Where the Philippine Eagle Still Has a Home: New Study Shows Why Indigenous Guardians and Better Land Decisions Matter
DAVAO CITY, Philippines — In the forests of Mindanao, some of the people who know Philippine Eagle country best are Indigenous Forest guards.
They know the old trails. They recognize an eagle’s call from far away. They know where large nesting trees stand and where streams still flow during the dry months. For many years, the Philippine Eagle Foundation (PEF) has worked with Indigenous Forest guards, nest wardens and community researchers who help find eagle nests, watch over breeding pairs and protect forests.
A new scientific study now shows just how important these forests—and the people caring for them—are to the future of the Philippine Eagle.
Published in Bird Conservation International, the study, “Directing conservation action for the Critically Endangered Philippine Eagle Pithecophaga jefferyi to mitigate mining impacts and maximise indigenous land management,” was written by Luke J. Sutton, Jayson C. Ibañez, Dennis I. Salvador, Andrei Von Mariano C. Tirona, Guiller S. Opiso, Tristan Luap P. Senarillos, Kristian J. Suetos, Rowell L. Taraya and Christopher J.W. McClure.
The researchers asked a simple question: Where are the best remaining forests for Philippine Eagles, and what is happening in those places?
The number that stands out: 65 percent
The team combined decades of fieldwork with modern satellite mapping. They used 48 known Philippine Eagle nests and GPS information from seven adult eagles, together with information about forest condition, vegetation and terrain.
The result was a map showing where the best eagle habitat is likely to remain.
Then the researchers placed maps of mining areas, protected areas and Indigenous ancestral domains over the eagle habitat map.
One number appeared twice: 65 percent.
The paper states:
“A high proportion of both total (41%) and core (65%) High-class nest habitat was predicted to fall within approved mining concessions.”
The study also found that 65% of core high-quality eagle habitat overlaps Indigenous ancestral domains.
In simple terms, much of the “best of the best” Philippine Eagle habitat in eastern Mindanao falls within mining concessions, and much of it also falls within ancestral domains.
These are two separate findings. They do not mean that exactly the same 65% is both mining land and ancestral domain. But they show why these forests need careful planning.
They are places where wildlife, minerals, watersheds, Indigenous rights, livelihoods and development all meet.
Cabuaya shows that one decision can change the future of a forest
There is already an inspiring example in Davao Oriental.
In 2005, after a Philippine Eagle nest was found in Cabuaya, the local government established a 7,000-hectare Philippine Eagle Sanctuary covering the Cabuaya-Luban landscape. Public records also show that Asiaticus Management Corporation, or AMCOR, which managed mining claims in the area, waived 7,000 hectares of its mining claim as protected Philippine Eagle habitat and supported work to mark protected-area boundaries.
What happened next is important.
Documents prepared for the UNESCO nomination of Mount Hamiguitan later described the Philippine Eagle nesting area in Cabuaya as an extended core zone of the Mount Hamiguitan Range Wildlife Sanctuary. Mount Hamiguitan became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2014.
The lesson is simple:
Finding an eagle nest is not only about finding a bird. Sometimes it can change a map—and changing the map can protect an entire forest.
Philippine Eagles may use the same nesting areas for decades. Protecting one nesting landscape can therefore protect a home used by generations of eagles.
Survey first, before changing the forest
The new study gives a practical recommendation: look for eagles before major development begins.
The researchers recommend systematic Philippine Eagle surveys in mining areas that overlap with highly suitable habitat. Where mining may threaten breeding eagles, the paper recommends temporary pauses while surveys and conservation assessments are completed. Once important nesting areas are confirmed, these areas should be legally protected from mining and other extractive uses, with proper buffer zones around them.
The paper also gives an important warning: not finding an eagle today does not mean a forest is unimportant.
Good but currently empty forests may become future nesting areas, safe places during climate change, or pathways for young eagles searching for their own territories. Satellite tracking has shown young Philippine Eagles travelling through narrow riverside forests and smaller forest patches between larger forests.
Indigenous Peoples are already protecting these forests
The study says Indigenous communities play an important role as forest guards and nest wardens and are often the first line of defence against illegal logging and poaching. It calls for stronger partnerships, Indigenous-led monitoring and respect for Indigenous governance.
For NCIP XI Regional Director Atty. Geroncio R. Aguio:
“Ancestral domains are living homelands where Indigenous Peoples have protected forests, water and wildlife for generations. When they are meaningfully involved in research and conservation, we create wealth in many forms—spiritual, cultural and material—through stronger traditions, fair income, green jobs and new opportunities for Indigenous communities.”
For Indigenous leader Jupiter Comania, the meaning is even more personal.
“Para namo, ang ancestral domain dili lang linya sa mapa. Mao kini among panimalay, kultura ug panulondon. Kung among bantayan ang lasang, ginabantayan usab namo ang agila, ang tubig ug ang kaugmaon sa among mga anak.”
(For us, ancestral domain is not just a line on a map. It is our home, our culture and our inheritance. When we protect the forest, we also protect the eagle, the water and the future of our children.)
Science can help people make better choices
The study does not say that every mining operation has the same impact. The authors themselves note that effects depend on the kind of mining, how well rules are followed and what safeguards are put in place. Instead, the maps show where the risks may be highest and where people need to look carefully before making decisions.
For Regional Executive Director Atty. Maria Mercedes Dumagan of DENR XI:
“Good decisions begin with good information. Science can show us where surveys, safeguards and protection should come first, so that development also protects the forests, wildlife and water that communities depend on.”
For PEF Executive Director Dennis Salvador:
“For many years, Indigenous forest guards have walked these mountains with our biologists. They have helped find nests, monitor eagles and protect forests. This study now shows on a much bigger map what we have seen on the ground: protecting the Philippine Eagle means working closely with the Indigenous communities who care for many of its most important forests.”
Study co-author Dr. Christopher J.W. McClure of The Peregrine Fund said the value of the research is in turning years of information into something people can use.
“This study turns many years of field observations, nest records, GPS tracking and satellite information into something people can actually use. It helps us see where surveys and safeguards are needed most before important habitat is changed.”
Behind every map are people walking through forests
The paper also recognizes the people who made the research possible.
Its acknowledgement thanks PEF staff and volunteers, local forest guards, nest wardens and Indigenous co-researchers who collected information used in the study. It also thanks PEF’s local government and Indigenous Peoples partners, as well as the Department of Environment and Natural Resources through the Biodiversity Management Bureau and DENR offices in Regions 9, 10, 11, 12 and 13.
The study says Luke Sutton’s work was funded by The Peregrine Fund’s Tom Cade Endowment and the Philippine Eagle Foundation, while Christopher McClure’s work received support from the M.J. Murdoch Charitable Trust. The research was also funded by the DENR–UNDP/GEF Biodiversity Corridor Project, with support from the Global Environment Facility, and implemented by DENR and the United Nations Development Programme.
These acknowledgements tell another important story.
Behind every dot showing an eagle nest was someone who walked into a forest.
Behind every GPS point was a field team that safely trapped, tagged and followed an eagle.
And behind the maps are Indigenous communities, forest guards, researchers, government workers, local governments and conservation partners who have gathered information over many years.
From maps to action
The study does more than remind us that the Philippine Eagle is endangered.
It shows where people can act.
In one place, that may mean surveying for eagles before mining starts. In another, it may mean protecting a nest and the forest around it. Elsewhere, it may mean strengthening a protected area, supporting an Indigenous conservation area, creating green jobs or helping communities protect their ancestral domains.
Cabuaya shows what is possible. Land once covered by a mining claim became part of a Philippine Eagle sanctuary and later part of a globally important conservation landscape.
The Philippine Eagle does not know whether the forest beneath its wings is marked on a map as a mining concession, an ancestral domain or a protected area.
People draw those lines.
And its future may depend on how wisely we decide what happens inside them.
Source paper: Sutton, L.J. et al. (2026). Directing conservation action for the Critically Endangered Philippine Eagle Pithecophaga jefferyi to mitigate mining impacts and maximize indigenous land management. Bird Conservation International, Volume 36, 2026, e33
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About the Philippine Eagle Foundation
The Philippine Eagle Foundation (PEF) is a non-profit organization dedicated to conserving the critically endangered Philippine Eagle and its habitat. Founded in 1987, PEF focuses on research, conservation breeding, community-based initiatives, and education programs to protect the species and promote environmental sustainability. Based in Davao City, the foundation operates the Philippine Eagle Center, which serves as a conservation breeding facility, education hub, and research institution. PEF collaborates with various stakeholders, including indigenous communities, government agencies, and private sector partners, to ensure the survival of the Philippine Eagle and the preservation of the country’s rich biodiversity.
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IRICK L. FRANCISCO
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