World Wildlife Day
"Wildlife Conservation Finance:
Investing in People and Planet"
Dr Abe V Rotor
World Wildlife Day is celebrated every year on March 3 to recognize the unique roles and contributions of wildlife to people and the planet. It coincides with the signing of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) in 1973.
Part 1 - Twenty Wildlife animals that rebounded
from the brink of extinction
"An endangered species is a type of organism that is threatened by extinction. Species become endangered for two main reasons: loss of habitat and loss of genetic variation." - United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)
In less than a human lifetime, dozens of wildlife species have rebounded from the brink of extinction - and are establishing their territory on the countryside and in suburbs.
Thanks to growing consciousness in wildlife protection and ecological conservation worldwide, despite massive and wanton destruction of wildlife habitats, and unabated pollution in air, water and land that threaten these and other species.
Here are twenty (20) animals that have made a remarkable comeback.
1. Wild Pig (baboy ramo, alingo Ilk, PHOTO is one of the most popular game animals; it is a pest of nearby farms, feeding on root crops and succulents, Our native pigs are the progeny of a cross indigenous and wild genes.)
2. Kiyoaw or Oriole (a family of 4 to 6 members frequent our backyard trees, just outside the La Mesa Reservoir watershed) PHOTO
3. Fireflies (They can be observed on empty lots adjacent to the Sacred Heart seminary, Novaliches QC
4. Pipit (popularized ina song of the same title, local counterpart of the hummingbird)
5. Tuka'k Ba-ug (bellied frog, long thought to have succumbed to pesticides. (See separate article in this blog) PHOTO left
6. Skink or alibut Ilk (Twice in ten years I spotted this shiny ground lizard at home near the La Mesa watershed.) PHOTO right
7. Gecko Lizard (Tuko or tekka Ilk., hunted for its alleged aphrodisiac value.
8. Atlas moth (biggest of all insects by wing span, threatened by the gradual disappearance of native santol being replaced by the Bangkok variety)
9. Black Bear (Prowler in the kitchen and on garbage when hungry)
10. Canada Goose (Remember Fly Away Home ?)
11. Alligator (relative of the crocodile, we don't have alligators, instead crocodiles - they are coming back, too)
12. Gray Wolf (found in wastelands and open areas)
13. Deer (rebounded in no-hunting forests and grasslands)
14. Wild Turkey (particularly in the US and Canada)
15. Cougar (relative of the wolf in the US)
16. Beaver (natural dam build
er of forest streams in temperate countries. (I saw a beaver's nest and dam in Manitoba in 1976, similar to this in photo from the Internet)
17. Raccoon (common in North America)
18. Reticulated python or sawa (a one-meter baby sawa was ensconced in a burnay or earthen jar.)
19. Rhinoceros beetle (appears like Triceratops, with three horns, apparently the male; the female has shorter horns)
20. Wildcat (In China the civet cat, counterpart of our musang, is invading homes. One reason for its comeback is that it eats fresh coffee bean and defecate the seed which is then ground into a special blend that commands a lucrative price.)
The discovery of the Coelacanth (Latimeria) in the deep waters of Madagascar thought to have been extinct millions of years ago is perhaps the most dramatic and classical example of a "living fossil."
The dugong is a marine mammal. It is one of four living species of the order Sirenia, which also includes three species of manatees. It is the only living representative of the once-diverse family Dugongidae; its closest modern relative, Steller's sea cow, was hunted to extinction in the 18th century. Wikipedia
TRIVIA
- There are only two northern white rhinos left in the world, both female. Yet there is still hope that we can preserve their lineage.
- The rarest animal in the world is the vaquita (Phocoena sinus). It is a kind of critically endangered porpoise that only lives in the furthest north-western corner of the Gulf of California in Mexico. There are only 18 left in the world. (Internet
Part 2
The Return of Balloon Frog Symbolizes Nature's Victory
Views of the Balloon Frog - Uperodon globulosus (U. systoma?)
Hardship tightens the belt automatically, but peacetime and the Good Life opens a new war - the “battle of the bulge.” Today two out of five Americans are obese and Europeans are not far behind. Asians are following the same trend, as more and more people have changed to the Western lifestyle that accompanies overweight condition, whether one is male or female.
But actually Bat’og is all air. It’s like balloon short of taking off. But once it wedges itself in its tight abode not even bird or snake can dislodge it. Not only that. It feigns dead and its attacker would simply walk away to find a live and kicking prey.
Nature’s sweet lies are tools of survival. When it faces danger Bat’og engulfs air and becomes pressurized and distended, reducing the size of its head and appendages to appear like mere rudiments. And with its coloration that blends with the surroundings, and its body spots becoming monstrous eyes, who would dare to attack this master of camouflage.
Not enough to drive away its foe, Bat’og uses another strategy by producing deep booming sounds coming from its hollow body as resonator. I remember the story of Monico and the Giant by Camilo Osias when I was in the grades. The cruel giant got scared and rushed out of his dark hiding when Monico boomed like Bat’og . Actually it was the unique design of the cave’s chamber that created the special sound effect and ventriloquism. The vaults of old churches were similarly designed this way so that the faithful can clearly hear the sermon.
The exhausted Bat’og deflates and returns to its chores, feeding, roaming around and calling for mate – and rain, so old folks say. Well, frogs become noisy when it rains. Biologically, egg laying is induced by rain. Eggs are fertilized in water and hatched into tadpoles that live in water until they become frogs. Bat’og has relatives that live in trees and their tadpoles inhabit trapped water in the axils of bromeliads, bananas and palms. Or it could be a pool inside the hollow of a tree.
After I left the farm for my studies in Manila, I never saw any Tukak Bat’og again. Only a trace of that childhood memory was left of this enigmatic creature.
Then one day, in my disbelief Bat’og resurrected! For a long time it has long been in the requiem list of species, ironically even before it was accorded scientific details of its existence. Well, there are living things that may not even reach the first rung of the research ladder, either they are insignificant or new to science. Who would take a look at Bat’og?
I believe a lot of people now do. People have become environment-conscious after the publication of Silent Spring by Rachel Carson, the emergence of Greenpeace movement, and birth of "heroes for the environment". Who is not aware now of global warming, especially after viewing Al Gore's documentary film, An Inconvenient Truth? Who have not experienced calamities brought about by our changing climate?
What changed the thinking of the world - a revolution in our concept of survival - is that all livings are interconnected and that the world is one systemic order, that the survival of one spells the survival of all creatures and the preservation of the integrity of the biosphere and therefore, of Planet Earth, and that there is no living thing that is too small to be insignificant or useless.
Of all places I found Bat’og one early morning in my residence in Quezon City. I would say it instead found me. There in my backyard, ensconced in a gaping crack in the soil covered with a thick layer of dead leaves lay my long lost friend - very much alive.
Hello! And it looked at me motionless with steady eyes. It was aestivating, a state of torpor, which is a biological phenomenon for survival in dry and hot summer, the counterpart of hibernation when organisms sleep in winter and wait for the coming of spring. My friend was waiting nature's clock to signal the Habagat to bring rain from across the Pacific come June to September, a condition necessary for its amphibious life.
Slowly I lifted my friend and cradled it of sort on my palm. And we rolled time back seventy years ago. And before any question was asked, it was already answered. It is like that when two old friends meet after a long time. I remember when journalist Stanley found the great explorer Dr. David Livingstone in the heart of Africa in the 19th century, Stanley simply greeted, "Dr. Livingstone, I presume?" and the old man lifted his hat and gave Stanley a firm handshake. This became one of the most famous meetings in the world.
You see an event earns a place in history, or in the heart, when it permeates into the primordial reason of existence, which is Reverence of Life.
Reverence – this is the principal bond between man and nature. It is more than friendship. It is the also the bonds of the trilogies of human society – equality, fraternity and liberty. It is the bridge of all relationships in the complex web and pyramid of life. It towers over equations and formulas in science. It links earth and heaven, in fact the whole universe – and finally, the bridge of understanding between creature and Creator.
Bat’og is back. How easy it is to understand a creature however small it is, if it is your friend. Yet how difficult it is to define the role of a friend. The fox in Antoine de Saint-Exupery’ novel, The Little Prince, warned the little prince, “If you tame me you are responsible to me.” The little prince simply touched the wild beast.
Taming is the ultimate submission to humility. And the greater a person who humbles himself, the truer a friend he is.
How do we relate this principle to our being the only rational creature? The dominant species over millions of species? The God-anointed guardian of the Earth? The custodian of creation?
Allow me to have some time with my long lost friend. Either one of us is the Prodigal Son, but that does not matter now. Let me join Darwin and Linnaeus and Villadolid et al.
That was a long time ago by the pond that had dried in summer. As a kid on the farm I have known the ways of my friend. Bat’og would stake its prey - termites, ants, beetles and other insects. Like all frogs – and toads – the adults and tadpoles are important in controlling pests and diseases.
One of its relatives belonging to genus Kaloula was found to subsist mainly on hoppers and beetles that destroy rice, including leafhoppers that transmit tungro, a viral disease of rice that may lead to total crop failure. Such insectivorous habit though is universal to amphibians, reptiles, birds and other organisms. If only we can protect these Nature’s biological agents we would not be using chemicals on the farm and home, chemicals that pollute the environment and destroy wildlife.
Bat'og and its kind protect man from hunger and disease. They are an important link in the food chain. No pond or ricefield or forest or grassland is without frogs. There would be no herons and snakes and hawks and eagles. No biological laboratory is without the frog as a blue print of human anatomy. And The Frog and the Princess would certainly vanish from the imagination of children - if ever the fairytale was written at all.
Bat’og is a survivor of chemical genocide. It is the timely age of enlightenment of people returning to natural food and the spread of environmental consciousness on all walks of life and ages that has come to its rescue in the last minute. So with many threatened species.
Who does not rejoice at finding again native kuhol, martiniko, ulang and gurami in the rice field? Oriole, pandangera, tarat and pipit in the trees? Tarsier, mouse deer and pangolin in the wild? And the return of ipil-ipil, kamagong and narra in the forest? And of course, Haribon the symbol of Philippine wildlife and biodiversity.
It is indeed a challenge for us to practice being the Good Shepherd, but this time it is not only a lost lamb that we have to save, it’s the whole flock.
Tukak Bat’og symbolizes the victory of Nature. But Nature’s victory does not mean man’s defeat; rather it is man’s humility and obedience to Nature’s laws and rules and therefore, the restoration of order on Planet Earth - our only spaceship on which we journey into the vastness of the universe and the unknown. ~
Part 3 - The Blackbird is back, so with other
threatened animals
Blackbird (Martines), Drynaria fern and towering acacia tree make
an ecological sanctuary, together with a host of other organisms
that depend on them. Tagudin, Ilocos Sur.
In less than a human lifetime, dozens of wildlife species have rebounded from the brink of extinction - and are establishing their territory in suburbs. Here are twenty (20) animals that have made a remarkable comeback.
- Kiyoaw or Oriole (a family of 4 to 6 members frequent our backyard trees, just outside the La Mesa Reservoir watershed)
- Reticulated python or sawa (a one-meter baby sawa was ensconced in a burnay or earthen pot.)
- Fireflies (They can be observed on empty lots adjacent to the Sacred Heart seminary, Novaliches QC
- Pipit (popularized ina song of the same title, local counterpart of the huming bird)
- Tuka'k Ba-ung (bellied frog, long thought to have succumbed to pesticides. See separate article in this blog)
- Skink or alibut Ilk (Twice in ten years I spotted this shiny ground lizard at home near the La Mesa watershed.
- Gecko Lizard (Tuko or tekka Ilk., hunted for its alleged aphrodisiac value)
- Atlas moth (biggest of all insects by wing span, threatened by the gradual disappearance of native santol being replaced by the Bangkok variety)
- Black Bear (Prowler in the kitchen and on garbage when hungry)
- Canada Goose (Remember Fly Away Home ?)
- Alligator (relative of the crocodile, we don't have alligators, instead crocodiles - they are coming back, too)
- Gray Wolf (found in wastelands and open areas)
- Deer (rebounded in no-hunting forests and grasslands)
- Wild Turkey (particularly in the US and Canada)
- Cougar (relative of the wolf in the US)
- Beaver (natural dam builder of forest streams in temperate countries)
- Raccoon (common in North America)
- Wild Pig (baboy ramo, alingo Ilk, one of the most popular game animals; it is a pest of nearby farms, feeding on root crops and succulents, Our native pigs are the progeny of a cross indigenous and wild genes.)
- Rhinoceros beetle (appears like Triceratops, with three horns, apparently the male; the female has shorter horns)
- Wildcat (In China the civet cat, counterpart of our musang, is invading homes. One reason for its comeback is that it eats fresh coffee bean and defecate the seed which is then ground into a special blend that commands a lucrative price.
.jpg)
Garden Skink; Wild Pig (baboy ramo)
This is one for the biologist and ecologist. I say, it's one for the Book of Guinness record.
Up high in a dozen centuries old acacia trees, reaching up to 10 storeys high, their boughs and branches clothed with epiphytic ferns, I found the long lost blackbirds, we callmartines in Ilocano.
I was then in the grade school in San Vicente (Ilocos Sur) when I saw the last martines bird. But here on a Black Friday on top of these towering trees, there is the lost bird, in fact several of them in pairs and families. It is like the Coelacanth, a primitive fish thought to have long been extinct, suddenly rising from the depth of the craggy Madagascar sea. Its fossil in rock tells us it is 40 million years old. And here it is - alive and has not changed! The fossil fish is alive! So with the Martines!
The blackbirds have made the towering acacia trees their home and natural habitat, building their nests on the Drynaria fern. The fern grows on the branches, reaching the peak of its growth during the rainy season when the host tree sheds its leaves, in effect allowing sunlight to nurture the fern.
The fern has dimorphic leaves. The primary ones are long and shaped like stag horn and bear sori or spore sacs, while the other kind is shaped and arranged like shingles, enclosing the fern's rhizome. Like all ferns, Drynaria undergoes alternation of generations - the spore-forming phase and gamete-forming phase. It is the sporophytic or asexual generation that the fern plant is familiar to us. It is typically made of roots, stems and leaves - but never flowers and fruits. It is for this that ferns are classified separately from seed-forming and flowering plants. They belong to Division Pterophyta.
In the dry season, the fern becomes dormant, appearing dry and lifeless from the outside, but shielded by the shingles the fleshy rhizome waits for the rain and sunlight - and the shedding of the host tree. Then almost at an instant the fern springs to life, carpeting entire boughs and branches.
Now it's the tree's turn. In summer, while the fern is dormant, it builds a new crown, and together with those of the adjoining trees form a huge canopy that makes a perfect shade. This could be one reason the friars in the 15th century thought of introducing the acacia (Samanea saman) from Mexico to be planted around churches and convents.
Not only that the acacia is the biggest legume in the world; it is self-fertilizing and self supporting, and sharing its resources to countless organisms from earthworm to humans. How is this possible?
The acacia harbors in its roots symbionts - Rhizobium bacteria that convert the element Nitrogen (N) into Nitrate (NO3). Only then can N that comprises 78 percent of the air we breathe can be used by plants to manufacture food by photosynthesis.
And with the deciduous character of the tree, dead leaves form a litter on the ground that makes a good mulch and later becomes compost - a natural fertilizer for the tree, surrounding plants, microorganisms and animals. Then as the pods of the tree ripen and drop to the ground, animals like goats come around to feed on them and in effect enrich the ground. The tree's efficient physiology and symbiotic potential with other organisms make it not only one of the most self-reliant trees in the world, but a miniature ecosystem in itself.
We see today very old acacia trees in these places, just like those around the old St Agustine church in Tagudin built in the 16th century where I found the blackbirds among the Drynaria ferns at their tops. Tagudin is the southernmost town of Ilocos Sur, some 330 kilometers north of Manila - a good five-hour drive. It continues to attract northbound tourists to have a stopover and see this spectacle, among other attractions of this old town, such as its native handicrafts, pristine seashore and progressive upland agriculture.
Going back to the blackbirds, why do we give much importance to them? Well, the blackbirds protect both tree and fern from insects and other pests, and fertilize them with their droppings. They too, are gleaners and help keep the environment clean. Unlike the house sparrow, ground fowls and the crow, they are not nuisance to the place; their presence is barely felt except for their occasional calls which sound quite sonorous but nonetheless pleasant, and their display during flight of a queer pair of white spots on their wings. I developed the liking to watch them for hours - their gentle movement, familial ways, although they do not as gregarious as pigeons, and their glossy black bodies distinct from the surrounding and against the sky. They make a good specimen for bird watching and photography.
Beyond the aesthetics about the bird, I learned from my good friend Dr. Anselmo Set Cabigan, a fellow biologist and science professor, that the martines was introduced from Guam on instruction of a Spanish Governor General to control locust infestation in the Philippines. This is the first case of applying the principle of biological control in the Philippines - and perhaps elsewhere - which was then too advance in its time. Today, biological control is practiced worldwide as part of Integrated Pest Management (IPM), a holistic approach in dealing with all kinds of pests which include pathogens.
Locust (Locusta migratoria manilensis) is a scourge to agriculture in many countries since prehistoric times. I have witnessed how a swarm of locust devour complete fields of rice and corn, and other crops overnight. During swarming the sky darkens as sheer numbers of these flying insects block the sky. And as they ride on the wind they produce a deafening hissing sound that adds terror to farmers and inhabitants.
And why was the matines bird the chosen nemesis of the locust? It clearly shows the efficiency of this predator. Actually predation is most effective when the locust is still in its non-migratory phase, specifically during the congegans - more so when it is in the solitaria phase. The bird immediately checks the pest before it develops into enormous population - and reach its swarming stage.
I believe that the triad formed by the acacia tree, Drynaria fern and the blackbirds is the beginning of an emerging ecosystem where wildlife and human settlement meet in cooperation and harmony. It is a zone where Nature re-builds spent environments and creates intermediate types, in which the role of man is basically to let nature's laws and rules to prevail. For example, doves and pigeons in public squares and plazas in many parts of the world are learning to trust people, and many people are just too happy to share their homes and other resources with them. They are planting trees and setting up more and wider parks for the wildlife.
For one, Japan now requires the greening of rooftops of buildings through gardening dubbed aeroponics, and by putting up ecological sanctuaries to attract wildlife to settle in them. In Europe on the other hand, miles and miles of hedges have evolved into a unique ecosystem, that one can no longer differentiate a well-established hedge from a natural vegetation. Also in Europe, woodlands which are actually broad strips that serve as boundaries of fields and pastures, are gaining through time higher biodiversity levels, and moving towards dynamic stability, called in ecology as homeostasis.
The Philippines is not behind. We have multi-storey orchards in Cavite, Batangas and Laguna that simulate the structure of a tropical rain forest long before the term ecology was coined. And many basins of ricefields and sumps of irrigation systems have become natural ponds.
The 38th parallel dividing the whole length of warring North Korea and South Korea – a strip of no man’s land, twenty kilometers at its widest – has developed, since the armistice in 1958, into a natural wildlife sanctuary. Today it has a very high level of biodiversity and distinct from any reservation on either side of this highly restricted boundary.
These neo-ecological zones are sprouting from backyards, parks, submerged coastlines, denuded mountains, and the like. Even contiguous idle lots – and abandoned fishponds, farms and settlements - are slowly but steadily becoming bastions of wildlife.
Truly, the case of the centuries old acacia trees where the Drynaria and the martinesbirds, and man living with them in peace and in harmony - is a manifestation of Nature's triumph. It is triumph to us and the living world. ~
Grotesque looking acacia tree clothed with Drynaria ferntowers over church and convent in Tagudin, Ilocos Sur.
Photographs taken with an SLR Digital Camera with 300 mm telephoto lens
Part 4 - Meet 10 Rare Organisms
A rare species is such species that is very uncommon, scarce in number, and frequently encountered. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) uses this term to relate to such species which are seen in isolated geographical locations. Lesson: Can you identify these organisms? Where can you find them? Describe their life history, habitat and interrelationship with humans and other organisms. What are their peculiar characteristics? Include other organisms under this category and include them in your lesson in biology.
Porcupine - Erethizon dorsatum ("quill pig") ensconced in the hollow of a log.
Specimen found in Malabon Zoo, Rizal
Uperodon systoma is a small genus of microhylid frogs from South Asia. Their sister taxon is Ramanella of Class Amphibia, Order Anura. The common name of these frogs is globular frogs or balloon frogs in reference to their stout appearance. These medium-sized (maximum snout–vent length 64–76 mm (2.5–3 in) burrowing frogs eat ants and termites. This species is widespread in South Asia, Little is known about the population status of this species. This is a completely fossorial species that buries itself in loose, moist soil. Specimen found at author's
city residence, Lagro Subd., QC
Looper or geometrid caterpillar moves by loop-and-stretch, and stands like a cobra on reaching a dead end. When threatened, it feigns dead and mimics its surroundings. Geometrids belong to Order Lepidoptera, Family Geometridae. (from Greek geo 'the earth' and metron 'measure' — refers to the larvae, or inchworms, which appear to "measure the earth" as they move in a looping fashion. Specimen found at author's city residence, Lagro Subd., QC
Giant African snail (Achatina fulica) is the biggest land snail in the Philippines, introduced by the Japanese during WWII, either as supplemental food or biological agent of warfare. This mollusk has developed into a pest of garden and orchard crops. Can you locate the pair of eyes? You may use a magnifying glass over these photos, or you may zoom in these photos on your computer. Specimen found at author's city residence, Lagro Subd., QC
References: Wikipedia
Albino carabao - Bubalus bubalis carabanesis
Carabaos are a genetically distinct population of swamp-type water buffaloes from the Philippines. They descended from domesticated swamp buffalo populations from Taiwan that were introduced to the Philippines in the Neolithic via the Austronesian expansion. Carabao are generally light grey to slate-grey. Similar white carabaos may be encountered in the field, but are seldom used as working animals because of their sensitivity to extreme heat and rigors due to their lack of melanin pigment. This is the same case with albino or white elephants. Albino animals are revered by indigenous societies and are favored as pets.
Blue Starfish - Linckia laevigata (sometimes called the "blue Linckia"
or blue star)
An inhabitant of coral reefs and sea grass beds, this species is relatively common and is typically found in sparse density throughout its range. Blue stars live in subtidal, or sometimes intertidal zone, on fine (sand) or hard substrata and move relatively slow at a mean locomotion rate of 8.1 cm per minute. Specimen found at Calatagan, Batangas seashore.
Giant earthworm - Lumbricus terrestris
Lumbricus terrestris is a large, reddish worm species thought to be native to Western Europe, now widely distributed around the world. It eats mainly dead leaves on the soil floor and top-horizon mineral soil. Specimen found on the grounds of the University of Santo Tomas, Manila.
Chinese softshell turtle - Pelodiscus sinensis
The Softshell turtle is listed under threatened Philippine fauna, and under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna (CITES). The Chinese softshell turtle (Pelodiscus sinensis) is a species of softshell turtle that is native to mainland China and Taiwan. Specimens found at the lake of the Parks and Wildlife Center, QC.
Globular or Balloon Frog (Tukak Bat'og Ilk which means fat bellied)
Uperodon systoma is a small genus of microhylid frogs from South Asia. Their sister taxon is Ramanella of Class Amphibia, Order Anura. The common name of these frogs is globular frogs or balloon frogs in reference to their stout appearance. These medium-sized (maximum snout–vent length 64–76 mm (2.5–3 in) burrowing frogs eat ants and termites. This species is widespread in South Asia, Little is known about the population status of this species. This is a completely fossorial species that buries itself in loose, moist soil. Specimen found at author's
city residence, Lagro Subd., QC
Looper or geometrid caterpillar
Pagoda Bagworm (Cryotothelea heckmeyeri).
It is the larva of a moth belonging to Order Lepidoptera, Family Psychidae. The caterpillar remains ensconced in its bag in its entire larval stage which takes five moultings before it becomes into a cocoon without leaving its bag. The male soon emerges as a winged moth, then into adult. The male moth leaves the bag to find a mate, while the female moth is wingless and has to remain in the bag, receives a mate, deposits her fertilized eggs inside, then falls off to the ground or waiting prey. The bag grows by accretion, that is, the larva adds pieces of leaves on to the bag. Specimen found at Araneta University, now De la Salle University Malabon, Rizal
Another species of bagworm (Crypthothela fuscescens), builds its bag with dried twig of the uniform sizes. The spent bag simply remains hanging in the plant. Lower photo shows an exposed larvae purposely for study. Specimen found on Angels Hill, Tagaytay Ridge, Batangas
Giant African snail (Achatina fulica)
Giant African snail (Achatina fulica) is the biggest land snail in the Philippines, introduced by the Japanese during WWII, either as supplemental food or biological agent of warfare. This mollusk has developed into a pest of garden and orchard crops. Can you locate the pair of eyes? You may use a magnifying glass over these photos, or you may zoom in these photos on your computer. Specimen found at author's city residence, Lagro Subd., QC
Living with Nature in Our Times, AVRotor UST
Living with Folk Wisdom, AV Rotor UST
Living with Folk Wisdom, AV Rotor UST
*Lesson on former Paaralang Bayan sa Himpapawid (People's School on Air) with Ms Melly C Tenorio 738 KHz DZRB AM Band, 8 to 9 evening class, Monday to Friday
Part 5 - Ecology's Dilemma Today
- "All in the Name of Progress"
Pristine environment such as the Loboc River in Bohol is becoming rare
• It looks like man has been able to trace the source of the water that comes from the proverbial Pierian Spring, the secret of health and long life. For years it was believed that the spring lies up in Shangrila atop the Himalayas, or according to the Greeks on Mt. Olympus, or the Egyptians in the Pyramids. One does not have to go there now.
Even today the average life span of man is mid 70. It will not be a surprise if one out of a hundred individuals will be a centenarian. One report claims that the life span of man can be increased up to 140 years by the middle of the millennium. How long did Moses live?
• But cancer is on the rise, so with AIDS, and the spread of genetically linked defects and illness. Work-related and stress-related deaths will likewise increase with heart and severe depression as the leading diseases, followed by the traditional diseases like respiratory and diarrheal diseases. Already there are 15 million people who have died of AIDS and 40 millions more who are living with HIV, the viral infection. A pandemic potential with up to 1 billion people to become affected with HIV has started appearing on some crystal balls and this is not impossible if it hits populous Asia.
Street children rehabilitation center. Bahay ni Kuya, Cubao QC
• Cloning, the most controversial discovery in biology and medicine, will continue to steal the limelight in this millennium, stirring conscience, ethics and religion. It is now sensed as the biggest threat to human society, and if Frankenstein is back and some people regard him as a hero instead of a villain, we can only imagine the imminent destruction our society faces - the emergence of sub- and ultra- human beings. On the other hand, there are those who look at cloning as an important tool of medicine to enable doctors to save lives and increase life expectancy. They also believe that cloning in situ (on site) will do away with tedious and unreliable organ transplants.
• Gene therapy is in, medicinal healing is out. It means diagnosing the potential disease before it strikes by knowing its source. Actually diseases are triggered by specific genes. Reading the gene map of an individual, the doctor can “cure” the disease right at it genetic source. We call this gene therapy, the newest field in medical science. But the altered gene will be passed on to the next generation. Playing God, isn’t? Definitely it is, and it is possible to use this technology not only for the sake of treatment but for programmed genetic alteration. Another Frankenstein in the offing? But scientists are saying gene therapy can be a tool in removing permanently the genes that cause cancer, AIDS, and genetically linked diseases like diabetes, Down’s Syndrome, and probably alcoholism.
• We are in an age of test tube babies. There are now 100,000 test tube babies in the US alone since 1978, the arrival of Louise Brown, the world’s first test tube baby. The industry has just started booming with sperm and ova banks established and linked with the Internet and other commodity channels. Not only childless couples can have children, but even a sixty year old woman can - through what is coined as menopausal childbirth technology. Surrogate mothers for hire, anyone?
• If diseases can be predicted and successfully treated, and life can be prolonged – these have indeed grave consequences to population increase. Already there are 7.7 billion people inhabiting the earth today, and we are increasing at the rate of more than 80 million a year. After 2150 we shall have reached 13 billion, the estimated maximum capacity our planet can support. Is Malthus right after all? It looks like the ghost of this English political economist and priest is back to warn us, this time more urgent than his 1789 prediction that our population would grow until it reaches the limits of our food supply.
• Our Earth is getting warmer, and this is not any kind of comfort but destruction. We have experienced seven of the ten warmest years in the past decade and we are heading toward another Noah’s episode. Low lying areas where the rich farmlands and many big cities virtually squat will be flooded. Heat is trapped by the carbon that we generate from our cars and industries creating a “greenhouse effect.” As the world’s temperature increases, the polar ice will melt, more rains and climatic disturbances will ensue. Climate scientists have predicted that by year 2100 the earth’s temperature will go up from 1 to 3.5 degrees centigrade. But wait, the worst is yet to come. Global warming will plunge us ultimately – towards the middle of the millennium – into another ice age! There will be a buildup of ice at the polar regions as the ocean currents fail to carry warm water to the poles and back.
• The trend of lifestyle will be toward the simple and natural, even in the midst of high tech living. More and more people will go for natural food and natural medicine as they become conscious of their health. The media and the information highway will provide more people access to entertainment and information. Remote management and distance learning will greatly influence business and education. But people will still seek greener pastures in cities and in foreign lands.
• “Save the earth!” has yet to be a denominator of cooperation and peace among nations. The failure of the Earth Summit some years ago at Rio de Janairo, and the first summit before in Stockholm, has produced valuable lessons leaders must learn. There is only one ship in which all of us are riding. Let us all save our ship.
All in the name of Progress
It is all in the name of progress that nations are pursuing. The West insists of pushing the frontiers of technology into the so-called “third wave.” The East, the Asian Pacific region, insists on industrialization in order to catch up with the progress of the West, while the Middle East has yet to undergo a major socio-cultural and political transformation while aiming at lofty economic goals.
Progress, it is generally believed, is the aim of globalization, and globalization is building of a world village. Isn’t this the key to peace and cooperation? Sounds familiar to scholars and leaders.
Maybe, but the greatest challenge lies in the preservation of a healthy Mother Earth, a common denominator of concern irrespective of political, ideological and religious boundaries. It is the saving of the environment that will be the biggest challenge to this and the coming generations.
Poor Rating of Earth Summit
Even today the average life span of man is mid 70. It will not be a surprise if one out of a hundred individuals will be a centenarian. One report claims that the life span of man can be increased up to 140 years by the middle of the millennium. How long did Moses live?
• But cancer is on the rise, so with AIDS, and the spread of genetically linked defects and illness. Work-related and stress-related deaths will likewise increase with heart and severe depression as the leading diseases, followed by the traditional diseases like respiratory and diarrheal diseases. Already there are 15 million people who have died of AIDS and 40 millions more who are living with HIV, the viral infection. A pandemic potential with up to 1 billion people to become affected with HIV has started appearing on some crystal balls and this is not impossible if it hits populous Asia.
Street children rehabilitation center. Bahay ni Kuya, Cubao QC
• Cloning, the most controversial discovery in biology and medicine, will continue to steal the limelight in this millennium, stirring conscience, ethics and religion. It is now sensed as the biggest threat to human society, and if Frankenstein is back and some people regard him as a hero instead of a villain, we can only imagine the imminent destruction our society faces - the emergence of sub- and ultra- human beings. On the other hand, there are those who look at cloning as an important tool of medicine to enable doctors to save lives and increase life expectancy. They also believe that cloning in situ (on site) will do away with tedious and unreliable organ transplants.
• Gene therapy is in, medicinal healing is out. It means diagnosing the potential disease before it strikes by knowing its source. Actually diseases are triggered by specific genes. Reading the gene map of an individual, the doctor can “cure” the disease right at it genetic source. We call this gene therapy, the newest field in medical science. But the altered gene will be passed on to the next generation. Playing God, isn’t? Definitely it is, and it is possible to use this technology not only for the sake of treatment but for programmed genetic alteration. Another Frankenstein in the offing? But scientists are saying gene therapy can be a tool in removing permanently the genes that cause cancer, AIDS, and genetically linked diseases like diabetes, Down’s Syndrome, and probably alcoholism.
• We are in an age of test tube babies. There are now 100,000 test tube babies in the US alone since 1978, the arrival of Louise Brown, the world’s first test tube baby. The industry has just started booming with sperm and ova banks established and linked with the Internet and other commodity channels. Not only childless couples can have children, but even a sixty year old woman can - through what is coined as menopausal childbirth technology. Surrogate mothers for hire, anyone?
• If diseases can be predicted and successfully treated, and life can be prolonged – these have indeed grave consequences to population increase. Already there are 7.7 billion people inhabiting the earth today, and we are increasing at the rate of more than 80 million a year. After 2150 we shall have reached 13 billion, the estimated maximum capacity our planet can support. Is Malthus right after all? It looks like the ghost of this English political economist and priest is back to warn us, this time more urgent than his 1789 prediction that our population would grow until it reaches the limits of our food supply.
• Our Earth is getting warmer, and this is not any kind of comfort but destruction. We have experienced seven of the ten warmest years in the past decade and we are heading toward another Noah’s episode. Low lying areas where the rich farmlands and many big cities virtually squat will be flooded. Heat is trapped by the carbon that we generate from our cars and industries creating a “greenhouse effect.” As the world’s temperature increases, the polar ice will melt, more rains and climatic disturbances will ensue. Climate scientists have predicted that by year 2100 the earth’s temperature will go up from 1 to 3.5 degrees centigrade. But wait, the worst is yet to come. Global warming will plunge us ultimately – towards the middle of the millennium – into another ice age! There will be a buildup of ice at the polar regions as the ocean currents fail to carry warm water to the poles and back.
• The trend of lifestyle will be toward the simple and natural, even in the midst of high tech living. More and more people will go for natural food and natural medicine as they become conscious of their health. The media and the information highway will provide more people access to entertainment and information. Remote management and distance learning will greatly influence business and education. But people will still seek greener pastures in cities and in foreign lands.
• “Save the earth!” has yet to be a denominator of cooperation and peace among nations. The failure of the Earth Summit some years ago at Rio de Janairo, and the first summit before in Stockholm, has produced valuable lessons leaders must learn. There is only one ship in which all of us are riding. Let us all save our ship.
All in the name of Progress
It is all in the name of progress that nations are pursuing. The West insists of pushing the frontiers of technology into the so-called “third wave.” The East, the Asian Pacific region, insists on industrialization in order to catch up with the progress of the West, while the Middle East has yet to undergo a major socio-cultural and political transformation while aiming at lofty economic goals.
Progress, it is generally believed, is the aim of globalization, and globalization is building of a world village. Isn’t this the key to peace and cooperation? Sounds familiar to scholars and leaders.
Maybe, but the greatest challenge lies in the preservation of a healthy Mother Earth, a common denominator of concern irrespective of political, ideological and religious boundaries. It is the saving of the environment that will be the biggest challenge to this and the coming generations.
Poor Rating of Earth Summit
Idyllic rural life. People tend to go and live in the city. Painting by the author. They had in mind what happened to the promises made by leaders from 178 nations who gathered in the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro some years ago. These are the four areas of accord: biodiversity, climate, deforestation, and population.
On the biodiversity accord signed by 161 countries (except the US), ecosystems continue to be assaulted and fragmented. On arresting global warming as a result of emissions from industries and vehicles, developing countries on the path of industrialization have exacerbated the problem. Deforestation virtually knows no limits and bounds as long as there is wilderness to conquer. Every year forests are lost the size of Nepal. Asia has lost 95 percent of its woodlands.
There are now 7.7 billion people on earth. Every year about 85 million people are added. This is slightly bigger than the Philippines’ total population. Although birth rates are going down in the West as well as in the NICS, there is a boom in babies in rural Asia, Latin America and Africa.
What is the score of the Earth Summit? Rhetorics and promises can not be relied upon. It is in this area that globalization should be reviewed. Globalization should be defined in economic, cultural and environmental terms. This triad approach has yet to be addressed to all members of the global village. And there should be a new world governance, more credible than the UN, to undertake this gargantuan task.
“Hundreds of millions of people will starve to death,” warned Paul Ehrlich in his book, The Population Bomb. This is an echo of the Malthusian Theory raised 250 years ago. This means farmers, in spite of biotechnology, can not keep up indefinitely with increasing food demands. Yet there is a great disparity in food distribution. While the average adult needs 2200 calories a day, an American consumes 3603 as compared to the intake of a Kenyan which is only 1991 calories.
Degradation of the land, the breaking up of ecosystems, are resulting to modern day exodus of ecomigrants who cross borders, invade cities and build marginal communities, threaten security of nations, and creates other socio-economic problems. Desertification, soil erosion, overuse of farms drive multitudes to search for greener pasture, many in the guise of overseas workers, settlers, refugees.
The birth of megacities is a human phenomenon in modern times. The world’s cities are bursting at the seams. Half of the world’s population live in urban areas today, and more are coming in. In developed countries 75 percent of their population live in cities. By year 2015, 27 of the world’s 33 largest cities will be found in Asia, with Mumbai and Shanghai bursting with 20 million each. Today the most populous city in the world is Tokyo with 27 million people. New York has 16.3 million which is about the same as Sao Paolo. Metro Manila has 10 million.
On global warming, figures show how the world fares under greenhouse effect. This phenomenon is attributed to the severity of the last three episodes of El Nino in the last three decades, and to the prevalence of deadly tornadoes, hurricane, floods and natural calamities.
A hole in the sky was caused by damaging chemicals that tear down the vital atmospheric ozone shield that keeps us from too much heat and radiation. The size of the ozone hole about the Antarctic region is estimated to be like the whole continental US – and is still expanding. CFC use is now restricted in most countries, but there are other damaging chemicals used by agriculture and industry. Methyl bromide for one is 40 times more destructive to ozone than CFC.
Indeed, this millennium is the deciding point whether we can save Mother Earth - or fail. Already a decade has passed, and the trend of destruction has even increased. If we fail it is also the doom of mankind and the living world. It is yet the greatest challenge to civilization. ~
Part 6 - Let us not allow the tamaraw to become extinct
I am posting this article to appeal to viewers/readers to help in the campaign of conserving the tamaraw, so with other threatened and endangered species.
Skeleton of a Tamaraw, Museum of Natural History, UPLB Laguna
The tamaraw (Bubalus mindorensis) or Mindoro Dwarf Buffalo is a small hoofed mammal belonging to the family Bovidae. It is endemic to the island of Mindoro in the Philippines and is the only endemic Philippine bovine.
Contrary to common belief and past classification, the tamaraw is not a subspecies of the local carabao, which is only slightly larger, or the common water buffalo. In contrast to the carabao, it has a number of distinguishing characteristics: it is slightly hairier, has light markings on its face, is not gregarious, and has shorter horns that are somewhat V-shaped. It is the largest native terrestrial mammal in the country.
This means that the carabao and tamaraw, though of different lineages, undoubtedly share a common ancestor, together with other buffaloes in Asia and some in different parts of the world. Generally, plant and animal species evolved from common stocks, sometimes called missing links, which scientists find them extremely difficult to find and conclude with concrete evidences.
When Charles Darwin found out that finches vary from island to island in the Galapagos group of islands on the equatorial eastern coast of South America, he was in effect telling to the scientific community of an evolutionary phenomenon called speciation - the formation of species. Because it is a very slow and indeterminate process at that, scientists were baffled by the question, "When is a new species truly a species, and not just a variety or breed of its parent species?"
What I learned from my professor, the famous Dr Deogracias Villadolid who introduced tilapia into the Philippines in the fifties, is that, when the species in question is capable of interbreeding to make a population, and on the other hand, it is no longer capable of breeding with its original stock or parent species - and those from parallel lines emanating from the same stock. Dr Villadolid emphasized that this criterion is reliable, particularly if supported by distinct morphological deviation, and change in ecological distribution.
The tamaraw is no doubt a product of speciation. The island of Mindoro is its original home and still its natural habitat today, the forested areas and near open-canopied glades. Since humans settled in the island and subsequent destruction of the forest they made, the tamaraw population has drastically declined with a few dozens left today in the wild. This is the same situation the wild buffaloes or bisons of the Prairies of North America faced until they were
saved from extinction in the last hour.
Tamaraws graze on grasses which include cogon (Imperata cylindrica) and talahib (Saccharum spontaneum), which abound on wastelands. They also feed on young bamboo shoots (labong). They live for 20 to 25 years. Only one offspring is produced a year after a gestation period of about 300 days, with birth interval of two years, although one female was once sighted with three juveniles. The calf stays for 2 to 4 years with its mother before becoming independent.
Let's help conserve the highly endangered tamaraw, proudly our own.
Credit: Museum of Natural History UPLB, Marlo Rotor for the photo. and Wikipedia
Tamaraws graze on grasses which include cogon (Imperata cylindrica) and talahib (Saccharum spontaneum), which abound on wastelands. They also feed on young bamboo shoots (labong). They live for 20 to 25 years. Only one offspring is produced a year after a gestation period of about 300 days, with birth interval of two years, although one female was once sighted with three juveniles. The calf stays for 2 to 4 years with its mother before becoming independent.
Let's help conserve the highly endangered tamaraw, proudly our own.
Credit: Museum of Natural History UPLB, Marlo Rotor for the photo. and Wikipedia
Part 7A - The stone eagle does not answer,
its world too, is forever gone.
Dr Abe V Rotor
Living with Nature - School on Blog
Philippine Eagle Monument, Agoo La Union
Your wings all day spread and flap,now raised in surrender;And the wind that carried you uphas put you asunder.
Majestic and lovely, oh bird,lord of the open skies;Across the islands were heard,your pleas and helpless cries.
Would a monument sufficeto enthrone your life and deed,Bestow a posthumous prize,to hide man's folly and greed?
The stone bird does not answer;its world too, is forever gone,And man takes pride in his powerof make-believe in his art.~
Part 7B - Philippine Eagle - Endangered living symbol
Endangered living symbol, Philippine Eagle, formerly, Monkey Eating Eagle, is one of the biggest eagles in the world. Photograph by Matthew Marlo R. Rotor, Canon EOS 135, Sigma 70-300 mm 2009
Lord of the sky, king among the feathered, fly -over land and sea and sky;All day long from dawn to dusk over mountains high,in majestic victorious cry;Envy of migrating birds wave after wave passing by,so with the Monarch butterfly;That was before - then the forests touched the sky,but now people just look up and sigh. ~
The Philippine eagle, Pithecophaga jefferyi, also known as the monkey-eating eagle or great Philippine eagle, is a critically endangered species of eagle of the family Accipitridae, Class Aves, which is endemic to forests in the Philippines. This species is endemic and found on only four islands in the Philippines: Leyte, Luzon, Mindanao, and Samar.
References: Living with Nature, AVR, UST Manila, Wikipedia, Internet
ANNEX - Philippine Carabao - a Threatened Species
Facts and Figures
Saving the "Living Farm Machine" from Extinction
RA 7307: Philippine Carabao Act of 1992
Dr Abe V Rotor
Typical Philippine carabaoThe carabao (Spanish: Carabao; Tagalog: Kalabaw; Cebuano: Kabaw; Ilocano: Nuang) is a domestic swamp-type water buffalo (Bubalus bubalis) native to the Philippines.
The oil and food crisis revived much interest about the lowly water buffalo that nearly relinquished its old-age role to agricultural modernization. Although the animal still serves as a beast of burden on the farm, the fact is that it is now a threatened species in many parts of the world.
As a work animal it is efficient, it requires little maintenance, and depreciates slowly. As a biological unit, it is capable of providing food, articles of trade and services. As an ecological unit, it is key to sustainability in farm production and balance of the ecosystem .
How much do we really know about the water buffalo? Here is a question and answer review:
Q : How is the Asian water buffalo related to the American bison and African buffalo?
A : They are distant relatives although they belong to a common family (Bovidae) and genus (Bos) which also includes the Indian on Zebu cattle, Bali cattle, and all European cattle breeds. Each group has marked characteristics in anatomy, physiology and behavior.
Q : Is cross breeding among these groups possible?
A : Not for water buffaloes which breed strictly within its group (Water buffaloes are grouped under sub-genus Bubalinae. It is known that the other groups can be crossbred with Zebu cattle, and European cattle, bisons and Zebu/European cattle, Bali cattle and European/Zebu cattle.
Q : To what type of water buffalo does the Philippine carabao belong?
A : The Philippine buffalo or carabao, Bubalus carabanesis belongs to the swamp type. Its counterpart, the Indian buffalo, Bubalus bubalis belongs to the river type. It is not indigenous and therefore, is not locally popular.
Q : To what group does the tamaraw belong?
A : The tamaraw, Anoa mindorensis, is a related wild species, and belongs to the same family. Other off-lineages are the Anoa depressionis of Sulawesi (Indonesia) and the seros (Capricornis sumatraensis) of Sumatra.
Q : What colors are water buffaloes distinguished?
A : Buffaloes are predominantly grey, grey-black or normal black. There are however, few white ones or albino. The rarest is the black-and-white which is known to exist only in Toroja, South Sulawesi, which is highly prized for its value in religious offering.
Q : What is the productive life span of a working buffalo?
A : The Philippine carabao is put to continuous work from the age of 4 years up to 15 years, or over. Three females can perform the same work as two males.
Q : How is the draft of buffaloes compared with that of cattle?
A : At 4 to 11 years old male crossbred cattle has a power equivalent to 74 percent that of a 7 to 15 years old male carabao. A native male cattle delivers only 58 percent power. A young 4 to 6 years old male carabao is only half as strong as one twice its age.
Q : Buffaloes feed on low nutritious coarse roughages such as rice straw yet they attain remarkable size and fast growth rate. How do you account for this feat?
A : Surprisingly, they are able to convert low quality rations effectively and live over lengthy periods under conditions unsuitable for other domestic animals. Buffaloes have been found to enjoy high feed conversion efficiency. They have a 5 to 7 percent advantage over Holstein cattle on digestibility coefficients. It is proven that the bacterial count in the rumen of the buffalo especially the large Osillatoria type that aids in digestion, is 10 to 30 times more than in he cow. This is complemented by the longer retention time of the feed thereby further aiding to a more complete digestion.
Q : How long is the gestation of buffaloes and at what age are the calves weaned?
A : 322 days, 40 days more than cattle. Weaning time is 8 to 9 months. Calving interval is 1 1/2 to 2 years, or earlier under a breeding management program.
Q : Is the quality of carabeef is inferior to beef?
A : There is little difference if the slaughtered animals are of the same age.
Q : Buffalo milk is richer than dairy cows' milk. Is this true?
A : True. Buffalo milk is richer in all major nutrients and has much higher total which is important in creaming. Philippine carabao's milk has 9.65 percent fat (4.5 percent higher than Jersey's cow's milk), 5.26 percent protein, 4.24 percent casein, 5.29 percent lactose, 20.36 percent total solids, 0.083 percent chloride, 0.216 percent calcium, and 0.177 percent phosphorous. Philippine carabaos, produce the highest fat and total solids content than any domesticated buffaloes. Local soft white cheese is made from carabao's milk.
Q : How important is the hide of the water buffalo?
A : India and Pakistan are the souces of buffalo hide, while the US, UK, Yugoslavia, Italy and Australia are the major markets. The hide is used for all types of heavy leather manufacture from belts to upholstery, and recently, articles for the fashion world. In the Philippines, we consume a lot of chicharon which is made of carabao hide, kare-kare which is partly skin of the animal, and a favorite pulutan called caliente, softened thin slices of hide spiced heavily with ginger, onion and red pepper.
Q : How do carabaos contribute to ecological balance?
A : Firstly, their mud wallows serve as abode of useful organisms including edible snails, frogs, mudfish and shrimps which use them also as aestivating place during summer. When the monsoon rains come, the population of these organisms readily increases to the delight of farmers who depend on them for food. Secondly, they are agents, in fact, biological machine in recycling waste and residues on the farm.
Q : What value has the excreta of the animal?
A : it is a good organic fertilizer containing 18.5 percent nitrogen, 43.7 percent phosphoric acid, and 9.6 percent potash. It is a good source of fuel either as dried dung, or in generating biogas. By the way, per capital solid waste output is 18.8 kg. per day or 6,896 kg. annually. Thirdly, it is mixed with clay as a building material or as a plaster on the ground where palay is threshed.
With the efforts of the Philippine Carabao Research and Training Center* based at Central Luzon State University (Muñoz, Nueva Ecija), and its regional and provincial centers, carabao population is expected to increase not only for farm power but for meat and dairy, ecological significance notwithstanding.
Romantic countryside scene with the Philippine carabao by national artist, Fernando Amorsolo
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* The Philippine Carabao Center (Sentro ng Kalabaw sa Pilipinas or Sentro ng Pilipinas para sa Kalabaw an attached agency of the Department of Agriculture, was established at Science City of Muñoz in Nueva Ecija province in 1992 to breed and cross carabao based on high-yield Murrah buffalo (native breed of Haryana state of India) in the Philippines as a multi-purpose animal that can be raised for milk, meat, hide, and draft. It was set up in 1992 on a 40 hectares (99 acres) piece of land donated by Central Luzon State University on its main campus, initially with 6 network centers in 1992. 7 more network centers were added in 1994 bringing the total to 13. The bill was sponsored by then senator Joseph Estrada and eventually enacted as a law through Republic Act 7307 i.e. the Philippine Carabao Act of 1992. RA 7307 was enacted into law during my term as consultant on food and agriculture under the chairmanship of the late Senator Butz Aquino. It is indeed a very significant piece of legislation considering the spiraling cost of mechanized farming, and the precarious state of the carabao as a threatened species. NOTE: Dr Rotor served as consultant on food and agriculture committee of the Senate of the Philippines in the drafting and passage of o the Carabao Act of 1992.
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The presence of the carabao on Philippine landscape adds aesthetics to rural life. National artist Fernando Amorsolo was fond of portraying the carabao is his paintings of countryside. ~
* The Philippine Carabao Center (Sentro ng Kalabaw sa Pilipinas or Sentro ng Pilipinas para sa Kalabaw an attached agency of the Department of Agriculture, was established at Science City of Muñoz in Nueva Ecija province in 1992 to breed and cross carabao based on high-yield Murrah buffalo (native breed of Haryana state of India) in the Philippines as a multi-purpose animal that can be raised for milk, meat, hide, and draft. It was set up in 1992 on a 40 hectares (99 acres) piece of land donated by Central Luzon State University on its main campus, initially with 6 network centers in 1992. 7 more network centers were added in 1994 bringing the total to 13. The bill was sponsored by then senator Joseph Estrada and eventually enacted as a law through Republic Act 7307 i.e. the Philippine Carabao Act of 1992. RA 7307 was enacted into law during my term as consultant on food and agriculture under the chairmanship of the late Senator Butz Aquino. It is indeed a very significant piece of legislation considering the spiraling cost of mechanized farming, and the precarious state of the carabao as a threatened species. NOTE: Dr Rotor served as consultant on food and agriculture committee of the Senate of the Philippines in the drafting and passage of o the Carabao Act of 1992.
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The presence of the carabao on Philippine landscape adds aesthetics to rural life. National artist Fernando Amorsolo was fond of portraying the carabao is his paintings of countryside. ~
Quaint countryside scene - carabao race, a popular sport during barrio fiesta. (Internet)
Let us not underestimate this lowly beast of burden. It is Nature's most efficient farm machine capable of providing food, articles of trade and services. It requires little maintenance and depreciates very slow. The carabao generally enjoys perfect health and long productive life. There is some truth in the aphorism that "a sick carabao is a dead carabao".
Reference: Living with Nature in Our Times, by AV Rotor UST
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RA 7307 - Philippine Carabao Act of 1992
Philippine Carabao Center, Central Luzon State University (CLSU),
Science City of Munoz, Nueva Ecija
SECTION 1. Title. — This Act shall be known as the “Philippine Carabao Act of 1992”.
SECTION 2. Declaration of Policy. — The Constitution provides that the State shall develop a self-reliant and independent national economy effectively controlled by Filipinos. It also provides that the State shall support indigenous, appropriate, and self-reliant scientific and technological capabilities, and their application to the country’s productive systems and national life. Towards this end, the State shall establish various programs to conserve, propagate and promote the Philippine carabao as a source of draft animal power, meat, milk, and hide.
Dairy products from carabao's milk
SECTION 3. Definition of Terms. — As used in this Act, the following terms shall mean:
a) “Philippine Carabao Center” refers to the National Carabao Center at the University of the Philippines at Los Banos, the other carabao centers in Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao, and those that will be created pursuant to this Act:
b) “Draft animal power” refers to power provided by the carabao as a farm animal;
c) “Smallholder farmer” refers to a farmer owning or cultivating five (5) hectares or less of farmland;
d) “Semi-Commercial Production” refers to the raising of twenty (20) to forty-nine (49) carabaos.
SECTION 4. Creation of the Philippine Carabao Center. — There is hereby created a Philippine Carabao Center, hereinafter referred to as the PCC which shall under the supervision and control of the Department of Agriculture.
SECTION 5. Powers and Functions of the PCC. — The PCC shall have the following powers and functions:
a) Conserve, propagate and promote the Philippine carabao as a source of draft animal power, meat, milk, and hide;
b) Enable the farmers, particularly smallholder farmers and CARP beneficiaries to avail themselves of good quality carabao stocks at all times and at reasonable prices through an organized program of production, breeding, training and dispersal;
c) Undertake training programs for farmers, particularly smallholder farmers and CARP beneficiaries, designed to transfer technology on the proper care and reproduction of the carabao and the processing of its meat and milk;
d) Encourage backyard dairy development in rural areas by raising carabaos so as to meet the nutrition needs of the smallholder farmers and their families and reduce dependence on imported milk by-products;
e) Undertake research activities in all disciplines that lead to the improvement of the over-all productivity of the Philippine carabao;
f) Increase the existing annual population growth of the Philippine carabao to keep pace with human population growth; and
g) Enter into memoranda of agreement and received donations through the Department of Agriculture from local and foreign sources. Upon the recommendation of the PCC Advisory Board, the individual carabao centers may enter into agreements directly with funding agencies through their respective board of regents or head of agency.
SECTION 6. Priorities. — The PCC shall give priority to the following activities:
a) Increase in carabao population and productivity;
b) Development of feeding systems for backyard and semi-commercial production, improving reproductive efficiency, physiology and schemes to reduce losses caused by parasites and diseases;
c) Reproduction, breeding, nutrition and animal health;
d) Socio-economic researches to ensure economic viability and acceptance of technology by farmers and
e) Development of appropriate technologies that are cost-effective, simple and practical.
At least thirty (30) to fifty (50) percent of the carabaos maintained/propagated by each carabao center shall be of the pure native/indigenous stock to ensure the preservation of the Philippine carabao and provide option to the farmers.
SECTION 7. PCC Advisory Board. — The PCC Advisory Board shall be composed of the following:
a) Secretary of the Department of Agriculture or his representative, as Chairman;
b) Undersecretary for Regional Operations, Department of Agriculture, as Vice Chairman;
c) Executive Director, Philippine Council for Agriculture, Forestry and Natural Resources, Research and Development (PCARRD);
d) Chancellor of the University of the Philippines in Los Baños (UPLB) and presidents of Central Luzon State University (CLSU), Central Mindanao University (CMU), Cagayan State University (CSU), Don Mariano Marcos Memorial State University (DMMMSU) in La Union, Visayas State College of Agriculture (VISCA), West Visayas State University(WVSU)in Iloilo, University of Southern Mindanao (USM), and the president of the state college or university where a carabao center may be established pursuant to this Act;
e) Director of the Bureau of Animal Industry;
f) Executive Director of PCC; and
g) Farmers’ representative to be appointed by the Board.
SECTION 8. Functions of the PCC Advisory Board. — The PCC Advisory Board shall perform the following functions;
a) Formulate policies, programs and projects for the development of the Philippine carabao;
b) Review and recommend the annual budget of the PCC;
c) Evaluate the implementation, efficiency and effectiveness of the program and projects of the PCC; and
d) Recommended the establishment or abolition of carabao centers as may be deemed necessary.
SECTION 3. Definition of Terms. — As used in this Act, the following terms shall mean:
a) “Philippine Carabao Center” refers to the National Carabao Center at the University of the Philippines at Los Banos, the other carabao centers in Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao, and those that will be created pursuant to this Act:
b) “Draft animal power” refers to power provided by the carabao as a farm animal;
c) “Smallholder farmer” refers to a farmer owning or cultivating five (5) hectares or less of farmland;
d) “Semi-Commercial Production” refers to the raising of twenty (20) to forty-nine (49) carabaos.
SECTION 4. Creation of the Philippine Carabao Center. — There is hereby created a Philippine Carabao Center, hereinafter referred to as the PCC which shall under the supervision and control of the Department of Agriculture.
SECTION 5. Powers and Functions of the PCC. — The PCC shall have the following powers and functions:
a) Conserve, propagate and promote the Philippine carabao as a source of draft animal power, meat, milk, and hide;
b) Enable the farmers, particularly smallholder farmers and CARP beneficiaries to avail themselves of good quality carabao stocks at all times and at reasonable prices through an organized program of production, breeding, training and dispersal;
c) Undertake training programs for farmers, particularly smallholder farmers and CARP beneficiaries, designed to transfer technology on the proper care and reproduction of the carabao and the processing of its meat and milk;
d) Encourage backyard dairy development in rural areas by raising carabaos so as to meet the nutrition needs of the smallholder farmers and their families and reduce dependence on imported milk by-products;
e) Undertake research activities in all disciplines that lead to the improvement of the over-all productivity of the Philippine carabao;
f) Increase the existing annual population growth of the Philippine carabao to keep pace with human population growth; and
g) Enter into memoranda of agreement and received donations through the Department of Agriculture from local and foreign sources. Upon the recommendation of the PCC Advisory Board, the individual carabao centers may enter into agreements directly with funding agencies through their respective board of regents or head of agency.
SECTION 6. Priorities. — The PCC shall give priority to the following activities:
a) Increase in carabao population and productivity;
b) Development of feeding systems for backyard and semi-commercial production, improving reproductive efficiency, physiology and schemes to reduce losses caused by parasites and diseases;
c) Reproduction, breeding, nutrition and animal health;
d) Socio-economic researches to ensure economic viability and acceptance of technology by farmers and
e) Development of appropriate technologies that are cost-effective, simple and practical.
At least thirty (30) to fifty (50) percent of the carabaos maintained/propagated by each carabao center shall be of the pure native/indigenous stock to ensure the preservation of the Philippine carabao and provide option to the farmers.
SECTION 7. PCC Advisory Board. — The PCC Advisory Board shall be composed of the following:
a) Secretary of the Department of Agriculture or his representative, as Chairman;
b) Undersecretary for Regional Operations, Department of Agriculture, as Vice Chairman;
c) Executive Director, Philippine Council for Agriculture, Forestry and Natural Resources, Research and Development (PCARRD);
d) Chancellor of the University of the Philippines in Los Baños (UPLB) and presidents of Central Luzon State University (CLSU), Central Mindanao University (CMU), Cagayan State University (CSU), Don Mariano Marcos Memorial State University (DMMMSU) in La Union, Visayas State College of Agriculture (VISCA), West Visayas State University(WVSU)in Iloilo, University of Southern Mindanao (USM), and the president of the state college or university where a carabao center may be established pursuant to this Act;
e) Director of the Bureau of Animal Industry;
f) Executive Director of PCC; and
g) Farmers’ representative to be appointed by the Board.
SECTION 8. Functions of the PCC Advisory Board. — The PCC Advisory Board shall perform the following functions;
a) Formulate policies, programs and projects for the development of the Philippine carabao;
b) Review and recommend the annual budget of the PCC;
c) Evaluate the implementation, efficiency and effectiveness of the program and projects of the PCC; and
d) Recommended the establishment or abolition of carabao centers as may be deemed necessary.
SECTION 9. Executive Director of PCC. — The Executive Director of the PCC shall be appointed by the Secretary of the Department of Agriculture. The Executive Director of the PCC shall perform the following functions:
a) Oversee the implementation of the policies, programs and projects of the PCC;
b) Assist the PCC Advisory Board in the review, evaluation and monitoring of the Carabao Program; and
c) Perform such other functions as may be assigned by the PCC Advisory Board.
SECTION 10. Appointment of Directors or Project Leaders of Other Carabao Centers. — The Directors or Project Leaders of the carabao centers shall be appointed by the respective board of regents or head of agency.
SECTION 11. Functions of the Directors or Project Leaders of Other Carabao Centers. — Subject to the policies of the PCC, the Directors or Project Leaders of other carabao centers shall perform the following functions:
a) Administer the policies, program and projects of the PCC in their respective centers;
b) Recommend the creation of divisions and sections including the staffing pattern of the centers;
c) Prepare the budget of their centers;
d) Approve the expenditures of their respective budgets;
e) Recommend to their respective head of agency the appointment of personnel or consultants;
f) Recommend policies, programs and projects to the Executive Director of the PCC; and
g) Perform such other functions as may be assigned by the Executive Director of the PCC.
SECTION 12. Implementation and Coordination of the Program. — The PCC Advisory Board through the Executive Director shall coordinate, monitor and evaluate the implementation of the carabao program.
It shall identify, through the Directors of carabao centers and Project Leaders from the various implementing stations, the programs and projects in the areas of reproduction, breeding, distribution, nutrition, animal health, and processing of carabao meat and milk.
It shall formulate strategies relative to the reproduction and distribution of the Philippine carabao. Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao shall initially have total of thirteen (13) carabao centers.
The Centers in Luzon shall be located at U.P. Los Baños (UPLB) in Laguna; Central Luzon State University (CLSU) in Nueva Ecija; Cagayan State University (CSU) in Cagayan; Don Mariano Marcos Memorial State University (DMMMSU) in Ilocos Norte; and Don Mariano Marcos Memorial State University (DMMMSU) in La Union.
a) Oversee the implementation of the policies, programs and projects of the PCC;
b) Assist the PCC Advisory Board in the review, evaluation and monitoring of the Carabao Program; and
c) Perform such other functions as may be assigned by the PCC Advisory Board.
SECTION 10. Appointment of Directors or Project Leaders of Other Carabao Centers. — The Directors or Project Leaders of the carabao centers shall be appointed by the respective board of regents or head of agency.
SECTION 11. Functions of the Directors or Project Leaders of Other Carabao Centers. — Subject to the policies of the PCC, the Directors or Project Leaders of other carabao centers shall perform the following functions:
a) Administer the policies, program and projects of the PCC in their respective centers;
b) Recommend the creation of divisions and sections including the staffing pattern of the centers;
c) Prepare the budget of their centers;
d) Approve the expenditures of their respective budgets;
e) Recommend to their respective head of agency the appointment of personnel or consultants;
f) Recommend policies, programs and projects to the Executive Director of the PCC; and
g) Perform such other functions as may be assigned by the Executive Director of the PCC.
SECTION 12. Implementation and Coordination of the Program. — The PCC Advisory Board through the Executive Director shall coordinate, monitor and evaluate the implementation of the carabao program.
It shall identify, through the Directors of carabao centers and Project Leaders from the various implementing stations, the programs and projects in the areas of reproduction, breeding, distribution, nutrition, animal health, and processing of carabao meat and milk.
It shall formulate strategies relative to the reproduction and distribution of the Philippine carabao. Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao shall initially have total of thirteen (13) carabao centers.
The Centers in Luzon shall be located at U.P. Los Baños (UPLB) in Laguna; Central Luzon State University (CLSU) in Nueva Ecija; Cagayan State University (CSU) in Cagayan; Don Mariano Marcos Memorial State University (DMMMSU) in Ilocos Norte; and Don Mariano Marcos Memorial State University (DMMMSU) in La Union.
The Mariano Marcos State University also referred to by its acronym MMSU, is a higher education institution with campuses and facilities throughout Ilocos Norte province in the Philippines. Its main campus is in Batac. MMSU is the regional carabao center for Region I (Ilocos Region)
The centers in Visayas shall be at La Carlota Stock Farm in Negros Occidental; Ubay Stock Farm in Bohol; Visayas State College of Agriculture (VISCA) in Leyte; and West Visayas State University in Iloilo.
The centers in Mindanao shall be at Central Mindanao University (CMU) in Bukidnon; University of Southern Mindanao (USM) in Cotabato; Mindanao State University in Marawi City and Mindanao Livestock Development Complex in Kalawit, Labason, Zamboanga del Norte.
These centers shall specialized in the development of technology on reproduction, breeding, nutrition, animal health and processing of meat and milk.
SECTION 13. Farmer’s Participation. — The farmer-participants shall be encouraged to establish strong farmers associations or cooperatives to serve as focal point for government assistance in the propagation and dispersal of Philippine carabaos and dissemination of technology on the carabao.
SECTION 14. Beneficiaries. — The beneficiaries of the CARP and those under Presidential Decree No. 27, and other smallholder farmers shall be given priority in the carabao dispersal program.
SECTION 15. Participation of the Department of Agriculture and Local Government Units. — The carabao centers, the regional and provincial offices of the Department of Agriculture, specifically the Bureau of Animal Industry, and the local government units shall implement a carabao dispersal and propagation program within their respective areas in accordance with the national policy and program of the PCC. The PCC shall adapt a national dispersal program to primarily benefit the smallholder farmers and CARP beneficiaries. Any income from the sale of the carabao shall be placed in a revolving fund to be used in the propagation and distribution of carabaos.
SECTION 16. Use of Funds. — Not more than thirty percent (30%) of funds allocated under this Act and in subsequent annual appropriations shall be used for personal services, and maintenance and operating expenses, ten percent (10%) for research and development, sixty percent (60%) for carabao dispersal and distribution.
SECTION 17. Annual Report. — The PCC submit an annual report to the Office of the President, the Senate, and the House of Representatives indicating among others the number of carabaos distributed and the names of the beneficiaries.
SECTION 18. Transfer of Carabao Programs to the PCC. — Upon approval of this Act, this existing carabao programs and projects implemented by various agencies shall be transferred to the PCC.
SECTION 19. Appropriation. — The amount necessary to carry out the provisions of this Act shall be included in the General Appropriations Act of the year following its enactment into law and thereafter.
SECTION 20. Separability Clause. — If any part, section, or provision of this Act shall be held invalid or unconstitutional, the rest of the provisions shall not be affected thereby.
SECTION 21. Repealing Clause. — All laws, executive orders, rules and regulations, or parts thereof which are inconsistent with this Act are hereby repealed or modified accordingly: Provided; however, That nothing in this Act shall amend, modify or repeal the provisions of Republic Act No. 7160, otherwise known as the Local Government Code.
SECTION 22. Effectivity. — This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days from the date of its publication in the Official Gazette or in at least two (2) newspapers of general circulation. ~
The centers in Visayas shall be at La Carlota Stock Farm in Negros Occidental; Ubay Stock Farm in Bohol; Visayas State College of Agriculture (VISCA) in Leyte; and West Visayas State University in Iloilo.
The centers in Mindanao shall be at Central Mindanao University (CMU) in Bukidnon; University of Southern Mindanao (USM) in Cotabato; Mindanao State University in Marawi City and Mindanao Livestock Development Complex in Kalawit, Labason, Zamboanga del Norte.
These centers shall specialized in the development of technology on reproduction, breeding, nutrition, animal health and processing of meat and milk.
SECTION 13. Farmer’s Participation. — The farmer-participants shall be encouraged to establish strong farmers associations or cooperatives to serve as focal point for government assistance in the propagation and dispersal of Philippine carabaos and dissemination of technology on the carabao.
SECTION 14. Beneficiaries. — The beneficiaries of the CARP and those under Presidential Decree No. 27, and other smallholder farmers shall be given priority in the carabao dispersal program.
SECTION 15. Participation of the Department of Agriculture and Local Government Units. — The carabao centers, the regional and provincial offices of the Department of Agriculture, specifically the Bureau of Animal Industry, and the local government units shall implement a carabao dispersal and propagation program within their respective areas in accordance with the national policy and program of the PCC. The PCC shall adapt a national dispersal program to primarily benefit the smallholder farmers and CARP beneficiaries. Any income from the sale of the carabao shall be placed in a revolving fund to be used in the propagation and distribution of carabaos.
SECTION 16. Use of Funds. — Not more than thirty percent (30%) of funds allocated under this Act and in subsequent annual appropriations shall be used for personal services, and maintenance and operating expenses, ten percent (10%) for research and development, sixty percent (60%) for carabao dispersal and distribution.
SECTION 17. Annual Report. — The PCC submit an annual report to the Office of the President, the Senate, and the House of Representatives indicating among others the number of carabaos distributed and the names of the beneficiaries.
SECTION 18. Transfer of Carabao Programs to the PCC. — Upon approval of this Act, this existing carabao programs and projects implemented by various agencies shall be transferred to the PCC.
SECTION 19. Appropriation. — The amount necessary to carry out the provisions of this Act shall be included in the General Appropriations Act of the year following its enactment into law and thereafter.
SECTION 20. Separability Clause. — If any part, section, or provision of this Act shall be held invalid or unconstitutional, the rest of the provisions shall not be affected thereby.
SECTION 21. Repealing Clause. — All laws, executive orders, rules and regulations, or parts thereof which are inconsistent with this Act are hereby repealed or modified accordingly: Provided; however, That nothing in this Act shall amend, modify or repeal the provisions of Republic Act No. 7160, otherwise known as the Local Government Code.
SECTION 22. Effectivity. — This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days from the date of its publication in the Official Gazette or in at least two (2) newspapers of general circulation. ~
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