JANUARY - JUNE 2021 | ISSUE 01 TAKING FLIGHT OFFICIAL BIANNUAL NEWSLETTER OF TALARAK FOUNDATION INC. IN THIS ISSUE Looking back at 2020 - 2 North Negros and Negros Forest Park - 4 Danapa Nature Reserve - 7 The Negros Island Assessment - 14 One Negros for All - 16 Moving Online - 18 Growing our Talarak Family - 19 Animal Updates - 20 Our Partners - 24 J U N E 2 0 2 1 V O L . 1 LOOKING BACK AT 2020 CONSERVATION IN THE TIME OF COVID-19 For many people, the year 2020 had lots Later we would turn Danapa into a site to of ups and downs, with the global Covid- revolutionize the endemic Negros wildlife. 19 pandemic causing tremendous downs. We saw Danapa as a pocket of protection However, we can look back on this year for native wildlife in the ever-developing with some satisfaction and a great sense landscape of Negros, but also as a place of pride to have gotten as far as we are to bring back some of those species lost now. We have seen a great expansion of in recent years. In July of 2020, we started our activities, teams, and resources, which our release programme for captive-bred have moved us closer than ever before to Visayan Warty Pigs and Visayan Spotted reaching our goals of conserving native Deer into the 300ha of the Danapa and endemic Philippine wildlife, including Nature Reserve, bringing in a total of 18 the "Negros Big 5", and developing a Warty Pigs and 28 Spotted Deer into the Negros where our natural ecosystems fenced reserve. These deer and pigs and the next generation of Filipinos can became the first of their species to be coexist in harmony. In 2020 we were able released back into a wild habitat from a to create the Danapa Nature Reserve, captive breeding program, and we were focusing initially on renovating the keen to use all our efforts to learn as habitats by removing invasive forestry much as possible about these little-known trees and replanting native and endemic species, in the forests of Danapa. Using trees from our own nursery. remote camera traps, telemetry collars 0 2 J U N E 2 0 2 1 V O L . 1 and artificial feeding stations, we have and caring for the Visayan Spotted Deer seen our population already start to grow and Visayan Warty Pigs, but we saw a with 5 new offspring born from each of boom in breeding our Negros Bleeding these species. We have also witnessed Heart Doves and Visayan Tarictic new social, feeding and ecological Hornbills, as well as more births in our behaviours, inter-species interactions, critically endangered Rufous Headed and other amazing lifestyle traits of these Hornbills where we were able to repeat species as we draw back the curtain on our success in breeding another new their hidden lives in the forest; giving us a chick. Outside of the Negros Big 5 species much better idea about their lives and we have also been able to breed more the other native wildlife around them, Visayan Leopard Cats, Sailfin Lizards and helping us plan a better future for our other endemic bird species. endangered wildlife on Negros. Asides from the Spotted Deer and Warty Pig releases, we have brought in groups of "The highlights for me last Negros Bleeding Heart Doves and year have been the renewed Visayan Tarictic Hornbills into the reserve breeding success of our in soft-release aviaries. We plan to Rufous Headed Hornbills and release these birds in 2021 with the aid of the release of our captive our international expert partners. All of bred Visayan Tarictic this was only possible thanks to the Hornbills. These are major collaboration of the Bayawan City milestones for our foundation Government and their environmentally as we look to secure the progressive Hon. Mayor Pryde Henry futures of these two species Teves, and the support from our on Negros. We hope that we international partners and funders who can continue to progress this saw the potential that the site and our year and for many more to team had in developing a sanctuary for come with these hronbills and native species and learning opportunities the rest of our Big 5, fulfiling the golas of Talark to create Last year also saw increases in our brighter futures for our captive breeding programs within the natural treasures". Bacolod (Negros Forest Park) and Kabankalan captive centres. Given the Fernando "Dino" Gutierrez lack of guests into the centres and the Talarak President lower volume of traffic nearby, we were blessed with a tranquility that enabled our captive animals to breed and live in renewed peace. Not only were we able to continue our great record of breeding 0 3 J U N E 2 0 2 1 V O L . 1 NORTH NEGROS & NEGROS FOREST PARK Conservation, community, and captive breeding. By Davoy Castor. ENTERTAINMENT, EDUCATION, AND ENGAGEMENT Since the pandemic is ongoing with no end in sight, we only accommodate visitors under 60 and one child per adult from Tuesday to Hand-over of the cheque by Governor Lacson Sunday and closed on Mondays. There were a total of only 1,002 visitors from January to June 2021 A VISIT FROM THE GOVERNOR that came to the wildlife center, with the absence of big numbers of In May 2021 Governor Eugenio Jose V. Lacson, students from different schools that Vice Governor Jeffrey Ferrer, the Provincial came from far and wide during the Administrator, Provincial Board Members and normal years before the pandemic. Mayors from nearby Municipalities visited Negros Forest Park in Bacolod. We were One visitor we did receive this year delighted to welcome the Governor and was the Filipino comedian Mikey esteemed guests to our center and further Bustos. Mr Bustos is not only known delighted to receive repeated funding of more for being a comedian and actor but than 3 million peso’s from the province. During this visit Governor Lacson with the Provincial Tourism Board also announced that Negros Forest Park would be inducted into the Provinces Culture Hub. This prestigious honor was given to us as we provide education with entertainment for all in Negros and this will help the Talarak Foundation build more awareness and passion for endemic wildlife within the local and international tourism Comedian Mikey Bustos visiting Negros Forest Park sector. 0 4 J U N E 2 0 2 1 V O L . 1 also for his love of wildlife, even having a YouTube channel dedicated to the life of ants. Mr. Bustos and his friends came to Negros Forest Park this June and were amazed at the amount of animals we had, the beauty of the endemic wildlife of the West Visayas and our conservation Renovation of the Negros Forest efforts. He talked with us about Park office building our plans and shared passions before requesting that we continue discussions as he looks to improve his conservation A TRIBUTE TO LUCILLE C. TITULAR output and potentially his own breeding centre. Earlier this year we had a memorial activity of Tree Planting held at NFP to give honor to RENOVATION FOR Lucille C. Titular, one of pioneer staff and former Executive Director of then Negros INNOVATION Forests & Ecological Foundation, Inc. (NFEFI) The Negros Forest Park office who died of Covid-19 in the hospital this May. building was constructed in Trees (including Cinnamon sp.) were planted 1987 with concrete walls and in her memory since she has been well-loved wooden materials on its roof and one of the pillars of the then NFEFI during frames, partitions doors, and her time of tenure. Around 25 members of ceilings. But due to an former NFEFI staff, trustees, partners, friends infestation of termites the and 3 siblings attended the simple ceremony, wooden material gradually was where we paid tribute and planted 25 eaten away. Thanks to funding assorted indigenous/endemic trees. from the Province of Negros Occidental renovation has now started to revitalise the office and will be complete within 3 months. Hopefully resulting in a fresh new look at the front of our park, inspiring our office staff and visitors alike to work toward the urgent need of wildlife conservation and develop initiatives to save the West Visayan Species. 0 5 J U N E 2 0 2 1 V O L . 1 NORTH NEGROS moment the initial construction has stalled NATURAL PARK given the resistance to the project, and we The Talarak Foundation has been active hope it will be tabled indefinitely. However with the North Negros Natural Park we are seeing continued push for Proteced Area Management Board development of roads, housing and (NNNP PAMB) since the former NFEFI energy plants within the national parks on organisation. One of the main issues and Negros. At Sitio Campuestohan, in Talisay concerns this year has been the City, there was a sudden and illegal construction of a road network that may construction project initiated to create a cross through NNNP from Calatrava new road inside the NNNP "multiple use Municipality in the Northeast side to zone”. But thanks to the vigilance of some Patag, Silay City in the Northwest side. environmental groups and concerned Several conservation groups and citizens, the Mayor of Talisay City ordered institutions supported our protest to an end to the construction. During the prevent a large swath of forest inside the regular meeting of the natural parks protected area of the park being cut management board on June 21, 2021 the through by the proposed highway, construction was officially disapproved spearheaded by the Department of Public and the construction ordered to cease.