DAVAO CITY—The network of conservation centers for various birds of prey in Asia has appealed to the region’s youths and students to initiate more efforts to improve the biodiversity in the region.
“More so of the well-being of the human race, not only of the raptors and other endangered species,” said Toru Yamazaki, the president of Asian Raptor Research and Conservation Network (ARRCN).
Yamazaki said the conservation of the environment “is deeply intertwined with the conservation of the endangered species and, more important, on the conservation of the human race.”
“We cannot deny that the destruction of the environment has been progressing,” he added, although he cited this city as an exemption, “because we can see so much greenery and obvious manifestations of a healthy environment.”
Overall, though, he said the progression in the destroyed environment has posed difficulty in the conservation efforts across the region, “because we cannot move further, or initiate other conservation efforts if the environment is continuously ravaged.”
The ARRCN is holding here its 10th biennial conference, after it was founded in its first conference in December 1998 in Shiga, Japan.
Dennis Salvador, executive director of the Philippine Eagle Foundation (PEF), said Filipinos “should lobby with their political leaders and let their local leaders make the moves in initiating the conservation of their environment.”
PEF President Felicia Atienza welcomed here last Thursday the delegates of the 10th ARRCN conference, citing the importance of the gathering in sharing the progress also in the various conservation programs of their respective raptors.
The PEF has recognized the limited attention given to all raptors, which many species are in the brink of extinction. The Philippines has only its Philippine Eagle with a dedicated conservation program but 30 other raptors species remained unattended to.
The PEF said other countries in Asia have respective conservation centers for different species of raptors. The ARRCN conference is commonly the venue for “exchange information concerning raptors among its members and enable member-networks to compile a database on raptors, especially on the status of resident Asian raptors.”
Also among the objectives of the ARRCN is to “coordinate research on migratory species, as well as widespread species and conduct training programs, and promote the value and conservation of raptors through education and public awareness and providing training to local residents on raptor research.”
As of October 2012, the ARRCN has listed 232 renowned individuals and four organizations in 30 countries.