CS Meets Stakeholders for Cleopatra’s Needle Forest Project

CS NEWS

Centre for Sustainability’s Newsletter Issue 2/July 2014

May 28, PCSD Conference Room. The room was filled with enthusiasm of people of like minds all having

the same thoughts regarding the forest of Cleopatra’s Needle – It should be protected.

The Centre for Sustainability, on our mission towards protecting the Cleopatra’s Needle Forest, con-

ducted our initial stakeholders meeting with attendees from the different sectors of the government,

barangay and tribal council and other concerned agencies. The main goal of this was to present to a big-

ger audience of people that we seek partnership with in attaining our goal, and most importantly, to

gather inputs and thoughts on the proposal in order to serve both the environment and the people

better.

We feel very graced to have representatives from DENR-BMB in the person of Ms. Teresita Blastique,

Sr. Ecosystem Management Specialist and In-charge of the Resources Assessment Section of the Biodiver-

sity Management Division, together with Ms. Babylyn Molinyawe-Cacao, EMS I, of the Protected Areas

Bureau. Staff from the Department of Natural Resources Region 4-B office, as well as the Provincial Envi-

ronment and Natural Resources Office also attended. The City Council, City Planning Office together with

the City Environment and Natural Resources Office of Puerto Princesa also sent their representatives.

Chieftains of tribal groups were also present together with Mr. Doming Opras of the Palawan Provincial

Office of the National Commission on Indigenous People. Of course, the very active leaders of the sur-

rounding communities spearheaded by the different Barangay officials, were also present to take part in

the meeting.

The Palawan Council for Sustainable Development (PCSD) Office was very generous to provide the

venue and help in the facilitation of the meeting. Their very energetic Information Officer, Mr. Alex Mar-

caida, served as the facilitator of the said meeting, and we were warmly welcomed by the agency’s direc-

tor, Mr. Nelson Devanadera, as he delivered his opening remarks for everyone and gave valuable inputs

for the project. The members of their staff were also very helpful in the planning process of the program,

and assisted us all the way through. We would like to give our special thanks to Mr. Apollo Regalo, PDO

III, and Ms. Bing Catain, Chief of the ECAN Zone Management, for all the support and inputs in putting

this gathering together.

The stakeholders’ meeting was a success And the spirit of the attendees brought enthusiasm to the

stakeholders as we all are in the same page that Cleopatra’s Needle Forest is a Key Biodiversity that

needs to be protected for the future generation. We, at the Centre for Sustainability, are very excited to

comply with the requirements that were mentioned by different concerned government agencies and

establish our deeper connections with them for this project’s success. We are currently in the process of

talking to the members of the community and making sure that our objectives are known to the smallest

unit of the community, the families that are very dependent on the forests for their food and livelihood.

We believe that this is a big step forward towards achieving our goal to be an effective aid in manag-

ing the forests of the Cleopatra’s Needle for the present and future generation!

IN THIS ISSUE

Meeting and Field Visit with the pro-

posed Cleopatra’s Needle Forest

Reserve Stakeholders (page 1 and 2)

Our feature species (page 2)

HATCHERY turns FIVE (page 3)

Our hatchery breaks records (page 4)

Check out our photos from visited

communities (page 4)

Meet our team—and our new volun-

teer! (page 5)

Jessa Garibay presenting the project compo-nents of the Cleopatra’s Needle Forest Project at

the Stakeholders’ meeting

Page 2

EVIDENCE OF ECOLOGICAL SYMBIOSIS: Nephentes mira and Philautus longricus by Edgar Jose

As planned for the stakeholders’ meeting regarding the proposed Cleopatra’s Needle Forest Reserve, a field trip to the Batak village in Kalakwasan was conducted last May 29, 2014. The purpose of this trip was to present to different agencies of environmental governing bodies the actual situation in the area, and to further promote the creation of the forest reserve area. The group was composed of Teresita T. Blastique and Babylyn M. Cacao (DENR-BMB), Rhodora B. Ubani, Azucena Gamutia and Lino M. Dimapilis (DENR-Provincial and Regional), Domingo D. Opras (NCIP), Joie Matillano (WPU), Teodorico Villanueva (Kalakwasan), Victoriano T. Patero (Tagnaya), David Gallema (City ENRO), Ernesto Lapuz Jr., Jessa Garibay and Edgar Jose (CS). The team depart around 8:00 in the morning at Puerto Princesa town proper and arrived in Barangay Tanabag at 9:20am. After which, we hiked further to Kalakwasan village, an hour and fifteen-minute hike from the highway to one of the villages of the Batak community living in the foothills of Cleopatra’s Needle. A short break and a courtesy call was then conducted by the CS rep-resentatives to the tribal people. This was followed by a welcome address by Chieftain Teodorico Villanueva and a tribal dance performance to showcase their tradition, which was recognized that will also be preserve if their forests are protected. The team continued to hike further to the red rocks area, an area forty minutes away from the village with high eco-tourism potential that might be valuable for sustainable livelihood in the future. Generally, all the field trip participants were amazed by the preservation of the tribal people’s traditions and their surrounding environment. The team left red rocks and Kalakwasan with expressions of support in the preservation of the area. The representatives showed interests in either or both the preservation of the people and environment, and/or scientific researches to

It was between 5:00 to 6:00 in the evening , while we were setting up our camp site at the top of the Cleopatra’s Needle in the afternoon of February 21, 2014, when one of our Batak porters in the name of Tirso Rodrigo called my attention to show me the frog that he found along our trail. A frog (Philautus longricus) in the pitcher of Ne-penthes mira! I was really amazed with this sighting! At first sight, I thought that the frog was a prey of the plants since it was known that Nepenthes spp. are carnivorous. While taking pictures, the male P. Longricus jumped out of the pitcher and during that time, I noticed that there are two individual frogs inside it – a male and a female frog of this species. I am about to leave the area when the female jumped out of the pitcher and I saw a tadpole left behind, swimming in the water inside the pitcher. This would be a concrete evidence that there is an ecological relationship that exists between these plant and animal species in the are. The specific kind of ecological relationship that co-exists between these species re-mains uncertain and subject for further investigation. Nevertheless, this is another inspiring event during our trip in the peak of the Cleopatra’s Needle.

TOP PHOTO. From left: Edgar Jose (CS), Joie Matillano (WPU), Domin-go Opras (NCIP), Victoriano Patero (Tagnaya), David Gallema (City ENRO), Rhodora Ubani (DENR-PENRO), Teresita Blastique (DENR-BMB), Lino Dimapilis (DENR-Region IVB), Babylyn Cacao (DENR-BMB), Azucena Gamutia (DENR-PENRO) and Jessa Garibay (CS)

A GLIMPSE OF CLEOPATRA’S NEEDLE by Edgar Jose

LEFT: Nephentes mira found at the peak of Cleopatra’s Needle. RIGHT PHOTOS: P. Longricus inside the N. mira

Page 3

A GLIMPSE OF CLEOPATRA’S NEEDLE by Edgar Jose

TIME FLIES WHEN BREEDING FISH By Kyra Hoevenaars Last July 7, our organisation celebrated its 5th anniversary. I cannot believe how fast the time went by since I first landed in the Phil-

ippines to start this exciting new challenge.

We started our organisation in 2009 under the name Southsea Exclusive Philippines. In 2011, we decided to continue solely as a

non-profit organisation and with that, we changed our name to Centre for Sustainability. Southsea Exclusive Philippines, however, re-

mains our legal name and was registered on July 7, 2009 with the Security and Exchange Commission in Manila.

Looking back at the last few years, it’s been quite a roller coaster ride. I still remember me and Jonah working under a tarpaulin while

we were building our office. We started the organisation with the idea of breeding spiny lobsters, but for several reasons we shifted to

grouper (a high value coral fish species). By now, we have established a fully operating hatchery providing fingerlings to livelihood pro-

jects all over the country.

Besides breeding fish, we have been doing plenty of other activities. In 2010, we conducted an Environmental Education Program in

elementary schools where we taught children the importance of the marine environment. We have executed environmental awareness

activities and mangrove planting together with the Philippine Coast Guard Auxiliary and we have set up a student program in which in-

ternational and local students work together on thesis or internship projects on sustainable development. Until now we have accommo-

dated 20 international and 20 local students from different universities.

We have protected the coral reef and forest in our area in Sta Lucia, where we have reintroduced a leopard cat and released 350

confiscated fresh water turtles in cooperation with PCSDs and Katala Foundation. And this year of course, we have started with the pro-

posed ‘Cleopatra’s Needle Forest Reserve’ in order to safeguard 40,000 hectares of pristine forest and protect the home of the remain-

ing Batak tribe.

Other than our own projects, our management members have also acted as consultants for other organisations such as WWF, Atre-

maru Eco-Resort, South Sea Pearl Museum and BBC.

Lastly, I would like to take this opportunity to thank everybody that helped us setting up this organisation, the City Government of

Puerto Princesa, donors, investors, mentors, friends, family, students, volunteers, and of course our hardworking team, led by Al Gonza-

les, who has been with us since the start and is doing an incredible job in the grouper hatchery as well as Edgar and Jessa, the manag-

ers of the Cleopatra’s Needle project. We couldn’t have done this without you all.

Left: Working under the tarpaulin while having our office built, Middle: Our hatchery facility filled with fish larvae, Right: Our marine-education program, Sulyap sa Karagatan (A glimpse of the sea)

Page 4

PHOTO GALLERY. Throughout the past months, our team went around communities and tribal villages, here are some

snapshots from that trip:

Green Grouper fingerlings in a nursery tank at our facilities in Sta Lucia

Group photo with the tribal community in Sitio Tagnaya, Barangay Concepcion.

Majestic view of the St. Paul mountain as we walk towards the Batak village in Siitio Kayasan, Barangay Tagabinet.

One of the elders in the Batak community of Sitio Mangga-pin, Barangay Langogan calls the members using a

gastropod (Strombus sp.) shell.

Rain or shine, dry or wet riverbanks—we find ways to get to our communities. This photo taken at Sitio

Kakuasan, Barangay Tanabag.

HATCHERY BREAKS RECORDS by Kyra Hoevenaars Overfishing, unsustainable fishing, illegal fishing; we all know it is happening, but

what can we do about it? Here in Palawan, the impact is very visible, fishermen have

difficulties catching enough fish to provide for their families and fishes on the market

are getting smaller and smaller. Sixty percent of the population is dependent on

marine resources as a main source of income for their livelihood. Marine resources

are getting scarcer and coral reefs are under pressure, action is needed!

To provide a solution, the Centre for Sustainability has been working since 2010

on the development of a hatchery and nursery protocol for different grouper species

and by now, we can proudly say that we operate the first hatchery and nursery facili-

ty for four species of grouper in the Philippines. Two of these species are produced

on a monthly basis and sold to livelihood programs all over the country. By growing

the fingerlings to market size in 6 to 10 months, grouper farmers are able to have a

good and stable income.

In June we broke our own record and produced a total of 25,000 fingerlings of

Green and Tiger Grouper. The fingerlings are sold to growers in different municipali-

ties in Palawan as well as other provinces of the Philippines. Growers that engage in

sustainable mariculture contribute to a decrease in pressure on the wild fisheries

and coral reefs and are setting an example for others in their community.

On June 27, we had the honour the show our success to Luis

Marcaida, Vice-Mayor of Puerto Princesa and Peter Maristela,

City Councillor. We couldn’t have made this project possible

without the support of the City Government of Puerto Princesa.

We are looking forward to provide more fingerlings to livelihood

projects and train grouper farmers to promote sustainable aqua-

culture in the Philippines.

Support our cause!

Check out our project at the

RAINFOREST TRUST WEBSITE:

https://www.rainforesttrust.org/projects/

tropical-rainforest/palawan-island-

philippines/

DONATE, and SHARE the message with your friends! Centre for Sustainability Barangay Sta. Lucia Puerto Princesa 5300 Palawan, Philippines (+63) 927-573-9521

info@centreforsustainability.org

Visit us on the web at

www.centreforsustainabilty.org

Like us on FACEBOOK:

www.facebook.com/

CentreForSustainability

Check our page at YouTube:

www.youtube.com/user/

CSPalawan

Meet our team Our team is composed of dynamic individuals coming from a variety of fields in Biology. Our conservation

experiences and goals brought us together in this project of protecting the Cleopatra’s Needle Forest.

Check out our new volunteer, and our group sharing our thoughts about our projects:

Page 5

Jessa Garibay

Project Manager

Edgar Jose

Field Manager

Kyra Hoevenaars

Executive Director

Jonah van Beijnen

Vice-President

“I am excited to discover

new species of flora and

fauna at Cleopatra’s Nee-

dle. The diversity and

uniqueness found in that

forest excites me as a re-

searcher. Moreover, I am

excited to bring back the

information to the commu-

nity.”

“Born and raised in Puerto

Princesa, I take pride in its

majestic beauty. As a local,

being part of this project

means preserving my own

backyard, my forest… my

HOME for our future genera-

tions.”

“I am grateful that we have

the chance to protect such a

rich and important piece of

the world. I hope this project

will be an inspiration to

others to care for the re-

maining forests and the

animals that they are home

to.”

“Safeguarding the future for

the Batak tribe as to sustain

their way of living in harmo-

ny with nature as this should

serve as an example for all of

us.”

“ I am Australian-born and -raised, from Filipino parents, and I have come to the Philippines for the first time to volunteer with Centre for Sustainability while finishing my degree in International Devel-opment. I have 5 years work experience in community develop-ment, in South America, North Africa, and the last 2 years which I spent setting up an environmental NGO with friends in my hometown, Sydney. After many years abroad, I have moved to Palawan and the Philippines to discover my heritage, and I hope to eventually stay long-term to continue environmental work. My passion is working in initiatives whose focus is to connect communi-ties with their immediate and surrounding environments toward sustainable livelihoods. This is why I am so excited to volunteer at the Centre for Sustainability, who have already been so successful with the Grouper Hatchery. I hope to also be able to make a posi-tive contribution to the Cleopatra’s Needle Forest Reserve project and to the local Batak communities living there. In my spare time I practise yoga & meditation, and I love dancing, hiking, diving, and just being in the great outdoors so I think that Puerto Princesa and Palawan is the perfect place for me to live, study, and volunteer! “

Karina Reyes-Antonio

Volunteer

On the HEADER: Moth: Lyssa zampa, Butterfly: Vindula dejone, Batak children living at the foothills of Cleopatra’s Needle, Palawan porcupine/Durian: Hystrix pumila, Palawan Monitor Lizard: Varanus salvator palawenensis.