Tamaraw project launched

MANILA, Philippines - A campaign launched by the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), Far Eastern University (FEU) and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources aims to double the number of wild tamaraw from 300 to 600 by year 2020.

Dubbed “Tams-2” or “Tamaraw Times Two by 2020,” WWF-Philippines Conservation Programs vice president Joel Palma said the campaign synthesizes camera trapping and other science-based research initiatives with improved park management practices.

Rodel Boyles, Mts. Iglit-Baco Park superintendent and head of the Tamaraw Conservation Program (TCP), said, “I believe we can double the number of wild tamaraw way before 2020. We already counted 345 heads this April, the highest posted since we began our annual surveys in 2001.”

The partnership aims to revitalize much of Mindoro’s deforested mountain habitats. Healthy peaks and forests translate to a better-managed source of water essential for the vast rice-lands of Mindoro’s western floodplains, while healthy reefs generate food for millions, WWF pointed out.

For his part, FEU president Michael Alba said, “Our goal is twofold – to conserve one of the Philippines’ living treasures, while delivering conservation results to the people that need the most help. That we are seeing more and more tamaraw is a testament to the effectiveness of our alliance.”

The tamaraw is currently classified by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as critically endangered – the highest risk rating for any animal species.

Four national laws protect it from poaching –Commonwealth Act 73 plus Republic Acts 1086, 7586 and 9147.

Since 1979, the DENR has been working tirelessly through the TCP to conserve the tamaraw. With its gold and green tamaraw icon, FEU has provided support for a tamaraw management and research-oriented program by participating in annual tamaraw counts since 2005.

To support existing DENR and FEU initiatives, WWF, the Occidental Mindoro local government and indigenous Tau Buid Mangyan inhabitants of Mts. Iglit-Baco joined hands to protect the verdant mountain habitats of the tamaraw.

A Tamaraw Month Celebration was held last week at FEU’s Morayta campus. Representatives from the WWF, FEU, DENR, TCP and the indigenous Tau Buid tribe reiterated their commitment to conserve the world’s most endangered buffalo species.