By Leilani Chavez
Knowledge of the Philippine pangolin, the only pangolin species in the country, is low. Animal observations are even rarer. But unlike other species of pangolins around the world that are on the verge of extinction, a new study suggests that, with proper conservation measures, the endangered pangolin in the Philippines has yet another blow to return.
In a study published in December last year in the journal Global ecology and conservation, researchers conducting a comprehensive survey found that Philippine pangolins (Culionensis dulce) were observed in 17 of the 24 municipalities in Palawan, the island province which is the only place on Earth where this species occurs.
“This is promising for the Philippine pangolin and suggests that it is not too late to establish conservation efforts across the range of the species,” lead author Lucy Archer of the London Zoological Society (ZSL) told Mongabay.
An enigmatic species
So little is known about the Philippine pangolin that, although the IUCN considers the species to be critically endangered, there is no accepted estimate for its base population. The scientific literature suggests that the species has never been common, and interviews with indigenous communities conducted in 2018 suggest that it has been in sharp decline since the 1980s, the IUCN notes.
However, the newly published survey offers reasons for optimism.
Similar comprehensive surveys assessing locals’ knowledge of pangolins conducted in West Africa for the giant pangolin (Huge smut) and in China and Vietnam for the Chinese pangolin (Manis pentadactyla), shows that the locals strongly believe that their pangolin species are extinct: observations are rare or non-existent. This is not the case with Philippine pangolins: the locals still see them, although very rarely, and the number of areas where they can be found is large.
“Compared to similar studies on pangolin species elsewhere, these results suggest that Philippine pangolin populations have not reached the critical levels shown by Chinese pangolins in China and Vietnam or giant pangolins in Benin,” says Archer. “This gives some hope for the species.”
The survey took place from January to June 2019 and helps to establish the distribution area of the species based on the observations of residents. The locals call the animal balintong, which means “jump”, in relation to his habit of moving away to hide from danger.
The Philippine Pangolin was believed until 1998 to be a separate population of the Sunda Pangolin (Manis javanica), which occurs mostly in Southeast Asia, but not in the Philippines. Its recognition as a native species coincided with a local poaching boom: high demand for pangolin scales in China and Vietnam, combined with increased application on known Sunda pangolin trafficking routes, has seen traffickers turn their attention to the Philippine pangolin.
The range of the four species of Asian pangolin: Chinese, Indian, Sundanese and Philippine pangolins. A mixture of colors in the maps indicates an overlap in the distributions of the different species. The range of species is based on IUCN Red List assessments (IUCN 2014). Note: Distribution maps are being updated by the IUCN Pangolin Group of Specialists. Image courtesy of the University of Adelaide / TRAFFIC. Image courtesy of the University of Adelaide / TRAFFIC
Local conservatives are also linking an increase in Chinese projects in the Philippines to the growing demand for pangolin meat in Manila restaurants, which is satisfying the influx of Chinese workers and visitors. Within two years, the Philippine pangolins have become one of the most trafficked species in the country, pushing them to a critical endangered status on both the national and IUCN red lists.
Initial traffic seizures often led to transports carrying both pangolins and various species of turtles. However, since 2018, the Philippine authorities have been intercepting shipments that consist exclusively of pangolin parts. In September 2019, authorities in Puerto Princesa City, the capital of Palawan, seized the largest seizure of pangolin scales in the Philippines: 1,154 kilograms (2,545 pounds), for which at least 3,900 pangolins were reportedly killed.
Between 2018 and 2019, local authorities confiscated 6,894 Philippine pangolins, according to a recent report released by the TRAFFIC Wildlife Trade Monitoring Group. The figure is alarming, say environmentalists, because there are no clear estimates for how many animals remain.
But while researchers are fighting against time to save the local pangolin population, studies are limited by the specific and cryptic habits of the pangolin. Pangolins are solitary, nocturnal, non-vocal and semi-arboreal. Although these features were not enough to protect them from poachers, they make it very difficult to study species in the wild, says Archer.
“Imagine walking through a forest at night and looking for something that makes a little noise and could be found alone in a tree,” she says. “It would take a lot of time and effort!”
These cryptic behaviors result in low detection probabilities, which means that the chances of observing one, even if it is nearby, are “very small,” Archer adds.
“General biodiversity studies therefore rarely record pangolins and therefore specific monitoring methods are needed,” she says. “However, such methods are still under development for pangolins, so we do not yet have accepted or standardized monitoring methods … partly because they are so difficult to find, which makes it difficult to develop such methods! “
The locals give clues
This is where the study by Archer and her team comes into play. It is added to the existing knowledge base, extracting from what is called local ecological knowledge (LEK), a type of data that is based on direct observations or interactions of locals in an area where a species can be found.
“LEK is based on the premise that locals can often have more information and provide important information and knowledge about rare species that use the same environments as them,” says Archer. “It is clear from this result that local people have a wealth of important knowledge about wildlife in their local areas – they are the real experts.”
But although it has been used in conservation, especially in community-led conservation efforts, locals’ knowledge of their environment remains a largely underused source of data. “Its benefits are the ability to collect a lot of information over large geographical areas in a relatively short time and at low cost – this study took place over 6 months,” says Archer.
“We hope that such studies will help develop such methods, because new monitoring methods can be tested in areas where we know at least that the species exists. We can also use local knowledge to target certain habitats and places where people have recently seen the species, “says Archer.
Eighty-seven percent of respondents to the Palawan survey could identify and provide information about the Philippine pangolin, but said observations are rare or very rare, even compared to other endangered species. This indicates an urgent need to establish localized conservation initiatives, the study says. And the survey finds a high level of general local support for wildlife protection, especially pangolin.
“With a high level of knowledge and a high desire to be involved in the conservation efforts reported by respondents in this study, I believe the locals are really well positioned to help guide and develop conservation efforts,” says Archer.
The study forms the basis for the conservation action of the FTA and the involvement of the community in the municipality of Taytay in northern Palawan, one of the identified priority conservation areas. Archer says a second phase involves using room traps to monitor species, which we hope will help create a community conservation area.
“We hope that this will provide a useful body of information that local governments and conservation organizations can use to inform conservation efforts and with which future research can be compared to track trends in species status and threats.” , she says.
Reposted with permission from Mongabay.
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