1. All activities of PESCP in the past year should be seen in the light of paving the road
toward proclaiming the Central Panay Mountain Range holding the most substantial and
last forests of Panay as a Protected Area, following the model of the NW Panay Peninsula
PA. Based on the indispensable counter parting and funding from the Frankfurt Zoological
Society (FZS) PESCP could, as the only conservation organisation in the W Visayas,
secure funding from EC-UNDP for community-based measures toward forest restoration
and agroforestry (see below); from the National Geographic Society’s Conservation
Trust, the North of England Zoological Society and Niehoff Vaihinger for continuing the
nest hole protection program benefiting endangered hornbills, and from both the Bird
Protection Committee and the Breeders Association AZ for continuing its rehabilitation
and release into the wild of endangered bird species, notably the hornbills.

2. The main pillars supporting the project’s work have been, as in 2004,

– Habitat protection, environmental law enforcement and ‘rainforestation’
– Protection of critically endangered/ endangered wildlife
– Livelihood-based sustainable community development
– Conservation and development education
– Nationalisation/ sustainabilisation of PESCP’s activities and programs
– Rehabilitation and release of captive wildlife
– Conservation and basic research

The resulting accomplishments can be detailed as follows.

3. In partnership with the 25-Peso Multipurpose Cooperative of Aklan State University
(ASU) the year’s most prominent undertaking revolved around the erection of the
‘Community-based Maintenance and Restoration of Forests in Central Panay Mountain
Range and Protected Area of NW Panay Peninsula (CoFoPa)’ project with the assistance
of the EC-UNDP ‘Small Grants Programme for Operations to Promote Tropical Forests’
in the provinces of Antique and Aklan. Foci of this project are (till Sep 2006) and have
been Forestry resource management and protection including nursery establishments in
five counterpart communities of 18 native timber trees and 6 different fruit trees,
rainforestation with native trees, habitat protection against timber and wildlife poaching,
amongst other measures by way of erecting community-sites for sustained production of
charcoal production outside timber land; forestry-connected livelihood alternatives
(agroforestry, native timber and fruit tree farming), four other livelihoods including, e.g.,
pig and chicken production.

4. As before, PESCP pursued forcefully its Forest Ranger-assisted habitat protection and law
enforcement activities. In the process large amounts of primary forest timber and nine
chainsaws were confiscated in cooperation with the Philippine National Police (PNP) and
the DENR. Smooth running of the latter confiscation was hampered by loopholes in the
interpretation of the Chainsaw Act of 2002, as identified by PESCP that thanks to the
circumspect assistance of the DENR Reg. VI (Iloilo City) will be rectified by an order
removing any ambiguities by mid Jan 2006. – Further progress was made by the
deputisation of 9 out of 13 PESCP-Forest Rangers as Deputy Natural Resource Officers 6
(DENROs) by the DENR with the prospect of assigning this status, or a new similar one,
to all of them.

5. The protection of endangered wildlife went ahead with long strides in regard of the highly
successful guarding of now up to 349 nest holes of the Writhed-billed Hornbill or
Dulungan (Aceros waldeni) and of galvanizing awareness of the public and the developers
on Boracay re the plight of the large flying foxes that have their roosts there while feeding
daily on the ‘mainland’ of the peninsula. Whereas the considerably expanded nest
guarding scheme was an unprecedented success for the Dulungan nesting population, the
protection of the flying foxes including a critically endangered one (Acerodon jubatus)
was less successful due to the frictions with the developers of various provenances, the
non-consistent law enforcement, the still on-going ‘investigation’ of clearly destructive
slaughter on the mainland and other circumstances. Helpful side-effects of PESCP’s nest
hole protection scheme were measures curtailing the still widespread use of snares put up
for critically endangered/ endangered mammals (Cervus alfredi, Sus cebifrons) and the
confiscation/voluntary surrender of now over 40 air guns (see chap. 1.5). The wildlife
protection was more firmly integrated into PESCP’s livelihood program (see 2. above). –
The rehabilitation and release of endangered wildlife species, foremost Tarictic Hornbills
went ahead but was seriously hampered by the improved telemetry equipment still being
retained in the Customs in Manila (see already the plight described in the Eleventh Report,
2005). Another drawback was the suspension of financial support of the Philippine
researcher by the national financing foundation due to the lengthy deliberation of an
extension proposal. This caused an unforeseen drain of the project’s meagre financial
contingency at the expense of urgent conservation measures. On the positive side, the
equipment of the project’s consultant vet and the holding pens for large raptors could be
expanded and improved. The diet protocols for raptors, parrots and other birds could be
improved as well as their medication. Pre-release training made substantial progress
thanks to the erection of a more permanent large holding cage for large raptors in which
sustained power flight can be exercised and tameness against humans be minimized. The
project consultant vet could attend a number of relevant seminars and conferences.

6. Conservation and development education was carried out in schools, both on Boracay and
in NW Panay by lectures of staff in schools, visits by school classes and students of ASU
of PESCP and its rescue facilities, e.g. in Mag-aba, and visits to Station Sibaliw, as was
compatible with the on-going research up there.

7. Nationalisation and sustainabilisaton of PESCP’s programs was promoted by tightening
the linkage with ASU whose Environment Program Coordinator is at the same time Mr.
Thomas Künzel, PESCP’s Manager, due to the perspicacious assistance of both the
German Government (GTZ/CIM) and FZS. – Another important step in embedding
PESCP’s activities into the national legal framework of environmental conservation was
the erection of a new NGO ‘Philippine Association for Conservation and Development,
Inc.’ (PhilConserve, see frontispiece for logo) in March, under whose umbrella PESCP
will be executing its manifold tasks in the future.

8. The proclamation of the NW Panay Peninsula as PA triggered a number of administrative
measures like the setting up of a PAMB (PA Management Board) under the aegis of the
NW Panay Biodiversity Management Council (NPBMC). In a number of important
meetings of both bodies the five municipalities of the peninsula involved pledged their
announced support, yet only in partial fulfilment of their promises. This led to the TASK
FORCE ANAK-Talon (see Eleventh Report, 2005) still not becoming operational. This in 7
turn renders the work of PESCP’s FRs even more important than before since they still
shoulder virtually alone the monitoring of the forests of NW and N Central Panay. – The
erection of a Diesel power plant in Nabas, Aklan, raised controversies and confusion
among the DENR, the local LGU and the PAMB that have not been resolved at present.
(Due to earlier massive interventions from many parties the erection of a similar power
plant could be averted to take place in Pandan, Antique.) A number of environmentally
positive resolutions were endorsed by the NPBMC, e.g., the permission for PESCP to
collect seedlings in the PA for its reforestation activities. Preparatory steps for a PA Bill to
be enacted were taken. – Through the erection of PhilConserve PESCP is now endorsed to
be represented in the PAMB as an ordinary member. – There were many training and
conference attendances by PESCP staff for having a more erudite view on environmental
management and its legal bases.

1. With an extremely rich fern flora comprising 10 % of the world’s known species on
0.06% of the globe’s terrestrial surface, the Philippines rank among the top countries in
the world. The fern community around Station Sibaliw was competently surveyed in a
first approach that will be resumed in early 2006 by Prof. Dr. W. Bennert of Ruhr-
Universität Bochum, the first survey of this kind in NW Panay. A first estimate shows the
fern flora within a radius of 2 km around the station to stand at ca. 100 species, from
among the 1,100 species listed for the country by large. Among the species found habitat
specialists abound, e.g. thriving only on rotten tree trunks and in other specialized niches.

2. The ongoing herpetological survey by Gaulke and her field assistants yielded finds of a
gecko (Gekko nov. sp.) new to science the technical description by Rösler et al. is in the
pipeline; it is a Panay endemite and the third species of the genus Gekko on Panay. Having
been found in two places of the NW Panay Peninsula only its actual distribution warrants
closer attention. There have been finds of two small snakes (Oxyrhabdion leporinum,
Calamaria bitorques) on the peninsula that have been previously found only on both
Negros and Cebu, and on Luzon, respectively, and are thus two new distributional records
for Panay. – Biometric data, accounts on the diet, the genital morphology and other details
of the vegetarian Panay Monitor (Varanus mabitang) including the first recapture from
among 12 marked individuals are provided. – C. Dolino could add two new distributional
records to the list of Panay amphibians: the frog Platymantis hazelae (known previously
from Negros and Masbate) and new for Sibaliw the frog Limnonectes leytensis (known
previously from Mt. Baloy).

3. The ornithological survey now going on since the inception of the project in 1995 yielded
new distributional records for both Boracay (5, conservatively) and Panay (1).
Furthermore, the first though data-deficient description is given for the breeding of the
Colasisi (Loriculus philippensis) as well as for the Negros Bleeding-heart (Gallicolumba
keayi) and breeding records for other bird species the two Pittas of Panay included are
given, too. The new find of the Negros Bleeding-heart, a globally threatened endemite of
the Negros Panay faunal region, on Boracay, renders the protection of the north Boracay
forest as one of global significance. Unfortunately, in spite of a red alert report by E. C. in
March no measures have been taken since to effectively protect the forest remnant near
Yapak on the island. Other inroads into the remaining biota of this small area make it one
of highest conservation concern.

4. In the light of the ‘Escape Hypothesis’ (Janzen-Connell Model) determination of the
‘seed shadow’ of individual rainforest trees has taken center stage in the study of seed
dispersal mechanism. J. Reiter pioneered in his study of seed dispersal of two fig species
(Ficus septica, F. variegata) by the Musky Fruit Bat (Ptenochirus jagori) the portrayal
of the spatial distribution around the parent tree of its seeds by way of marking entire fig
fruits in situ with a fluorescent spray. Subsequently the spat out pulp remains with seeds
could be mapped by using an ultraviolet lamp in the night that worked with an accuracy
of discovering single tiny seeds. Accordingly the seed shadow generated by Ptenochirus
starts just beyond the area under the parent tree and covers an area of about 2 hectares
around it. (This leaves out some small amount of long-distance dispersal through a
longer gut retention time into the next night following foraging.)

5. Further to this, the search for the mortality agents explaining the distance-survival effect
predicted by the ‘Escape Hypothesis’ as established previously (see Eleventh Report,
2005), was started by a pilot study of Y. Grabowski. When laying out in standardized
plots a standard number of ripe fruits of a fig (Ficus sp., ‘Green Dural-og’) and of
Gnetum indicum and comparing the faunal composition and species abundance of the
animals attacking the pulp and/ or the seeds (saprozoites) among the area under the focal
parent tree and a control tree of another species, she found a significantly larger fauna
attacking the fruits under the focal tree, as predicted by the ‘Escape Hypothesis’. The
objection that the rich fruit bonanza on the ground prior to the experiment might have
attracted many saprozoites that would have led to the larger species assemblage under
the focal tree was controlled for by putting out fruits from a control tree under the focal
tree as well. In a larger data set employing different trees of three species F. Hager
showed for the first time tree species-specificity of the mortality agents as predicted.

6. In a historical précis referring to unpublished reports of researchers that have not worked
with PESCP allegations by a third party as to claiming priority for various discoveries by
PESCP are scrutinized critically. Accordingly the allegations do not stand up to careful
scrutiny and the merits of certain discoveries on Panay go fully to PESCP.

3. Basic Research

1. Island biogeographic theory predicts the size of the fauna, for example, of an island to
depend on the size of the island, its distance from the faunal source, e. g. a continent,
and other determinants. In a pilot approach M. Schaub surveyed the faunas of
terricoline arthropods in the pods of two epiphytic fern species (Aglaomorpha sp.,
Asplenium sp.) sitting with their tufts of leaves on forest trees around Sibaliw in order to
see whether the ferns are island equivalents or simply temporary refuges. Sampling of
the faunas at monthly intervals of 10 ferns each and of the top soil in the same area
revealed the ferns to harbour subsets of the soil fauna. The only exceptions in their rich
arthropod assemblages are five species of beetle that exclusively inhabit the ferns. As
the dry season advances the moisture of the ferns declines and so do their inhabitants.
There are reasons to believe that the ferns are functioning both as islands and as
temporary refuges, depending on the organism under scrutiny.

2. Primary forest is thought to harbour more biodiversity than secondary forest. The
invertebrate fauna living on the soil (= terricolines) was surveyed by A. Siegert with the
help of Barber pitfall live traps in both types of forest near station Sibaliw. In doing so,
direct observations revealed a number of species and individuals to turn away from the 9
trap when touching it or walk along its inner rim and out again. Accordingly the primary
forest contained significantly more species and individuals of all terrestrial arthropod
groups, and the proportion of animals actually caught amounted to a mere 19.4 % of all
those touching the pitfall rim (counts of 4 ant species and 1 spider species). This is a
conservative result since the traps containing no preservative were virtually odourless. It
demonstrates that Barber traps are inadequate to sample the terricoline fauna in a
quantitatively representative way yet may be useful for a gross comparison among
habitats.

3. To study the fluctuation in numbers of the Philippine Bent-toed Gecko (Cyrtodactylus
philippinicus) A. Siegert captured, marked and recaptured those living in Station
Sibaliw. When animals were translocated 100 m and 150 m away from the station along
one straight line trail to reduce intraspecific competition 36 % of 22 individuals of both
sexes returned to the station within 19.5 (range 4-36) days. The body mass of returnees
did not differ from those not returning within that time span. Whilst the reasons for the
population fluctuation of the Geckos inhabiting the station are remaining unclear the
removal experiment demonstrates that the animals are capable of homing under
circumstances that render pilotage after landmarks unlikely. The result is a challenge to
further in-depth experimentation aiming at the underlying orientation mechanism.