DENR pushes ‘critical habitat’ status for Sarangani forest hosting Philippine eagles
KORONADAL CITY—The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) is preparing to declare Dakeol Forest in Sarangani province as a “critical habitat” after more endangered Philippine eagles (Pithecophaga jefferyi) have been discovered to be thriving in the area, officials said.
Edgar Calderon, team leader and park maintenance foreman of the DENR’s Community Environment and Natural Resources Office (Cenro) in Kiamba town, said a juvenile Philippine eagle was recently seen at Sitio Angko in Barangay Batian, Maitum town, which is part of Dakeol Forest.
In June, a team from Cenro, the Philippine Eagle Foundation (PEF) and the Maitum local government scoured the forest to monitor eagle nesting sites.
When Cenro personnel returned early this month, they were greeted by the sight of a juvenile eagle in the forest’s southern part.
BACK TO THEWILD A 2-year-old Philippine eagle flies back to the wild in Caraga, Davao Oriental, last month after a two-month rehab in a Philippine Eagle Foundation facility in Davao City. Conservationists are calling for the preservation of remaining habitats of the raptor, like the Dakeol Forest in Maitum town, Sarangani province. —PHOTO COURTESY OF EDEN JHAN LICAYAN
Sarangani Pride
An assessment by the PEF showed that the juvenile raptor was 10 months to a year old and believed to be the offspring of Sarangani Pride, an eagle that was rescued and released back to the wild in 2017.
Conservationists monitor the movements of Sarangani Pride through a solar-powered tracking device.
The PEF has advised that a similar device should be attached to the juvenile eagle recently found by the Cenro staff for easy monitoring and to aid in locating the rest of the eagle population in the forest, Calderon said.
The team also observed two more Philippine eagles in a distant site during the recent visit to the forest, he added.
Dakeol is also home to Philippine serpent eagles (Spilornis holospilus), whose population trend is classified as “decreasing.”
Maitum Mayor Alexander Bryan Reganit cited the need to protect the town’s forests to preserve the Philippine eagles and local wildlife.
The DENR and the PEF are planning to conduct conservation activities for the Philippine eagle and other species in Dakeol.
Weighing as much as 8 kilograms, the Philippine eagle is considered the top predator in the country’s tropical rainforest.
“[The eagle] plays an important role in keeping the ecosystem in balance and provides an umbrella of protection to all other life forms in its territory,” said Jayson Ibañez, the PEF research and conservation director.
Only an estimated 400 pairs of Philippine eagle remain in the wild, putting the species on the “critically endangered” list of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature.
