<b>Wildlife hunting by indigenous people in a Philippine protected area: a perspective from Mt. Apo National Park, Mindanao Island</b>

Abstract

Indigenous people play a major role in the conservation of wildlife species in protected areas. This paper provides an insight on the involvement of indigenous people in protecting and hunting of wildlife species in Mt. Apo National Park, Mindanao Island, Philippines. Here, I assessed indigenous knowledge and practices towards wildlife hunting from three villages from Mt. Apo through immersions, interviews, and focus group discussion between May 2014 and January 2015. The majority of wildlife hunters I encountered were male and married between the ages of 35–60 years old. Commonly hunted wildlife species from the national park included large wildlife species such as the endemic and threatened Philippine Warty Pig Sus philippensis, Philippine Brown Deer Rusa marianna, Common Palm Civet Paradoxurus hermaphroditus, Reticulated Python Malayopython reticulatus, Common Monitor Lizard Varanus salvator and other large birds such as Rufous Hornbills Buceros hydrocorax, large dove species (i.e., Dacula spp.). In the past, wildlife hunting was most commonly done for sustenance and culture. But, poverty and the lack of alternative livelihoods have become a recent motivation to hunt wildlife. This current findings in this study suggest that wildlife are essential for indigenous people in protected areas, however, hunting practices should be monitored and provide alternative livelihood options to reduce threats. This study introduced the vital links between local communities and wildlife in protected areas. Thus, engaging and empowering indigenous people and local communities in wildlife protection combined with appropriate conservation planning are the first steps forward in attaining sustainable and effective local conservation in protected areas.

Species richness of trees in disturbed habitats within a protected area and its implications for conservation: The case of Mt. Apo Natural Park, Mindanao Island, Philippines

“…This current alarming rate is driven by unprecedented deforestation and forest resource extraction, conversion of natural lowland forest to agricultural lands for cash crops, i.e., large areas have been converted to high valued crops, such as rubber and oil palm, and infrastructure development (Brown and Diesmos 2009). In Mindanao Island, the southern part of the Philippines, embeds a diverse natural forest yet experiencing environmental pressures as the potential expansion of oil palm and rubber plantation are projected in the region (Philippine Department of Agriculture Annual Report, 2013) coupled with other anthropogenic threats such as wildlife hunting and poaching (Tanalgo 2017). There have been several studies in the region on the floristic composition in protected areas, however, these studies focused on pristine areas and less on disturbed areas (Arances et al 2004;Amoroso and Aspiras 2011;Amoroso et al 2012Amoroso et al , 2013, which are equally important when developing spatial-conservation priorities (Bryan et al 2011).…”

Bats of the Philippine Islands –a review of research directions and relevance to national-level priorities and targets

“…Conversely, human-induced activities are continuously posing alarming threats to many bat population and its associated habitats despite the implementation of policies that covers Philippine bat fauna i.e., the Philippine Wildlife Act and Cave Management Act (for cave bats). Our review revealed illegal hunting and trade of bats for food, bushmeat is a prevailing conservation concern in different habitats i.e., cave bats, large-flying foxes are massively hunted from caves and forested areas, and in many regions particularly in remote areas where poverty is high (Scheffers et al, 2012;Tanalgo et al, 2016;Mildenstein et al, 2016;Tanalgo,) but sparse of quantitative information on the intensity and extent. The bat hunting and trade for bushmeat remained a significant threat, with an estimated 50% of the species are hunted in different Islands particularly in unsurveyed and unprotected areas (Mildenstein et al, 2016;Mildenstein, 2015;Tanalgo, 2017).…”

“…Our review revealed illegal hunting and trade of bats for food, bushmeat is a prevailing conservation concern in different habitats i.e., cave bats, large-flying foxes are massively hunted from caves and forested areas, and in many regions particularly in remote areas where poverty is high (Scheffers et al, 2012;Tanalgo et al, 2016;Mildenstein et al, 2016;Tanalgo,) but sparse of quantitative information on the intensity and extent. The bat hunting and trade for bushmeat remained a significant threat, with an estimated 50% of the species are hunted in different Islands particularly in unsurveyed and unprotected areas (Mildenstein et al, 2016;Mildenstein, 2015;Tanalgo, 2017). In caves and underground areas in karst ecosystems, hunting of large cave frugivorous and insectivorous bats are common (Mould et al, 2012;Tanalgo et al, 2016).…”

Using crime script analysis to understand wildlife poaching in Vietnam

“…Snaring is implicated in the rapid decline of many other species in Vietnam, and the country is at the center of the regional snaring crisis; snare use also increases human exposure to species carrying zoonotic diseases (Belecky and Gray 2020). Law enforcement authorities can be hesitant to arrest poachers from minoritized or indigenous groups, for whom wildlife was historically a major protein source and more recently a means to fulfill livelihood needs (Brunner 2012;Tanalgo 2017). However, these authorities, particularly mobile ranger teams, are involved in protecting poaching sites and preparing violence reports.…”