After creating their team among local Taobuids, our field officers, Jackie and Diego, assisted by two experienced rangers from the DENR- Tamaraw Conservation Program, conducted a thorough survey on crop depredation by the Tamaraw and Mindoro warty pig in Indigenous agricultural areas in Aruyan-Malati.
The Tamaraw survive in small numbers in the forested hills of the Aruyan-Malati region in the territories of Taobuid indigenous people who still maintain a slash-and-burn agriculture lifestyle. These communities have raised the problem of wildlife entering crops in recent years. DAF is assisting the DENR in addressing this issue by extrapolating the bio-cultural landscape approach already engaged at Mts. Iglit-Baco Natural Park. The challenge is ensuring tamaraws can continue to survive in this restricted area while helping the communities cope with this livelihood problem.
Documenting and georeferencing the areas impacted is the first step and will help measure the scale of the phenomenon, seeking collaborative solutions to mitigate it.
This activity is supported by the Asian Species Action Partnership (ASAP).
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