Saving the rarest eagle  in the world from extinction:

They once ruled the skies in great numbers, but today the national bird of the Philippines is critically endangered, with only an estimated 400 pairs left in the wild. Deforestation is the main threat to their livelihood along  with hunting.

Marlyn Ambe, a member of the Bagobo Tagabawa tribe, lives within the forests of Mount Apo in Mindanao, the second largest island in southern Philippines. She shares her home with the Philippine Eagle, and her tribe has lived amongst the eagles for centuries. For generations, the Philippine Eagle has been a symbol of peace for indigenous communities. For Marlyn and her tribe, the forests are an ancestral domain where they farm bananas, abaca coffee, cacao and vegetables.  “The reason we protect the forests is because the Philippine Eagle lives there. Our ancestors say that wherever there is an eagle, it means that there is peace in the land. That’s why we guard it,” Marlyn mentions.

Recognising the eagle’s cultural significance, the  Philippine Eagle Foundation (PEF) was established in 1987 to save this apex predator and its habitat through programmes like rescue, rehabilitation and release, conservation breeding, nest surveys and monitoring, and culture-based conservation.

To protect these ancient nesting sites, PEF relies on the indigenous tribe’s  intimate knowledge of the forest and developed the Forest Guard programme with the help of tribal leaders. They are trained in the monitoring and patrolling of the vast highlands. Each month the forest guards do at least 10 days of patrolling where they identify patrol routes.

However, since the pandemic hit in early 2020, they have seen a rise in the number of Philippine Eagles being rescued. The Philippine Eagle only lays one egg every two years, making breeding a very lengthy process. In addition, each eagle needs 7,000 hectares (slightly over 13,000 football fields) to thrive. This makes the work of the forest guards all the more crucial. But the Forest Guard programme is working. “In many places where we have active forest guards, the eagles are breeding safely and they are producing one chick every two years. observes Jay.