he population of
the endemic bare-backed fruit bat, Dobsonia chapmani, on Negros Island is on the
verge of extinction.
After a thorough search in southern Negros, only a few
individuals presently exist in a marginal habitat of aerial ferns in a degraded
forest in Calatong, Sipalay, Negros Occidental.
The probability of survival is very low under the conditions
now obtaining in the area: poor habitat quality and relentless hunting by local
people. No less than a miracle is needed to save this endemic species.
This is the first case of a Philippine endemic species that
has been carefully documented by scientists from its discovery in 1952 by
Professor D.S. Rabor of Silliman University to its becoming very rare from the
1970s to the 1990s by mammalogist Lawrence Heaney of Field Museum, Chicago, to
its rediscovery in 2004 by Ely Alcala and Renee Paalan of Silliman University,
and to its present status of imminent extinction in 2007 by the two Silliman
biologists.
This case would seem to give credence to the description of
the Philippines as not only a mega-diverse country but also an extinction
hotspot, a dubious distinction from the standpoint of commitment to the
conservation of biodiversity. That an endemic species becomes extinct literally
under our very noses is certainly not a compliment to the conservation
organizations, conservationists and bureaus of government charged with the
responsibility of conserving biodiversity under the international Convention of
Biological Diversity (CBD).
It is feared that our country’s commitment to preserve our
environment has been put to a test, and we have failed. No amount of
justification and excuses can redeem us from a possible harsh judgment by the
international community of conservationists.
Having made the above comments, let me say that there could
be a ray of hope that the species can be saved from imminent extinction. But we
have to act fast by doing a number of things: (1) conduct a massive information
and educational campaign in the Calatong area, (2) deputize a local brigade to
protect the remaining population and its microhabitat, (3) provide sustainable
livelihood opportunities for the local community especially the hunters, and (4)
declare the area off limits to all forms of development.
I call upon the Department of Environment and Natural Resources and the
concerned local government units to look into the precarious situation of this
endemic species and consider seriously strategies to address the issues
affecting its survival. For our part in Silliman University, we have begun to
conduct a campaign among the local people to spare this species. But we know
that this is not enough. It must be complemented by other means such as those
suggested above.
