The Philippine Eagle through the years

Excessive deforestation and

destruction of virgin forests,

especially of the dipterocarp type,

due to ruthless logging and

agricultural practices.

l Overhauling and

overcollection of the eagle

by hunters, aggravated by

the negligence of

authorities concerned in the

proper implementation of

the conservation laws and

regulations that have been

designed to protect the

species.

l The slow rate of reproduction of the species and the

difficulty, if not the impossibility, of rearing this eagle species

in captivity and making them breed under simulated

conditions in a confined area.

These were the reasons behind the Philippine eagle's near

extinction, according to a Bureau of Forest Development

pamphlet in 1982.

Ten years later, an eagle was born in captivity in a breeding

center whose government funding had been stopped for about

five years and which has been subsisting on foreign grants and

donations from private firms and multinational companies.

Described by aviator Charles Lindbergh as the ''air's noblest

flier,'' the Philippine eagle evolved in the then lush Philippine

forests millions of years ago. But today's generation of

Filipinos may yet be the last to see them in the wild.

The continuing loss of habitat has severely affected the species.

Dennis Salvador,

executive director of the

Philippine Eagle

Foundation (PEF),

hopes the government's

policy reforms can

encourage research

instead of inhibit it.

Last year, the PEF, a

private group that has

successfully bred

Philippine eagles in

captivity, sought

permission from the Department of Environment and Natural

Resources to radio-tag eagles in the wild to learn more about

their territorial range.

It also proposed five years ago to collect eaglets in the wild to

increase the very limited gene pool at the center.

Government red tape has stalled the research.

But there is so much as yet to learn and yes, unlearn, about the

Philippine eagles.

Here are excerpts from an interview with Salvador and Dr.

Hector Miranda, PEF science director.

Q. Do Philippine Eagles really establish and defend a territory

of 60 to 100 square kilometers?

A. Maybe, maybe not. We will know after we have tagged

several pairs. Territory and home range are things that scientists

can infer based on radiotelemetry, a technology that would

allow investigators to track wildlife by attachment of

transmitters. We have applied for a permit from the DENR to tag

the eagles. The application has been reviewed since then and

some conditions were imposed, such as limits on the number of

tagged birds, revision of some aspects of the proposal and

obtaining prior informed consent certificates from local

communities and the protected area management boards.

Q: Do the eagles mate midair?

A: No bird has ever been recorded to mate in midair. It is

possible early investigators observed eagles clasping talons in

midair during territorial battles or as part of their courtship ritual

and may have been interpreted as mating behavior.

Q: In January, a PEF update showed the captive population at 16

and 107 in the wild and that total known population is 123, up

from 53 in 1992. Dr. Rabor in 1965 said there were only 36 to

60 eagles in the wild. Now you're saying there are at least 200

eagle pairs or 400 individuals in Mindanao alone. What's our

basis for saying this when we also know that their habitat is in

real bad shape?

A. This is not confusing (data). Early naturalists like the late Dr.

Rabor based their figures on the paucity of sightings of eagles

and may be speculative at best because they did not have the

necessary information or better technology than what we have

now. With all due respect to naturalists like Dr. Rabor, their

studies laid the foundation and catalyzed the many

conservation programs we see in the Philippines now.

During the last 20 years of research, we have accumulated

information based on 69 nesting attempts by 43 pairs all over

Mindanao. We have mapped these information.

The estimate of 200 pairs--193 to 204, to be more precise--was

based mainly on regular spacing of eagle nests and territorial

pairs and the present forest cover figures for Mindanao, as

provided by the DENR.

We will revise our estimate soon as we obtain more reliable

information. The 200 pairs or 400 individuals may or may not be

the real number of the remaining eagles. Unless we reach the

level of wildlife research in developed countries like Britain

where every egg laid by every wild bird is documented, we may

not know the exact number...

Q. What number constitutes ''endangered'' as far as the

Philippine eagle is concerned?

A: ''Endangered'' or ''threatened'' are labels by conservationists

to focus attention on a particular species facing extinction. This

is not simply based on number of individuals. One criterion is

restricted distribution of the population as in island species.

Another is rate of destruction of the habitat in which the focal

species is found. Another is when a species depends on a

restricted diet that is itself disappearing.

There are other criteria but it is common knowledge that most

species endemic to tropical islands are most vulnerable. Dr.

David Steadman of the University of Florida said 90 percent of

bird species that have become extinct since 1600 lived on

islands.

The Philippine eagle is restricted to the four main islands of the

Philippines and, most probably, have evolved within the

lowland dipterocarp (lauan) forest which is now down to 5

percent of the original.