Botanical Gardens, Zoological Parks, and Wildlife Reserves

[saintm]

Philippine gov't places 158 more caves under protection

By DJ Yap in Manila/Philippine Daily Inquirer | Asia News Network – 7 hours ago

Manila (Philippine Daily Inquirer/ANN) - Hidden wonders may yet lurk in these caves.
More than 150 natural caves across the Philippines have been placed under varying degrees of protection from treasure hunters, polluters and vandals, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) said on Friday.
The agency has released a new list of 158 caves it has classified for conservation, bringing to 234 the number of caves whose natural wealth and resources have been placed under the protection and management of the government.
"Caves are natural, nonrenewable resources that are of tremendous value to man, whether scientific, economic, cultural, historical or aesthetic," Environment Secretary Ramon Paje said in a statement.
"Yet they are also in constant threat from destructive human activities like vandalism, treasure hunting, pollution and illegal extraction of resources," he said.
Paje said the classification of caves would serve as a guide in identifying strategies to protect, conserve and manage the resources within and around them.
The DENR categorizes caves in three classes.
Class I caves are those with "delicate and fragile geological formations, threatened species, archaeological and paleontological values and extremely hazardous conditions".
Only activities for mapping, photography, educational and scientific purposes are allowed in these caves. Included in the list of Class I caves are two segments of the Capisaan Cave System in Kasibu, Nueva Vizcaya, and the Kwebang Puti in Cavinti, Laguna.
On the other hand, Class II caves have "hazardous conditions and contain sensitive geological, archaeological, cultural, historical and biological values or high-quality ecosystems."
Such caves are open to experienced spelunkers or caving enthusiasts and guided visits, although some portions may be closed seasonally or permanently for conservation purposes. Callao Cave in Penablanca, Cagayan, and Bat Cave on Boracay Island are examples.
Class III caves are "generally safe" for inexperienced visitors, with no known threatened species living in them, nor any archaeological, geological, historical or cultural values.
Economic activities, such as the collection of guano and edible birds' nest, are allowed in these caves. Examples of these are the Bat Cave in Penablanca, Cagayan, Crystal Cave on Boracay Island and Bandera Caves in on the Island Garden City of Samal, Davao del Norte.
The 158 caves classified by the DENR are spread out across all regions in the country, except Metro Manila and the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.
Western Visayas has the highest number of total assessed caves at 41, followed by the Ilocos Region, with 25. Pangasinan province has 18 caves, the biggest number in the country, followed by Iloilo with 17.
Cave classification is a process undertaken by the DENR's Protected Areas and Wildlife Bureau (PAWB).
Once classified, a management plan is prepared for each cave to consider all ecotourism, scientific, educational and economic activities, as well as monitoring and reclassification, in those areas.
The PAWB has recorded at least 1,756 caves since the implementation of the DENR's Caves Management and Conservation Program in 1994.
Under the National Caves and Cave Resources Management and Protection Act, people are prohibited from "knowingly destroying, disturbing, defacing, marring, altering, removing, or harming" rock and mineral formations in caves, or disturbing the animal and plant life in them.
They are also prohibited from "gathering, collecting, possessing, consuming, selling, bartering or exchanging or offering for sale without authority any, cave resources".
Violators face imprisonment of up to six years or a fine of up to 500,000 pesos (US$12,100), or both. A tougher penalty-up to eight years in prison or a fine of up to 1 million pesos ($24,200), or both-will be meted out to "the person furnishing the capital to accomplish the acts."

http://sg.news.yahoo.com/philippine-...034003295.html

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Mt. Apo National Park

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Field of Frogs

Location: Somewhere in Marilog, Davao City
Artist: Unknown














Sun-Star- Davao

[Linguine]

May's Organic Garden and Restaurant

image hosted on flickr

[Linguine]

May's Organic Garden Restaurant

[dinabaw]

HAPPY VALENTINES FROM PEF


Pag-asa’s eaglet 25th hatched in captivity
By Joselle R. Badilla
Inquirer Mindanao
1:17 am | Thursday, February 14th, 2013




NAME THE YOUNGEST PHILIPPINE EAGLE The Philippine Eagle Foundation breeding facility in Davao City has a new resident, a 5-day-old Philippine eagle, the 25th to be hatched in the facility. The eaglet’s parents are Pag-asa (father) [right] and Kalinawan (mother) [top left]—both born in captivity in Barangay Malagos in Calinan District. PHILIPPINE EAGLE FOUNDATION
DAVAO CITY—The country’s first Philippine eagle to be hatched and bred in captivity is now a father.

The eaglet sired by Pag-asa was hatched at 1:55 a.m. on Saturday at the breeding facility of the Philippine Eagle Foundation (PEF) in Barangay (village) Malagos in Calinan District here.

The eaglet weighed 158 grams, said Dennis Salvador, PEF executive director, in a statement on Wednesday.

The Philippine eagle (Pithecophaga jefferyi) is considered a highly endangered species because of its rapidly declining population. At least 400 pairs remain in the wild, according to estimates from government and private conservation groups.

Still unnamed, the new eaglet is healthy and the 25th to be hatched from the center’s conservation breeding program. It is the offspring of Pag-asa and Kalinawan.

Another milestone



PEF officials said it would take two years to determine the sex of the eaglet.

Salvador considered the successful hatching another milestone in the center after Pag-asa, the first Philippine eagle to be produced as a result of the PEF’s breeding program in 1992.

“This accomplishment underscores the fact that breeding these birds in captivity remains difficult. We are certainly a long way off in coping with losses in the wild,” he said.

“The Philippine eagles and their forest habitat continue to be imperiled by manmade activities like logging, mining and other development projects,” Salvador added.

Anna Mae Sumaya, PEF curator for conservation breeding, said the eaglet hatched from a breech position. Experts use the term “breech” to refer to a baby to be delivered “who is not in a head down or vertex presentation.”

“I had to help it to avoid damaging the vital veins that could potentially cause its death,” Sumaya said.

The foundation is looking for partners to support the new eaglet, Salvador said.

Inquirer

[rjdexplorer]

A very pristine, powdery and fine beach welcomed us that replenished our energy. The crystal clear waters of the area enticed me that I was the first one to jump off from the boat. It was high noon but I didn’t consider the scorching heat of the sun to take shots of the sand and the sea.

Story here: http://rjdexplorer.com/post/49650044...f-natural-park

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Originally Posted by Mindavao

Tridacna Eco-Tours, Samal Island
by Jojie Alcantara

Four species of giant clams:
Tridacna Gigas, Tridacna Squamosa, Tridacna Derasa and Tridacna Hippopus were transplanted in the 4-Hectare Marine Reserve in Barangay Adecor, Kaputian District of Samal Island, one among the program’s successful sites. The DNSC Marine Reserve Park has now become part of the tourism package of Visit Samal Tours.

[dinabaw]

Tridacna Tours, Samal © Jojie Alcantara

“Each species on our planet plays a role in the healthy functioning of natural ecosystems, on which humans depend.” ~ William H. Schlesinger, Biogeochemist

Tridacna is a genus of large saltwater clams, marine bivalve mollusks in the subfamily Tridacninae, the giant clams. Unfortunately, the global conservation status is listed as Vulnerable in the 2004 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. All species of giant clams are listed in CITES (Convention on Inernational Trade of Endangered Species of Flora and Fauna). In the Philippines, it is locally known as “taklobo”.



Tridacna Tours Project in Samal © Jojie Alcantara

Four species of giant clams, Tridacna gigas, T. squamosa, T. derasa and H. hippopus were transplanted in the 4-hectare marine reserve in Barangay Adecor, Kaputian District of Samal Island, one among the program’s successful sites. The DNSC Marine Reserve Park has now become part of the tourism package of Visit Samal Tours, successfully protecting endangered giant clams and other marine species, making it a home of more than 3,000 giant clams. It is identified as one of the learning and tourist sites in the Island Garden City of Samal (IGaCoS).

jojie alcantara