is about 36 percent of the total land area of the municipality (24,452 has). It includes the comprising four main river 2,318-hectare school reservation of the West systems, which form part of Visayas College of Agriculture and Forestry the Jalaur River System. (formerly the Iloilo National College of Agriculture or INCA). It is bordered by the municipalities of Calinog and Its high income and large population has Dueñas on the north, Janiuay and placed Lambunao among the first class Badiangan on the south, Pototan on municipalities in Iloilo province. Two of its the east, and Valderama, Antique barangays (Poblacion Ilaya and Ilawod) are on the west. It is one of the 18 classified as urban centers where commerce forest-edge municipalities and trade are concentrated and are the most surrounding the Central Panay thickly populated areas in Lambunao with Mountain Range (CPMR) and is more than 5,000 individuals. Lambunao has one of the Key Biodiversity Areas 10 upland barangays, of which seven are (KBAs) in Western Visayas. It is entirely or partially within the forest interiors also considered as one of the 117 of the CPMR KBA. The farthest barangay is Important Bird Areas in the country Cabatangan, which can only be reached by foot by Birdlife International and and where the Tinagong Dagat Critical Habitat Haribon Foundation. (CH) is located and established. The Tinagong Dagat CH covers an Similar with other remaining forest area of 3,032.99 has. It harbors a areas in the country, the vicinity of freshwater lake of about five hectares Tinagong Dagat is highly threatened and that is surrounded by tropical lowland vulnerable due to unsustainable forest evergreen rainforests – an area that is management practices employed by a haven for five globally threatened forest-dependent communities and fami- species found in Panay Island (Big 5), lies living therein. Such practices include namely, the Visayan writhed-billed kaingin, timber poaching, wildlife hunting hornbill (Rhabdotorrhinus waldeni), for food and trade, and unregulated Rafflessia spp., mabitang (Varanus collection of non-timber forest products. mabitang), the Philippine spotted deer (Rusa alfredi), and the Visayan warty These unsustainable practices are pig (Sus cebifrons). due to the limited awareness and capacity of key stakeholders on biodiversity The presence of these highly conservation and forest governance and important threatened species in an are further aggravated by an increasing endangered forest ecosystem of human population thriving in the CPMR encouraged the LGU of uplands and encroaching into the forest Lambunao to collaborate with the areas for human settlements. Upland Department of Environment and settlers are concentrated in Sitios Igpatio, Natural Resources Regional Office 6 Igdagmay, and Tinagong Dagat and are (DENR R6) to establish Tinagong directly dependent on CPMR’s forest Dagat and its adjoining lowland forest resources for their livelihood and as a CH. survival. THREATENED SPECIES. Visayan warty pig (top left), the Visayan writhed- billed hornbill (top right), and (below left and right) the Speciosa and Lobato rafflesia species in Panay Island. Conservation Objectives Resource ma- The CH establishment follows a framework on how nagement strategies different stakeholders such as the LGU, DENR, NGOs, cover technical, and POs, among others, collaborate and galvanize efforts institutional, and for the protection and conservation of valuable socio-economic ecosystems and the biodiversity living therein. Critical aspects necessary to habitats are established outside Protected Areas effect the implemen- enshrined in the National Integrated Protected Areas tation of CHMP. The System Law or Republic Act 7586. However, it is foundation of CHMP anchored on the Wildlife Resources Conservation Act and the develop- (9417) and follows DENR Memorandum Circular No. ment strategies were 2007-02 or the Guidelines on the Establishment and products of a Management of Critical Habitat. comprehensive analysis of the State, The CH Management Plan (CHMP) formulated for Pressure and Res- Tinagong Dagat and its environs covers a period of 5 years ponse of Tinagong (2014-2019) and is anchored on LGU Lambunao’s Dagat as a CH as approved Forest Land Use Plan (FLUP). Conservation perceived by the objectives are focused and targeted on the following local communities milestones: 1) secure and protect the CH area and its and key stakehol- buffer zone through an effective and efficient ders vis-à-vis its management system; 2) restore and rehabilitate open and interconnectivity degraded forests within the CH areas; 3) protect and and impact to the conserve biodiversity; 4) sustainably manage human adjacent and down- activities through community resource management; and stream areas of 5) regularly monitor and evaluate the declared CH. CPMR. Processes Undertaken in Creation of the Critical Habitat Establishing LCA Good Management Committee (CHMC). An Practice Executive Order was issued by the office of the Local Chief Executive (LCE) of Lambunao for the creation of CHMC to CH establishment could be craft the CHMP. CHMC is a multi- made either through a local stakeholder body headed by the LCE declaration by the LGU or a himself, key LGU department heads, national declaration by the DENR regional and local DENR representatives, through the office of the Secretary academe, NGOs, and POs that are following the procedures specified currently operating in the area. The under DENR Memorandum CHMC has formulated its own plan to Circular No. 2007-02 or the define and schedule the different phases Guidelines on the Establishment of the CH management planning process. and Management of Critical Habitat and the Wildlife Resources Members Conservation Act (RA 9417). Secondary data gathering. of the CHMC were given specific tasks on secondary data gathering. Majority In 2008, the LGU of Lambunao of the data is available at the LGU and DENR Region 6 forged a Municipal Environment and Natural Memorandum of Agreement for Resources Office (MENRO) and the proposed establishment of 203 Municipal Planning Office, the local has. of lowland forests in CPMR DENR, and the academe. The other data that harbor a small lake called were provided by German Development Tinagong Dagat. Cooperation (GIZ) – Forest and Climate Protection (ForClim) Panay Project from The following were the the various compilations of published processes undertaken by the LGU scientific papers and manuscripts related of Lambunao in collaboration with to the biodiversity of Central Panay. The key stakeholders in the CPMR for availability of information led the LGU the designation of Tinagong Dagat of Lambunao and GIZ-ForCLIM to and its environs as a CH for the Big design and administer the guide 5 species of Panay. questions for the ethno-bio survey. Biophysical assessment and community consultation in Tinagong Dagat. Ethno-bio surveys. An ethno- Bio-physical survey. A bio-physical bio survey was primarily designed survey was conducted to gather baseline to determine and validate the information on the biodiversity in CPMR, information on the presence and particularly in Lambunao. The survey team distribution of the Big 5 globally was guided by the results of the secondary threatened species found in CPMR data gathering and ethno-bio surveys. and the socio-economic activities of Together with the representatives from the forest-dependent communities. local DENR, key staff of MENRO Lambunao, The survey was administered and GIZ-ForCLIM, the team decided to through key informant interviews conduct purposive surveys to validate the (KIIs) and focus group discussions presence and occurrence of the Big 5 species. (FGDs). They conducted an inventory of other The survey was conducted in flora and fauna species vis-à-vis the pre-listed the forest-edge barangay of inventory of flora and fauna made by the local Lambunao, particularly in communities during the conduct of the ethno- Cabatangan. The survey managed bio surveys, KIIs, and, FGDs. They also to come up with an initial list of the validated and documented the various threats various species of flora and fauna to CPMR’s forests and biodiversity as in CPMR as well as the threats to revealed by the local communities during the its forest and biodiversity. Ongoing FGDs and KIIs. The survey team analyzed and site conservation actions (e.g., interpreted the data and came up with a site socio-economic, cultural, among technical report. Survey results were used by others) undertaken by the LGU and the LGU of Lambunao as one of their bases to key stakeholders in CPMR were formulate their CHMP and to pass a municipal also arrived at. Through the resolution for CH declaration. The results project, the species distribution were also used to update their proposed map of the Big 5 threatened species FLUP. The survey followed the DENR- of Panay was established, which established protocol on resource inventory for guided the bio-physical survey CH establishment and management. The team to decide where to conduct biophysical survey and FGDs were conducted and establish their transects and from December 2011 to June 2012 together with observation plots for the flora and the forest-dependent communities of fauna inventory. Lambunao. CHMP formulation. The formulation of the CH establishment CHMP was spearheaded by the CHMC. A series of and declaration. On participatory planning workshops were conducted March 3, 2014, Resolution to craft the CHMP. Results of the ethno-bio and bio- No. 14-022 was enacted physical surveys and the draft of the municipal by the Sangguinang FLUP were the primary inputs in developing the Bayan of Lambunao for plan. The CMHC followed and accepted the the declaration of recommendations of the FLUP Steering Committee Tinagong Dagat and the to expand the coverage of the CH from the proposed surrounding lowland 203 has.