Updates from the field
Herewith I would like to give you some updates from our fieldwork
under the project "Conservation of the Palawan Forest Turtle in Dumarao,
Roxas through protected area management and wardening scheme"
The
main threat to the critically endangered Palawan-endemic Palawan Forest
Turtle Siebenrockiella leytensis is collection for the illegal pet and
food trade followed by habitat destruction and alteration (Diesmos et
al. 2012, ATTWG 2000). In 2015 alone 4,124 Palawan Forest Turtles have
been confiscated between January and October (Schoppe unpublished data).
Long-term mark-recapture surveys have shown that population trends over
most of the range of the species are worrisome due to over-collection
and limited recruitment and emigration of adults (Schoppe and Acosta
2013). In Dumarao, Roxas lack of recruitment and emigration of adults
are expected to be related to the continuous destruction of the habitat.
We could observe increasing denudation of riverine vegetation and
consequent erosion of river banks, cutting for adjacent forest and
conversion of wet lands into rice fields. Schoppe and Acosta (2015)
estimated based on mark-recapture data a remaining wild population of
some 6,000 individuals. This result emphasizes the urgent need to expand
in-situ measures. It was a milestone when the community members of
Dumarao established the Lower Ilian-Ilian – Masaya 1 – Maharlika
Protected Watershed Area on 18 December 2013. In the following two
years, KFI was able to establish a protected area management board and a
wardening scheme thanks to the generous support of North of England
Zoological Society – Chester Zoo (Schoppe et al. 2015a, b).
Highlights
during the 2015 implementation of the project are a clear decrease of
illegal activities in and even around the protected area. With
counterpart funding from Germany we were able to increase the number of
wildlife wardens which contributed significantly to the better
protection of the area. Aside from patrolling, wardens also monitor
wildlife encountered and take note on the phenology of important food
providing trees. Observations and issues are discussed during monthly
meetings of a Technical Working Group which likewise reports the
findings during the quarterly meeting of the Protected Watershed Area
Management Board.
As far as research of the Palawan Forest Turtle in
the area is concerned, we continue monitoring its population size in the
core and the buffer zone of the Protected Area. Results indicate that
the populations seem to be stable over the last three year of
monitoring. We also conduct studies on the diet of the Palawan Forest
Turtle. We quantify food items of the Palawan Forest Turtle and assess
the relative composition of the different food items from two different
habitats.
For 2016, we envision information education of communities
in neighbouring communities and rapid resource assessment with the aim
of eventually expanding the conservation efforts to nearby areas.
This
coming Friday (Feb. 19, 2016), we will celebrate with Dumarao’s
elementary and high school students “Bakoko” or Turtle Day. Through
games and activities we intend to inform pupils about the Palawan Forest
Turtles and its conservation status and needs. We will have garbage
collection along the river and consecutive explanation about the
decomposition rate of the various items collected; potting soil mixing
and bagging of riverine seedlings in seed bags to be raised in the
nearby nursery for restoration of the river banks; and other environment
related games.
Best regards from Palawan,
Sabine