A rapid 10-day biodiversity assessment was conducted at the Bukidnon Umayamnon Kapu-unan to mga Datu Association (BUKDA) ancestral domain particularly in Barangay Sila-e, Malaybalay. We established a standard 2 km line transect to document various species of birds, reptiles, amphibians, and mammals in the forest. For this assessment we were joined by Mindanao State University - Iligan Institute of Technology (MSU-IIT) intern John Cabibil, 4th Year BS Biology student.
Along with the biodiversity assessment, PEF Biologist Kristian Suetos gave their guides (who are also from the BUKDA Community) a crash course on using the Spatial Monitoring and Reporting Tool or simply called the SMART App. This will help them monitor priority species and threats.
There were 66 species recorded in this biodiversity survey, and 39 of these are Philippine endemic. Most of the species are listed as Least Concern when based on IUCN metrics but are considered locally threatened when based on DENR Administrative Orders (DAO). The Philippine eagle was not observed in the area possibly because of forest patch availability, the location where the sampling was done, and few sightings of major prey items of the Philippine eagle. The presence of priority species, especially high number of endemic species, in the area demands a call for conservation measures as it could be an important biodiversity area.
Photos by Andrei Von Mariano Tirona, PEF Biologist.
Our conservation efforts in Malaybalay, Bukidnon are made possible through the grant from USAID INSPIRE through the Gerry Roxas Foundation.