Source : INQ7.net, Philippines, 30 Nov 2005
By : Gil Francis Arevalo
  

The number of species was declining and the ecosystem deteriorating in Malinao, 31.5 km north of Albay’s capital city of Legazpi, according to people who frequent the place.

That picture changed after the municipal government of Malinao declared the mountain a biodiversity conservation and protected area. The residents, especially those living on the periphery, have joined hands to make it so.

The community response came after a team from the University of the Philippines at Los Baños’ Institute of Biological Science (UPLB-IBS) conducted almost three years of exploration in Malinao that ended on March 27, 2002.

The team presented its findings to the local community and recommended that all means be exhausted to protect Malinao town’s last frontier.

UPLB-IBS professor Jaycee Gonzales said the mountain had a peculiar wildlife habitat. Rare and endangered creatures endemic in its forests were threatened, the team said, pointing out that many of the villagers were dependent on the place for their livelihood.

Malinao, which means “clear,” is part of Bicol’s volcanic chain that includes Mounts Mayon and Masaraga in Albay, and Iriga and Isarog in Camarines Sur.

It has intrigued historians and hikers who say that the mountain doesn’t actually live up to its name. Clouds often cover its peak, depriving them of a beautiful sight, they say.

Prevented

Three years after the UPLB-IBS team made their suggestions, the local community has witnessed the success of the Malinao program, involving ecological balance management, rehabilitation and an awareness campaign, implemented by the local government.

Tourism-in-charge German Gonzaga said forest guards had been deployed, a youth mountaineering and monitoring group had been formed, and an information drive had been launched in the villages.

Bantay Gubat volunteers have apprehended illegal wildlife poachers coming from Legazpi and Tabaco cities.

Since the residents started helping protect and conserve the endangered species, they have noted an increase in the population of wild animals, such as boars, monkeys, flying fruit bats, snakes and native ducks in the mountain.

Gonzaga also said the people were actively participating in activities to replant and preserve the mountain’s trees. An increase in hardwood species, such as narra and molave, has been noted although their actual count has yet to be recorded.

As a result of the local initiatives, the Philippine fairy blue eagle and other endangered species, like the Kapa-Kapa medinilla (belonging to the Melastomaceae family) and 15 other species of birds, frogs and lizards, four species of dipterocarps and a big number of orchid varieties, have been saved from near extinction.

“It’s a wake-up call for all us here, knowing that all the species are endemic only in Albay. Protecting them is our top priority, that’s why we heeded all the recommendations of the expedition experts and the very reason why we [have] come this far,” Mayor Emily Kare said.

More explorations

Kare said that aside from programs supported by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, the municipal government is spearheading more explorations, especially to the crater of the 1,548-meter Malinao, believed to have a more diverse and still undiscovered lush vegetation.

She said UPLB might be invited again to assess if the mountain could be considered a national park because of its protected diverse biological ecosystems. Further explorations, she said, would also enhance the local eco-tourism program that would provide alternative livelihood for the residents.

Malinao also has abaca plantations in its slopes—the source of local abaca weavers—and other commercial crops in selected areas.

Community immersion

Gonzaga said that as part of the conservation and preservation efforts, tourists and environment enthusiasts would be invited to live with the local folk so that they could fully understand the community’s role in monitoring and protecting the mountain.

He said the residents would usually tell visitors that in spite of their dependence on resources from the mountain, they were willing to sacrifice to protect it for future generations.

“All throughout the year, we encourage hiking for a cause, encouraging our youth mountaineering clubs to guide hikers in seeing the new life of Mount Malinao while educating them about the endangered species dwelling in the mountain,” the official said.

“And more than that, we even tap former poachers and offenders to be part of Bantay Gubat for them to understand why we’re protecting this last frontier.”