By Jing Villamente/Manila
Two dozen mammals have been added to the Philippines’ official list of threatened species, according to former Senator and Pilipinas Ecowarriors convener Juan Miguel “Migz” Zubiri.
Zubiri identified these species as the Palawan fly fox, Isarog shrew mouse, Binturong, Dinagat hairy-tailed rat, Dinagat hairy-tailed cloud rat, Panay bushy-tailed cloud rat, Ilin hairy-tailed cloud rat, bushy-tailed cloud rat; flying lemur, Philippine tube-nosed fruit bat, Southern Luzon giant cloud rat, Dinagat gymnure, wooly flying fox, grey flying fox, small flying fox, white-winged fruit bat, little golden-mantled flying fox, bearded pig, Visayan warty pig, Philippine warty pig and the Calamian treeshrew.
Three others that do not have common names and which come from Sibuyan Island, Mindoro and Sulu—were also included in the list.
“These mammals have been classified either as vulnerable or endangered,” Zubiri said.
Philippine species are categorised as threatened once their habitats have suffered extreme form of depletion and their populations have shrunk to a level below, which the species or subspecies will be completely wiped out.
Threatened species are further sub-categorised either as vulnerable or endangered, or critically endangered.
Vulnerable means the populations of the species are under threat from serious adverse factors and are believed likely to move to the endangered category in the near future.
Endangered means the species are at great risk of extinction and survival is unlikely if casual factors continue to operate.
“The biggest danger to our wildlife is the unchecked destruction of their habitats, plus the unchecked illegal (wildlife) trade,” Zubiri said.
“We have to step up conservation efforts if we are to save our threatened species, and safeguard our biodiversity,” he added.
Zubiri’s Pilipinas Ecowarriors is a non-profit, registered non-governmental organisation that keeps watch over potential violators of environmental protection and conservation laws, including wildlife smugglers.—Manila Times