Six conservation organizations are partners to the Save From Extinction campaign of the DENR and SM Group. Their leaders spoke at the Save From Extinction fundraiser launching and shared how they are going to use the donation to save the endangered dugong, katala, Palawan pangolin, pawikan, Philippine Eagle and tamaraw.

We want to do population studies. We want to do habitat assessments…

So what we will need is to not just monitor the species, but monitor where they are, where they go, where they feed, where they lay their eggs, where their habitats are. Of course, as you know, their habitats are shrinking. Part of the assessment, part of the planning work, means identifying where additional habitats can be located.

For those that need support, active support in terms of captive breeding, that option is also open to us.

In addition, of course, to our own efforts, we have to count our forest-dependent communities, our coastal and marine-dependent communities. For those communities, we need to provide incentives in addition to education. Without providing incentives for indigenous peoples, for Mangyans, for Dumagat Remontados in Sierra Madre, for Manobos in Mindanao, we will not be able to save the eagle.

We’re also launching partnership packages that allow businesses and champions to invest directly in conservation. At one level, your support will enable us to restore eagle populations in their historic range, protect active nesting territories, and help communities become long-term stewards of the species. At another level, you can invest on preventing forest encroachments, securing ancestral domains, and support community-led conservation for the next generation.

And finally, you may choose to help build skilled culturally grounded conservation workforce, indigenous forest guards, who are trained and accredited to protect eagle habitats, and lead biodiversity protection in the front lines.

Since 1998, Katala Foundation Inc., is trying to recover the Philippine cockatoo, mainly in Palawan, where the last stronghold is found.

Our aim is to secure these precious few remaining cockatoo forests as protected areas, and create new habitats, and hopefully bring them back to islands where they once occurred.

We then invite you, ladies and gentlemen, to be part of our ongoing efforts, habitat protection and restoration, nest monitoring, community education and engagement, and scientific research.

ZSL firmly believes that communities are key to conservation and local communities in Palawan, specifically in El Nido and in Taytay, are definitely stepping up. They have established locally conserved areas with forest patrolling teams to monitor habitats and report illegal activities. 

ZSL also works with these communities to build sustainable biodiversity-friendly enterprises. This includes, and we would like to include more eco-tourism activities such as forest walks, cultural storytelling and activities where visitors can experience the magic of our Philippine forests and without harming them or the pangolins.

ZSL is partnering with judiciary, training judges, prosecutors and law enforcement officers to better understand environmental laws, how to handle wildlife trafficking cases and also to understand the broader impacts of biodiversity loss to the Philippines in general. With stronger legal knowledge and networks, more cases can lead to more convictions and traffickers can be held accountable. 

A conservation strategy on saving this species requires to put the IPs in the picture, and we call this the biocultural approach. In this approach, key is the understanding of what we call the indigenous knowledge and practices of the IPs. And of course, the setting up of safe zones. In the Tawbuid (language), they call this sagrado. Sagrado, meaning sacred areas which act as reserves for the species.

The rangers need to know how to communicate and relate with the IPs. So it’s very important to train them here also.

This campaign, as my colleagues have said, is not just about saving species. It’s about securing food, water, livelihoods, resilience for ourselves and future generations. It is about rewriting our story with a better ending. I ask all of you to please support the campaign financially, logistically and through advocacy. To integrate into your sustainability programs and let us help you connect species conservation with your corporate goals. 

I ask you to amplify the message to your platforms, especially to young people. Let’s equip them, not just with knowledge, but with love for nature, hope and the agency to act to shape the future.