DAVAO CITY, Philippines—As the nation marks Environment Month this June, one of the events is the Philippine Eagle Week celebration held from June 4 to 10. An event held in SM City Davao Annex by the Philippine Eagle Foundation (PEF) highlighted the role of indigenous peoples (IPs) as frontliners in the conservation of the species and its habitat.
Irick Francisco, PEF communication officer, said the event is “a conservation education and public awareness campaign because it is an icon for conservation in the Philippines, being our flag-shaped species.”
The Philippine eagle has been the national bird of the country since 1995. The PEF noted that Mindanao holds the highest number of eagles in the wild, making local conservation efforts vital.
The status of Philippine eagles remains unstable, with hunting and shooting identified as primary threats, especially in Mindanao. “That puts the eagle at a disadvantage,” says Francisco, as he urges the need for change in views among people towards hunting eagles.
The PEF mentioned on its website that the Philippine eagle is listed as critically endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) with an estimated number of only 400 pairs left in the wild.
The Philippine Eagle Week celebration focused on indigenous peoples as the true custodians of the eagles’ habitats. “It’s really our indigenous people because in Davao City, our IP partners are really on the front line of protecting our Philippine eagles across Mount Apo,” Francisco pointed out.
These communities, deeply intertwined with the forests, possess traditional ecological knowledge vital for effective conservation.
The event in Davao City aims to bridge the gap between upland and lowland communities, fostering a new generation of conservation champions from all walks of life. As Francisco puts it, “We want to breed conservation champions from this generation of future thinkers and builders of the nation.”
The PEF has also pushed various efforts to protect the eagles and their habitat, which include launching behavioral change campaigns and reforestation activities across nesting sites together with indigenous peoples’ communities.
“Definitely we have provided; we have forest guarding programs that are aimed at converting hunters and shooters to become forest guards,” Francisco said.
The week-long event included an interactive exhibit tour, educational talks, photo exhibits, and documentary screenings. There were activities for children, including live storytelling, a digital art workshop, poster making, and eagle mask making.
PEF also said it continues to engage with stakeholders, DENR regional partners, and a national network to safeguard the Philippine eagle.
“We can proudly say that our operation is massive already because of all recognized nesting sites of Philippine Eagles. We have four sites in Luzon, we have in Leyte, we have in Samar, and we have here in Mindanao. So, that’s how massive our operations are now,” Francisco shared.(davaotoday@gmail.com)
conservation, phil eagle
