ILOILO CITY—As the fading sunlight gave way to the soft glow of street lamps, faint squeaks overhead mingled with the chatter of a small crowd pointing excitedly at silhouettes darting across the sky. Students, scientists and conservationists were observing the flying mammals in their natural habitat in the first “bat walk” organized by the Philippines...
Category: Biodiversity
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The Philippines launches a 15-year action plan for biodiversity conservation
ILOILO CITY – Top environment officials have launched the Philippine Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (PBSAP) 2024-2040 to implement the country’s roadmap for biodiversity conservation and align it with global conservation targets. “If we want to leave this planet in a better shape than when we found it, when we were born, then it is...
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Something in the ocean killed a dolphin, and it will be deadlier over time
By nature, a short-finned pilot whale is blessed with a long, playful life. If female, it can live up to 60 years. It can find a mate at the age of 9, give birth at 10, keep calving one at a time until it’s 40, and then go through menopause. But by some unfortunate turn,...
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A life sanctuary at the foot of Mount Makiling is open to students of all ages
The old jeepney slowly negotiated the forested area of the University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB) in Laguna, its engine screeching as it struggled up the steep road. At the foot of Mount Makiling in this part of the UPLB campus, towering trees greeted everyone alighting from the jeepney. Many trees stood behind the...
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In Luzon, ‘ayungin’ the fish is also threatened
There’s the disputed Ayungin Shoal 105 nautical miles west of Palawan, and there’s the endemic freshwater fish called “ayungin,” which is now the size of a fisherman’s palm. But size shouldn’t matter, with both the large reef and the small fry facing the threat of one day being lost to the Philippines. Ayungin the fish...