PROGRAM GOAL: To increase the wild Philippine Crocodile population and protect its wetland habitats in Isabela Province, north Luzon Island, Philippines

Zoos Victoria works closely with the Mabuwaya Foundation, local communities and government to protect one of the last known breeding populations of the Critically Endangered Philippines Crocodile, Crocodylus mindorensis. 

This program is based in the Northern Sierra Madre National Park (359,486 ha), on north-east Luzon Island in the Philippines, and integrates wildlife conservation with community development.

This is the primary in situ conservation program for the Philippines Crocodile.  The crocodile is also promoted as a flagship for broader freshwater wetland conservation across northern Luzon, and the presence of the program is starting to act as a buffer to illegal logging in the national park.  The program has become a model for conservation programs elsewhere in the Philippines.

Find out more about Melbourne Zoo's resident pair of Philippine Crocs. Watch them feed and learn about their breeding plans from Keeper Raelene

THE CONSERVATION ISSUE

The Philippines Crocodile is one of the most threatened crocodilians in the world.  Populations have been decimated by hunting, loss of isolated populations and ongoing habitat destruction.  There are now only two remnant populations, both of which continue to be threatened by habitat loss. 

The Philippines has laws to protect its environment and wildlife, but the capacity to implement these laws at a national scale is often lacking.  Although not an issue on Luzon Island, civil insurgency has also prevented protection or even study of wildlife in some areas.

Local community responsibility for managing community affairs (including natural resource management) is a key factor in the success of the Mabuwaya Foundation’s program.

KEY PROGRAM OBJECTIVES

With strong support from the local government, the Mabuwaya Foundation works with local farming communities to implement the National Recovery Plan for the Philippines Crocodile by:

• Protecting crocodiles and their habitat by employing of local villagers as guards and developing of sustainable livelihood options
• Establishing community-managed sanctuaries for crocodiles and fish, including a 'head-start program' where eggs and juvenile crocodiles are collected from the wild and reared in captivity before release
• Facilitating the development of village action plans for sustainable environmental management
• Promoting positive attitudes towards Philippines Crocodiles 

ZOOS VICTORIA'S ROLE

Zoos Victoria has been actively involved in Philippines Crocodile conservation since 1993.  We provide funding for the Mabuwaya Foundation’s on-ground work (habitat protection, wild crocodile population surveys).  We are also the International Coordinator for the Philippines Crocodile, and so work strategically with the National Recovery Team to facilitate partnerships with the Philippine Government and international organizations (including fundraising and partnership agreements with zoos in the USA and Europe).

PROGRAM OUTCOMES

Key achievements of this program include:

• Six Crocodile Sanctuaries established and patrolled
• Thirteen community fish sanctuaries established and managed by village communities
• The San Mariano Municipal Government has passed local ordinances protecting crocodiles, other wildlife and habitats, and provides annual funding for the sanctuary protection groups
• No Philippine Crocodiles in the program area have been killed in the last four years
• A significant decrease in the level of illegal activity in the area, e.g. dynamite fishing and illegal clearing of forest
• An integrated community awareness program
• Two regional conservation workshops, leading to 15 communities establishing and implementing local conservation action plans which form the basis for a regional Philippine Crocodile conservation strategy
• A nest protection scheme that rewards families for helping to guard a crocodile nest during incubation. This income has also helped families and local communities
• A headstart program that has seen significant increases in abundance and range expansion of Philippine Crocodiles.  The wild population of Philippines Crocodiles in the program area has increased from 25 in 2004 to approximately 100 in 2010
• More than 500 local people are now involved in the recovery program

PROGRAM PARTNERS

Our key field partner is the Mabuwaya Foundation, a non-government organisation established in 2003 by Filipino and Dutch biologists. The Foundation works very closely with the San Mariano Municipal Government and local mayors and their communities.

The Foundation also facilitates a wide range of joint projects through Isabela State University (Philippines) and Leiden University (Netherlands) under the banner of the Cagayan Valley Program for the Environment & Development.