An adult eagle photographed in July 2018 inside the Klata anecestral domain
In 2018, a mother eagle and its eaglet were discovered within Mt. Talomo and Mt. Lipadas, Davao City. Philippine Eagle Foundation (PEF) biologists and Indigenous forest guards found the eagles along the boundary of the Indigenous Bagobo Klata and Bagobo Tagabawa ancestral domains.
To protect the then newly discovered eagle family and preserve ancestral domain resources, the “Boloy Tattipo neng Bagobo Klata” (House of Gathering of the Bagobo Klata), published and carried out their Community Conservation Plan with PEF’s help for two years. In November 2020 they revisited the plan and came up with their 2021 activities to cope with the “new normal” brought about by the Covid 19 pandemic.
Work plans for 2021 that are compliant to the new normal were also developed by 21 Bagobo Klata women and 21 youth in support of “Tattipo”. The youth wanted to raise awareness among ancestral domain residents about the conservation work inside the Klata indigenous territory. To do this, they will write and popularize a primer about the ancestral domain in Bagobo Klata dialect.
The women, on the other hand, began a rice store cooperative and organic coffee production as extra livelihood to help raise family income during the pandemic. PEF trained the women group with project and financial management before the livelihood grant was awarded.
In October, forest guards in the community trained as “Bantay Bukid” volunteers who will help enforce forest and wildlife laws within Mt. Talomo and Mt. Lipadas, which is also an important Davao City watershed.
The conservation work of the Bagobo Klata in Davao City is supported by the Australian Alumni COVID 19 Response Grant (AGS) and the Whitley Fund for Nature.
PEF Culture based Conservation manager Jimbea Lucino holds a leadership workshop with the Bagobo Klata youth