Haven assured for Philippine Duck
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Mar 1, 2012, 1:06:31 PM3/1/12
to Philippine environment conservation
Haven assured for Philippine Duck
THE Philippine Duck is now assured of safe haven at theMalasi Tree
Park and Wildlife Sanctuary in Isabela.
From now on, the dumping of waste products, human settlement, mineral
exploration or extraction, burning, logging or quarrying will be
banned in the reserve.
Any man-made activities within or in the periphery of the habitat
would require an assessment process to safeguard the area’s ecological
integrity.
The 178-hectare nature reserve in Barangay San Antonio, Cabagan, has
been declared by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources
(DENR) a critical habitat for the Philippine duck (Anas luzonica) and
other water birds.
Critical habitats are preserved to support the perpetual existence of
a certain plant or animal species, whether they are migratory or
naturally found locally.
The Malasi is a sanctuary for different species of ducks, herons and
other migrant birds.
Found only in this country, the Philippine duck has been described as
"the tropical version of the mallard," a type of duck commonly found
in more temperate regions such as the Americas and Europe.
The Philippine version has been on a decline, with less than 10,000
left, prompting the International Union for Conservation of Nature
(IUCN) to classify it as "vulnerable" under its Red List of Threatened
Species.
"This is a major step to conserve and protect the Philippine duck as
the area becomes now a protected area, which means that the
communities around it should make an effort to minimize human
activities that will have adverse impact to the animal," Environment
Secretary Ramon J. P. Paje said.
Just last September, the DENR declared a 27-hectare wetland in
Cabusao, Camarines Sur, as a critical habitat for the Philippine duck.
Since 2000, it has been listed as "vulnerable" because it has a small
population which is undergoing a rapid and continuing decline owing to
extensive over-hunting and widespread conversion of its wetland
habitats.
Its range is diverse, having been sighted in all the major islands and
eight smaller ones. It frequents most freshwater and saltwater
habitats, including mangroves, open sea and watercourses inside
forests. There, it feeds on fish, shrimps, insects, rice and young
vegetation.
Since the mid-1970s, however, a steep population decline was observed.
High concentrations were recorded at only a few sites in the following
decade: at the Candaba Marsh in Central Luzon which probably supported
many thousands in the early 1980s.
Threats include exceptionally high levels of hunting and trapping
evident since the 1960s. Thousands were reportedly shot weekly from
August-October and January-March in the late 1980s.
A government ban on firearms was imposed in 1972, although hunting
continues.
Subsequent local extinctions and near-disappearances have occurred in
several significant sites, including the Candaba Marsh and the Buguey
wetlands where several thousand were recorded in 1983.
It is estimated that there are significant Philippine Duck populations
in Polillo Island, Subic Bay, Magat Dam and Malasi lakes, all in
Luzon.
The conversion of natural wetlands through drainage, adoption of
aquaculture and the construction of fishponds all caused its near-
extinction at the Candaba Marsh and threatens the Polillo population.
Mangrove destruction and the recent extensive use of pesticides on
ricefields are also likely to have had serious impacts.
It has been sighted on the Barabac River inside the Manleluag Spring
National Park Mangatarem, Pangasinan (east of the Zambales Mountains);
in a mangrove fishpond in Bicol; and in the Cantilan mangroves in
Surigao del Sur.
The Manleluag Spring National Park, Mangatarem, Pangasinan has been a
Protected Landscape since 1940. There are plans to expand the areafrom
1,935 hectares to 4,240 hectares to include all the remaining tropical
rainforests extending up to the boundary with Zambales province.
In 1993, its population was estimated at 10,000 to 100,000, but by
2002 fewer than 10,000 birds were thought to remain.
The Philippine Duck is legally protected at Mt. Iglit-Baco and Lake
Naujan National Parks in Mindoro; Maria Aurora Memorial Natural Park
and Bataan Natural Park/Subic Bay Forest Reserve in Luzon; and in
Olango Island. ScienceNewsPhilippines
http://www.malaya.com.ph/03022012/envi1.html
THE Philippine Duck is now assured of safe haven at theMalasi Tree
Park and Wildlife Sanctuary in Isabela.
From now on, the dumping of waste products, human settlement, mineral
exploration or extraction, burning, logging or quarrying will be
banned in the reserve.
Any man-made activities within or in the periphery of the habitat
would require an assessment process to safeguard the area’s ecological
integrity.
The 178-hectare nature reserve in Barangay San Antonio, Cabagan, has
been declared by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources
(DENR) a critical habitat for the Philippine duck (Anas luzonica) and
other water birds.
Critical habitats are preserved to support the perpetual existence of
a certain plant or animal species, whether they are migratory or
naturally found locally.
The Malasi is a sanctuary for different species of ducks, herons and
other migrant birds.
Found only in this country, the Philippine duck has been described as
"the tropical version of the mallard," a type of duck commonly found
in more temperate regions such as the Americas and Europe.
The Philippine version has been on a decline, with less than 10,000
left, prompting the International Union for Conservation of Nature
(IUCN) to classify it as "vulnerable" under its Red List of Threatened
Species.
"This is a major step to conserve and protect the Philippine duck as
the area becomes now a protected area, which means that the
communities around it should make an effort to minimize human
activities that will have adverse impact to the animal," Environment
Secretary Ramon J. P. Paje said.
Just last September, the DENR declared a 27-hectare wetland in
Cabusao, Camarines Sur, as a critical habitat for the Philippine duck.
Since 2000, it has been listed as "vulnerable" because it has a small
population which is undergoing a rapid and continuing decline owing to
extensive over-hunting and widespread conversion of its wetland
habitats.
Its range is diverse, having been sighted in all the major islands and
eight smaller ones. It frequents most freshwater and saltwater
habitats, including mangroves, open sea and watercourses inside
forests. There, it feeds on fish, shrimps, insects, rice and young
vegetation.
Since the mid-1970s, however, a steep population decline was observed.
High concentrations were recorded at only a few sites in the following
decade: at the Candaba Marsh in Central Luzon which probably supported
many thousands in the early 1980s.
Threats include exceptionally high levels of hunting and trapping
evident since the 1960s. Thousands were reportedly shot weekly from
August-October and January-March in the late 1980s.
A government ban on firearms was imposed in 1972, although hunting
continues.
Subsequent local extinctions and near-disappearances have occurred in
several significant sites, including the Candaba Marsh and the Buguey
wetlands where several thousand were recorded in 1983.
It is estimated that there are significant Philippine Duck populations
in Polillo Island, Subic Bay, Magat Dam and Malasi lakes, all in
Luzon.
The conversion of natural wetlands through drainage, adoption of
aquaculture and the construction of fishponds all caused its near-
extinction at the Candaba Marsh and threatens the Polillo population.
Mangrove destruction and the recent extensive use of pesticides on
ricefields are also likely to have had serious impacts.
It has been sighted on the Barabac River inside the Manleluag Spring
National Park Mangatarem, Pangasinan (east of the Zambales Mountains);
in a mangrove fishpond in Bicol; and in the Cantilan mangroves in
Surigao del Sur.
The Manleluag Spring National Park, Mangatarem, Pangasinan has been a
Protected Landscape since 1940. There are plans to expand the areafrom
1,935 hectares to 4,240 hectares to include all the remaining tropical
rainforests extending up to the boundary with Zambales province.
In 1993, its population was estimated at 10,000 to 100,000, but by
2002 fewer than 10,000 birds were thought to remain.
The Philippine Duck is legally protected at Mt. Iglit-Baco and Lake
Naujan National Parks in Mindoro; Maria Aurora Memorial Natural Park
and Bataan Natural Park/Subic Bay Forest Reserve in Luzon; and in
Olango Island. ScienceNewsPhilippines
http://www.malaya.com.ph/03022012/envi1.html
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