By Leilani Chavez
Knowledge of the Philippine pangolin, the only pangolin species in the country, is limited. The observation of the animal is even rarer. But unlike other pangolin species around the world that are faltering on the brink of extinction, a new study suggests that endemic pangolin from the Philippines with the appropriate conservation measures still has a chance to bounce back.
In a study published in the journal last year Global ecology and conservation, researchers who conducted a comprehensive survey found that Philippine pangolins (Manis culionensis) has been observed in 17 of the 24 municipalities in Palawan, the island province that is the only place on earth where this species occurs.
“This is promising for the Philippine pangolin and suggests that it is not too late to make conservation efforts across the species area,” lead author Lucy Archer, of the Zoological Society of London (ZSL), told Mongabay.
An enigmatic species
There is so little known about the Philippine pangolin that even though the IUCN believes that the species is critically endangered, there is no accepted estimate for its base population. According to the scientific literature, the species was never common, and interviews with indigenous communities conducted in 2018 suggest that it has declined sharply since the 1980s, the IUCN says.
However, the recently published survey gives cause for optimism.
Similar comprehensive surveys assessing the knowledge of residents of pangolins, conducted in West Africa for the giant pangolin (Giant Smutsia) and in China and Vietnam for the Chinese pangolin (Manis pentadactyla), shows that locals strongly believe that their pangolin species have become extinct: observations are rare or non-existent. This is not the case with the Philippine pangolins: residents still see it, though very rarely, and the number of areas where it can be found is high.
“Compared to similar studies on pangolin species elsewhere, these results suggest that the Philippine pangolin populations may not have reached the critical levels of Chinese pangolins in China and Vietnam or by giant pangolins in Benin,” says Archer. “It offers hope for the species.”
The survey took place from January to June 2019 and helps to determine the species’ range of distribution based on resident observation. Locals call the animal balintong, which means “somersault”, referring to his habit of rolling away to hide from danger.
Until 1998, the Philippine pangolin was considered a separate population from the Sunda pangolin (Manis javanica), which occurs in much of Southeast Asia, but not in the Philippines. Its recognition as its own species coincided with a local poaching boom: the huge demand for pangolin scales in China and Vietnam, combined with an increased application to well-known Sunda pangolin trade routes, has seen traders turn their attention to the Philippine pangolin vestig.
Series of the four Asian pangolin species: the Chinese, Indian, Sunda and Philippine pangolins. A mixture of colors within the maps indicates an overlap in the distribution of the different species. The species’ varieties are based on the IUCN Red List assessments (IUCN 2014). Note: The distribution maps are currently being updated by the IUCN Pangolin Specialist Group. Image courtesy of the University of Adelaide / TRAFFIC. Image courtesy of the University of Adelaide / TRAFFIC
Local conservationists also link an increase in Chinese projects in the Philippines to the growing demand for pangolin meat in restaurants in Manila that is causing the influx of Chinese workers and visitors. Within a span of two years, Philippine pangolins became one of the most traded species in the country, driving them to a critically endangered status on the IUCN and the national red lists.
Initial human trafficking attacks frequently involved being transported with both pangolins and various turtle species. But since 2018, the Philippine authorities have been intercepting consignments consisting only of pangolin parts. In September 2019, authorities in the city of Puerto Princesa, the capital of Palawan, made the largest seizure of Philippine pangolin scales ever: 1,154 kilograms (2,545 pounds), for which at least 3,900 pangolins would be killed.
From 2018 to 2019, local authorities seized 6,894 Philippine pangolins, according to a recent report released by the monitoring group TRAFFIC. Naturalists say the figure is worrying because there are no clear estimates for the number of animals left.
But while researchers are rushing against time to save the local pangolin population, studies are limited by the pangolin’s peculiar and cryptic habits. Pangolins are solitary, nocturnal, non-vocal and semi-tree-like. Although these traits were not enough to protect them from poachers, it makes it very difficult to study the species in the wild, Archer says.
“Imagine walking through a forest at night trying to find something that was noisy and might be found alone in a tree,” she says. “It will take a lot of time and effort!”
This cryptic behavior leads to low probability detection, which means that the chance of detecting one, even if it is close, is ‘very small’, Archer adds.
“General surveys on biodiversity therefore rarely take up pangolines and therefore specific targeted monitoring methods are needed,” she says. “However, such methods are still being developed for pangolins, so we do not yet have acceptable or standardized monitoring methods … partly because it is so difficult to find what makes the development of such methods difficult!”
Locals provide clues
This is where the study from Archer and her team comes in. It contributes to the existing knowledge base by depleting what is called ecological knowledge (LEK), a type of data that builds on first-hand observations or interactions of local residents in an area where a species can be found.
“LEK is based on the premise that locals can often contain more information and provide important information and knowledge about rare species that use the same environments as them,” says Archer. “It is clear from this result that locals have a wealth of important knowledge about the wildlife in their local areas – they are the right experts.”
But while used in conservation, especially in community-led conservation efforts, local residents’ knowledge of their neighborhoods remains a largely underutilized data source. “The benefits of it are being able to gather a lot of information across wide geographic areas over a relatively short period of time and at low cost. This study took place over 6 months,” says Archer.
“Hopefully, studies like this will help the development of such methods, as new monitoring methods can be tried in areas where we at least know the species exists. We can also use local knowledge to identify specific habitats and places where people have recently seen the species, to target., “says Archer.
Eighty-seven percent of respondents in the Palawan survey were able to identify and provide information about the Philippine pangolin, but said observations are rare or very rare, even compared to other endangered species. This indicates the urgent need to establish localized conservation initiatives, the study reads. And the survey shows a high level of general local support for the protection of wildlife, especially for the pangolin.
“With high levels of knowledge and a great willingness to be involved in conservation efforts reported by respondents in this study, I think local people are really well placed to help lead and develop conservation efforts,” says Archer.
The study forms the basis for ZSL’s conservation action and community involvement in the Taytay community in northern Palawan, one of the identified conservation priority areas. Archer says a second phase involves the use of camera traps to monitor the species, which will hopefully help create a community conservation area.
“We hope it will provide a useful amount of information that local governments and conservation organizations can use to inform conservation efforts, and with which future research can be compared to detect species status trends and threats,” she says.
Replace with permission from Mongabay.
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