Back in Mount Kitanglad

With its summit hosting several telecommunication infrastructures, Mount Kitanglad is not your usual camping mountain. The only thing that kept people in making it a list in the bucket is that it is the fourth highest peak in the country (2,899 MASL) next to Apo, Dulang-dulang and Mt. Pulag.

On October 30-31 this year I climbed Mt. Kitanglad for the second time through an invitation from Lakaw ni Paw, definitely one of the most-sought climb organizers in Mindanao. My reason of not voting for the elections on October 30 other than climbing this mountain is to revisit the biodiversity of Kitanglad mountain range, plus the fact that nobody from among the election aspirants in my place talked about environmental conservation platforms, thus, I’d rather be climbing and enjoying the company of old friends in mountaineering and some new faces.

I observed few unique mechanisms employed by the authorities in Mt. Kitanglad in terms of trekking. First, the Protected Area Superintendent (PASU) Office handles the registration unlike in Mt. Apo where it is undertaken by the respective local Government Units. Second, the ritual by the Indigenous Peoples is a mandatory activity prior to climbing. In our part we arrived very early in the morning at a tribal leader’s house for the ritual, which took almost 3 hours to include preparation of materials, the ritual proper, climb orientation and breakfast. I have been to so many places in the country and even outside the Philippines to climb mountain but only here in Bukidnon that a ritual service has a corresponding fix rate. Yes, that’s a huge 4-digit figure per group of climbers. As a cultural worker I always respect local policies like this by the IPs but I pray that the amount would go to more noble programs and projects for the good of the Indigenous Cultural Communities in Bukidnon.

I assumed good view of Philippine Eagle in the first day of trekking but rain poured in the early afternoon. There were very few birds along the trail, but I enjoyed the vegetation in this part of the mountain. I arrived at the summit earlier than expected and did some scanning of avian species in the summit where I saw the hyper migrant Grey Wagtail and resident Island Thrush.

The summit of Mt. Kitanglad is really now saturated with telecommunication towers and bunkhouses, something that really obstructed the beautiful panorama of this mountain made up of sceneries in Cagayan de Oro City, the rest of Bukidnon mountains and even glimpse of Southern Mindanao areas.

Day 2 was a lot better in terms of finding birds. Apo Sunbird was all over, so with the Mindanao endemic Apo Myna. There were also sightings of Chinese Sparrowhawk, Mountain Shrike, Rufous-fronted Tailorbird, Black and Cinnamon Fantail and Negros Leaf Warbler. Mt. Kitanglad definitely shares similar species of birds in Mt. Apo. 

I am gratified by the effort of Lakaw ni Paw during this climb. Excellent organization, good foods and solid friendship. Way to go. Thank you.

The Sta. Cruz Biodiversity Baseline

Sta. Cruz is one of the biologically diverse municipalities in Davao Region because of the presence of two key biodiversity areas in Mt. Apo Natural Park (MANP) and Davao Gulf. Within this corridor are ecosystems made up of river systems, tropical rainforests, wetlands, and coastal and marine that serve as home to variety of life forms.

Grammatophyllum wallisii

The presence of around 800 species of vascular plants, 100 plus avian species, significant species of mammals, reptiles, amphibians, fishes, insects and other invertebrates is indicative of the biological richness of Sta. Cruz. The variety of Sta. Cruz habitats includes two zones ranging from upland and lowland rainforests and costal environment of mangroves, seagrass and coral reefs.

Sta. Cruz’s portion of Mt. Apo is dwelled by 104 species of birds with some sightings of Philippine and Mindanao endemics. Pithecophaga jefferyi (Philippine Eagle) ranks first in terms of faunal species that has high conservation value. The forest patch in Sibulan, Tibolo, Jose Rizal, Coronon, Zone II and Sinoron serve as home to a pair of Philippine Eagle and other critically endangered  species such as the Shorea negrosensi (Red Lauan) and Grammatophyllum wallisii, a species of orchids native in the Philippines and sighted in the forest of barangay Jose Rizal. Some montane mammals such as Pygmy Squirrel, Brown Deer and fruit bats are almost endemic to MANP. Other birds like Mindanao Jungle Flycatcher, Mindanao Pygmy Babbler, Mindanao Lorikeet, Mindanao Racket-tail, Apo Sunbird, Apo Myna and Grey-hooded Sunbird are found nowhere else.

Writhed Hornbill perching in a Lauan Tree

Apo Myna

Mindanao Jungle Flycatcher

Green Crested Lizard

Mt. Apo Rainforest

In separate occasions from 2020-2022 two observations of the endangered Japanese Night Heron were recorded in barangay Darong and Zone I. Japanese Night Heron is a rare migrant species of night heron found in East Asia. It breeds in Japan, and one of its winter refuges is Mindanao, Philippines. The sighting record of this bird is crucial because the Japanese government has not considered the wintering destination of Japanese Night Herons in its conservation mechanism, which means that as wintering host the Philippines, particularly Mindanao should establish an effort to protect this bird in its entire period of stay.

Japanese Night Heron

The encroachment of farms and other establishment in MANP, as well as the continuous utilization of coastal areas into industrial uses has made Sta. Cruz one of the biodiversity hotpots in Mindanao. Biodiversity hotspot is a biographic sites with significant levels of biodiversity that is threatened by human habitation.

Below is the list of flora and fauna in Sta. Cruz that are classified critically-endangered, endangered, vulnerable and near threatened. The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) is being used in this table as reference but to some extent the Administrative Order No. 2019-09 of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources is also applied.

List of Vulnerable, Near Threatened, Endangered and Critically-endangered Flora and Fauna Species 

No	Common Name of Species	Scientific Name	Conservation Status
1	Philippine Eagle	Pithecophaga jefferyi	Critically-endangered (IUCN)
2	Philippine Hanging Parrot	Loriculus philippensis	Endangered (DENR)
3	Mindanao Jungle Flycatcher	Rhinomyias goodfellowi	Near-threatened (IUCN)
4	Mindanao Lorikeet	Trichoglossus johnstoniae	Near-threatened (IUCN)
5	Mindanao Racket-tail	Prioniturus waterstradi	Near-threatened (IUCN)
6	Apo Sunbird	Aethopyga boltoni	Near-threatened (IUCN)
7	Grey-hooded Sunbird	Aethopyga primigenia	Near-threatened (IUCN)
8	Mindanao Pygmy Babbler	Dasycrotapha platen	Near-threatened (IUCN)
9	Japanese Night Heron	Gorsachius goisagi	Endangered (IUCN)
10	Grey-tailed Tattler	Tringa brevipes	Near-threatened (IUCN)
11	Philippine Warty Pig	Sus philippensis	Endangered (IUCN)
12	Philippine Brown Deer	Rusa marianna	Vulnerable (IUCN)
13	Philippine Long-tailed Macaque	Macaca fascicularis philippensis	Endangered (IUCN)
14	Philippine Tarsier	Carlito syrichta	Near-threatened (IUCN)
15	Green Sea Turtle	Chelona mydas	Endangered (IUCN)
16	Hawksbill Sea Turtle	Eretmochelys imbricate	Critically-endangered (IUCN)
17	Sea Cow	Sirenia	Endangered (IUCN)
18	Tiger Orchids	Grammatophyllum wallisii	Critically-endangered (IUCN)
19	Almaciga	Agathis philippinensis	Vulnerable (IUCN)
20	Red Lauan	Shorea negrosensis	Critically-endangered (IUCN)

Avian Species in Sta. Cruz

The avifauna of Sta. Cruz include a total of 193 species, of which 46 are endemic. Two species are globally-threatened, particularly Philippine Eagle and Japanese Night Heron.

There are 8 sites in Sta. Cruz that have been monitored regularly for inventory, both in the upland and coastal areas. The dynamic application ebird.com helps a lot in recording observations in all these sites which have been frequented by bird enthusiasts in Davao Region. Table below indicates sites considered during Biodiversity Monitoring Systems (BMS) and birding visits. 

Observations Recorded for Avian Species

No	Name of Site	Barangay	No. of Species
1	Mount Apo Sibulan Trail	Sibulan	104
2	Tagabuli Freshwater Marsh	Tagabuli	89
3	Lower Tibolo	Tibolo	70
4	Mount Dinor	Sinoron	65
5	Mount Loay	Zone II	55
6	Bamboo Peak	Jose Rizal	49
7	Mount Baryara	Zone II	39
8	Tuban Fish Pond	Tuban	46

 Migratory Shorebirds in Sta. Cruz

While Sta. Cruz hosts several endemic species, it equally has excellent record of migratory shorebirds as it forms part of the East Asian-Australasian Flyway, one of the world’s great flyways of migratory birds. At its northernmost it stretches eastwards from Taimyr Peninsula in Russia to Alaska. Its southern end encompasses Australia and New Zealand. Between these extremes the flyway covers much of eastern Asia, including China, Japan, Korea and Southeast Asia including the Philippines.

Common Greenshank

Grey Plover

Grey-tailed Tattler

Ruddy Turnstone

List of Migratory Shorebirds 

No	Common Name	Scientific Name
1	Northern Shoveler	Spatula clypeata
2	Grey-tailed Tattler	Tringa brevipes
3	Common Greenshank	Tringa nebularia
4	Common Redshank	Tringa tetanus
5	Whiskered Tern	Chlidonias hybrid
6	Black-headed Gull	Chroicocephalus ridibundus
7	Pied Stilt	Himantopus leucocephalus
8	Common Sandpiper	Actitis hypoleucos
9	Marsh Sandpiper	Tringa stagnatilis
10	Whimbrel	Numenius phaeopus
11	Ruddy Turnstone	Arenaria interpres
12	Grey Wagtail	Motacilla cineres
13	Greater Sand Plover	Charadrius leschenaulta
14	Lesser Sand Plover	Charadrius mongolus
15	Grey Plover	Pluvialis squatarola
16	Red-necked Stint	Calidris ruficollis
17	Little Grebe	Tachybaptus ruficollis
18	Greater Painted Snipe	Rostratula benghalensis
19	Pacific Golden Plover	Pluvialis fulva
20	Bar-tailed Godwit	Limosa lapponica
21	Sharp-tailed Sandpiper	Calidris acuminate
22	Terek Sandpiper	Xenus cinereus
23	Gull-billed Tern	Gelochelidon nilotica

In the absence of local legislation protecting migratory birds in Sta. Cruz there is a need to strongly work with DENR and barangays concern so that these birds will be taken cared of as they winter in identified mudflats and wetlands of the municipality. The Philippines is a member of the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species and Wild Animals and thus endeavours to protect migratory species through implementation of its Wildlife Conservation and Protection Act (RA 9147).

Marine Biodiversity

Sta. Cruz has around 28 kilometers of coastline, the longest in Davao del Sur. The creation of 3 Local Conservation Areas somehow impelled marine resource conservation in barangays Bato, Tuban-Tagabuli and Astorga. Being part of the huge Davao Gulf, Sta. Cruz is home to several marine species including dolphins and whales. Aside from cetacean species, Sta. Cruz is also home to various aquatic species as it serves as breeding and nursery ground for small and pelagic species, with frequent sightings of Whale Shark, Sea Cow, Hawksbill Sea Turtle and Green Sea Turtle.

Bato MPA Coral Reef

Cetacean Species 

No	Common Name	Scientific Name
1	Fraser’s Dolphin	Lagenodelphis hosei
2	Long-snouted Spinner Dolphin	Stenella longirostris
3	Risso’s Dolphin	Grampus griseus
4	Indo-Pacific Bottlenose Dolphin	Tursiops aduncus
5	Short-finned Pilot Whale	Globicephala macrorhynchus
6	Sperm Whale	Physeter macrocephalus
7	Longman’s Beaked Whale	Indopacetus pacificus
8	Dwarf Sperm Whale	Kogia sima
9	Pygmy Sperm Whale	K. breviceps
10	Blainville’s Beaked Whale	Masoplodon densirostris
11	Deranayigala’s Beaked Whale	M. hotaula
12	Melon-headed Whale	Peponocephala electra

Cave Biodiversity

Sta. Cruz has only one cave located in barangay Saliducon. Although it is neither a protected area nor part of a key biodiversity area, Saliducon Cave is home to several flora and fauna which can be subjected to comprehensive conservation.

For fauna, Saliducon Cave and its perimeter are confirmed dwelling place of vertebrates like Long-tailed Macaque, snakes and invertebrates species such as Asian Palm Civet, Philippine Tarsier, swiflets and bats. Rhinolophus spp was observed inside the cave along with other wildlife species including spiders, Big-eyed Frog, Sun Skink, Whip Scorpion, crickets and millipedes. There were also sightings of fresh water shell inside the cave.

Present Biodiversity Conservation Efforts

A milestone for biodiversity conservation in Sta. Cruz, Davao del Sur was officially started when the local government institutionalized the Environment and Natural Resources Management Division (ENRMD) under the Office of the Municipal Mayor in 2020. However, prior to the creation of ENRMD there were already programs and activities undertaken by the LGU through the Tourism Office, which practically took the lead in planning and implementing conservation programs to counterpart to its aggressive stance towards ecotourism development.

Pista sa Kinaiyahan is an environmental festival every 3^rd to 4^th week of April that highlights activities of giving back to Mother Nature the gratitude for continuously providing ecosystem services to Sta. Cruzians such as the water we drink and the air we breath. Tree growing, advocacy campaigns and clean up drive are just some of the activities conducted every Pista sa Kinaiyahan. Discreet as it may be unlike other festivals, Pista sa Kinaiyahan gained the support of National Government Agencies (NGA) and private sector as their venue for Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives and is now one of the longest-running environmental festivals in Mindanao.

Ecotourism is another strategy that Sta. Cruz employs towards biodiversity conservation by developing eco sites as tourism attractions engaging the community as major stakeholders, transforming them into eco site managers and as stewards of their natural resource base. As of this writing there are seven (7) Community-based Sustainable Tourism (CBST) sites in Sta. Cruz operating and managing a biodiversity-friendly tourism enterprises.

Taking advantage of its good rapport with national agencies and private sector over the years, Sta. Cruz has been involved with partnership program for biodiversity conservation. Enumerated in table below are list of biodiversity conservation programs undertaken by LGU Sta. Cruz.

 

No	Name of Conservation Program	Location	Partner Agency
1	Pista sa Kinaiyahan	Municipal-wide	DENR, DOT, Private Sector
2	Biodiversity Monitoring System	Tibolo, Sibulan, Jose Rizal, Zone II, Coronon, saliduon	DENR
3	Buhayin ang Kalikasan (Trees Brew Life)	Tuban	San Miguel Brewery, Inc., and LOGSAC
4	Mt. Apo Enrichment Planting	Sibulan	HEDCOR, DENR
5	Reforestation Program	Sibulan	DMCI Group of Companies
6	Reforestation Program	Tibolo	Air Asia
7	Avian Conservation Program	Municipal-wide	Big Year Davao, Inc.
8	Mangrove Reforestation Program	Tuban	Vertical2Sky Events Management

Threats to Sta. Cruz Biodiversity

Recognized as one of the biologically-diverse municipalities – a conservation area facing significant threats – Sta. Cruz should be treated as one of the biodiversity hotspots in Mindanao and should be accorded with utmost attention. Hereunder are some of threats, which, if remain unattended might transform Sta. Cruz’s biodiversity status from bad to worse:

 

·         Deforestation

·         Unsustainable Fishing

·         Encroachment of Human Activity in Strict Protection Zones

·         Illegal Wildlife Hunting and Trafficking

·         Weak Enforcement of Environmental Laws

Future Courses of Action

The ultimate mechanism to conserve biodiversity is habitat conservation. If we want to retain our identified wildlife species we need to expand their dwelling places, in the case of Sta. Cruz our forest should be strongly subjected for protection, as well as our coastal and marine ecosystems.  

However, alternative systems should be in placed to underscore strategies that will also benefit communities residing close, or within the conservation areas. The following are courses of actions that are considered as having viability: 

First, support biodiversity-related researches to further appreciate the biological importance of Sta. Cruz conservation areas. 

Second, support Community-based Sustainable Tourism program to empower local communities in sustaining biodiversity-friendly enterprises. 

And third, declaration of the following sites as wildlife sanctuaries: (1) Purok Dagsa, Tuban, Sta. Cruz Migratory Bird Sanctuary, (2) Portions of Tan Kim Kee Estate, Tagabuli as Wildlife Sanctuary and (3) Portion of Tagabuli Highway, Yap Property, as Wildlife Sanctuary. #