By Leilani Chavez
Knowledge of the Philippine pangolin, the only pangolin in the country, is scarce. Sightings of the animal are even rarer. But unlike other species of pangolins around the world that are on the brink of extinction, a new study suggests that with the right conservation measures, the Philippines’ native pangolins still have a chance of bouncing back.
In a study published in the journal last December Global Ecology and Conservation, researchers who conducted an extensive study found that Philippine pangolins (Sweet culionensis) have been spotted in 17 of the 24 municipalities in Palawan, the island province that is the only place on Earth where this species occurs.
“This holds great promise for the Philippine pangolin and suggests that it is not too late to begin conservation efforts for all species,” lead author Lucy Archer of the Zoological Society of London (ZSL) told Mongabay.
An enigmatic kind
So little is known about the Philippine pangolin that even if the IUCN lists the species as critically endangered, there is no accepted estimate for the base population. The scientific literature suggests the species was never common, and interviews with indigenous communities conducted in 2018 suggest that it has declined sharply since the 1980s, the IUCN notes.
However, the recently published research gives cause for optimism.
Similar extensive studies of the local population’s knowledge of pangolins, conducted in West Africa for the giant pangolin (Giant filth) and in China and Vietnam for the Chinese pangolin (Manis pentadactyla), show that the local population strongly believes their pangolin species is extinct: sightings are rare or nonexistent. This is not the case with the Philippine pangolins: the locals still see them, albeit very rarely, and the number of areas where they can be found is high.
“Compared to similar studies on pangolins elsewhere, these results suggest that Philippine pangolins may not have reached the critical level shown by Chinese pangolins in China and Vietnam, or giant pangolins in Benin,” Archer said. “This offers some hope for the species.”
The survey ran from January to June 2019 and helps identify the range of the species based on resident observations. The locals call the animal balintongue, meaning ‘somersault’, in reference to the habit of rolling away to hide from danger.
The Philippine pangolin was considered a separate population from the Sunda pangolin until 1998 (Manis javanica), which is found in much of Southeast Asia, but not in the Philippines. Its recognition as its own species coincided with local poaching: the high demand for pangolin pangolins in China and Vietnam, combined with increased enforcement on well-known Sunda pangolins trafficking routes, caused traffickers to turn their attention to the Philippine pangolins.
Range of the four Asian pangolins: the Chinese, Indian, Sunda and Philippine pangolins. A mix of colors within the maps indicates an overlap in the distributions of the different species. Species range is based on IUCN Red List ratings (IUCN 2014). Note: Distribution Charts are currently being updated by the IUCN Pangolin Specialist Group. Image courtesy of University of Adelaide / TRAFFIC. Image courtesy of University of Adelaide / TRAFFIC
Local conservationists also link an increase in Chinese projects in the Philippines to the growing demand for pangolin meat in Manila restaurants that cater to the influx of Chinese workers and visitors. In the space of two years, Philippine pangolins became one of the most trafficked species in the country, earning them critically endangered status on both the IUCN and the national red lists.
Initial human trafficking seizures often resulted in cargoes involving both pangolins and various species of turtles. But since 2018, the Philippine authorities have been intercepting shipments consisting exclusively of pangolins. In September 2019, authorities in Puerto Princesa City, the capital of Palawan, made the largest ever seizure of Philippine pangolin scales: 1,154 kilograms (2,545 pounds), which allegedly killed at least 3,900 pangolins.
From 2018 to 2019, local authorities seized 6,894 Philippine pangolins, according to a recent report released by TRAFFIC. The figure is alarming, conservationists say, as there are no clear estimates of how many of the animals are left.
But as researchers race against time to save the local pangolin population, studies are limited by the pangolins’ peculiar and cryptic habits. Pangolins are solitary, nocturnal, non-vocal and semi-arboreal. While these traits weren’t enough to protect them from poachers, they make it very difficult to study the species in the wild, Archer says.
“Imagine walking through a forest at night trying to find something that makes little noise and that you might only find in a tree,” she says. “It would take a lot of time and effort!”
These cryptic behaviors result in low detection rates, which means that the chances of finding one, even if it’s nearby, are “very slim,” Archer added.
“General studies of biodiversity therefore rarely record pangolins and therefore need specific, targeted monitoring methods,” she says. “However, such methods are still under development for pangolins, so we don’t have accepted or standardized monitoring methods yet … partly because they are so hard to find, which makes the development of such methods difficult!”
Locals provide directions
This is where Archer and her team’s research comes into play. It complements the existing knowledge base by drawing on so-called local ecological knowledge (LEK), a type of data that builds on first-hand observations or interactions of local residents in an area. where a species can be found.
“LEK is based on the premise that local people can often have more information and provide important information and knowledge about rare species using the same environments,” said Archer. “It is clear from this result that the local people have a wealth of important knowledge about wildlife in their local areas – they are the real experts.”
But while it has been used in conservation, particularly in community-led conservation efforts, the local people’s knowledge of their environment remains a largely underused data source. “Its advantages lie in being able to collect a lot of information about large geographic areas in a relatively short time and at a low cost – this research took place over six months,” said Archer.
“Hopefully studies like this will help the development of such methods, as new monitoring methods can be tried in areas where we at least know the species exists. We can also use local knowledge to target specific habitats and places where people have recently seen the species. . ‘, Says Archer.
Eighty-seven percent of the respondents in the Palawan survey were able to identify the Philippine pangolin and provide information, but these sightings are rare or very rare, even when compared to other endangered species. This points to an urgent need to establish localized conservation initiatives, the study said. And the research points to a high level of general local support for the protection of wildlife, especially the pangolins.
“With a high level of knowledge and a keen willingness to be involved in conservation efforts, as reported by the respondents in this study, I think the local population is really well placed to help guide and develop conservation efforts,” said Archer.
The study forms the basis for ZSL’s conservation action and community engagement in Taytay Municipality in northern Palawan, one of the identified conservation priority areas. Archer says a second phase involves using camera traps to track the species, which will hopefully help create a conservation area for the community.
“We hope this will provide a useful amount of information that local governments and conservation organizations can use to support conservation efforts and compare future research to track trends in species status and threats,” she says.
Reposted with permission from Mongabay.
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