Tamaraw are the Philippines’ proposed national land animal and listed as a critically endangered species on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. They stand at about 4 feet at the shoulders and charge when frightened. Only about 500 individuals are left on Mindoro Island-the only place the species lives-80 percent of which are found in Mounts Iglit-Baco Natural Park. The two other known populations on the island are small with only about 50 and 12 individuals—and without conservation measures would likely go extinct in the next few decades.
The newly developing plan for tamaraw conservation draws on recent tamaraw distribution and population data. The plan will address the primary threats to the species by ensuring zero poaching of the animals, working with ranchers to prevent the spread of disease from domestic cattle to the tamaraw, managing invasive species such as the plant shrub Chromolaena odorata, and collaborating with the indigenous communities to manage their land in a way that integrates their cultural and development needs with the recovery of the tamaraw.
The developing National Tamaraw Conservation Action Plan is the product of a Population and Habitat Viability Assessment (PHVA) workshop this month, 22 years after the last PHVA for tamaraw. Since then, the population of tamaraw has grown from 150 individuals to more than 400 in Mounts-Iglit Baco Natural Park—where conservation recommendations from the last PHVA have been implemented. Because the population here has grown but is restricted to a small area, the team will be able to relocate some of these animals to start new populations and supplement small populations.
Among the eight Mangyan tribes of Mindoro, three still share their living space with the tamaraw and will strongly influence the long-term fate of the species—and, in fact, all known tamaraw live in areas managed by indigenous people. This PHVA workshop included representatives from three indigenous communities, the Tau Buid, Buhid and Alangan. A protected area management plan for Mounts Iglit-Baco Natural Park includes helping the Tau Buid obtain official recognition of their ancestral domain, which is the right that the local communities have to live in and use resources from places that their people have historically lived in. Once they receive recognition of their ancestral domain, they will develop a management plan that aligns with the management plan for Mounts Iglit-Baco Natural Park, including tamaraw conservation measures.
Mindoro Island is the seventh largest island in the Philippine archipelago. In addition to the tamaraw, 16 other wildlife species live on Mindoro Island and nowhere else in the world, including Oliver’s warty pig and the Mindoro imperial-pigeon. The mountainous island was once entirely forested, but its forests have been cleared for agriculture, cattle ranching and commercial logging, forcing tamaraw living in Mounts Iglit-Baco Natural Park to inhabit grassland areas of the island.
More than 70 individuals were part of the PHVA workshop. Participating organizations in the PHVA workshop included the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (Biodiversity Management Bureau, Tamaraw Conservation Program, Regional Office-MIMAROPA, PENR/CENR Offices and Protected Area Management Offices), the IUCN Species Survival Commission Asian Wild Cattle Specialist Group, Global Wildlife Conservation, the IUCN Species Survival Commission Conservation Planning Specialist Group, the D’ABOVILLE Foundation (DAF), Mindoro Biodiversity Conservation Foundation, Inc., WWF Philippines, and Center for Conservation Innovation.
The Tamaraw Conservation Program (TCP) aims to save the tamaraw from extinction. This is achieved through regular patrols by TCP Rangers in tamaraw habitats, and by awareness raising. TCP is a program of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) of the Philippines. Find out more at www.facebook.com/tamarawdenr.
The AWCSG is made up of biologists, conservationists and zoo professionals committed to the conservation of Asia’s nine wild cattle species. We conduct and support research and conservation projects and raise awareness for these threatened species. We are one of over 120 Specialist Groups of the Species Survival Commission (SSC), developed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Find out more at www.asianwildcattle.org.
The IUCN SSC Conservation Planning Specialist Group (CPSG) is a global network of conservation professionals dedicated to saving threatened species by increasing the effectiveness of conservation efforts worldwide. For over 30 years, CPSG has accomplished this using scientifically sound, collaborative planning processes that bring together people with diverse perspectives and knowledge to catalyse positive conservation change. CPSG provides species conservation planning expertise to governments, other SSC Specialist Groups, zoos and aquariums, and other wildlife organisations.