DAVAO CITY – Some 200 researchers from all over Asia will convene in Davao City for the 10th Asian Raptor Research and Conservation Network (ARRCN) International Symposium on October 18-22 at the Ateneo de Davao University (AdDU).
The Philippine Eagle Foundation, (PEF), being a member of ARRCN and the only raptor center and research facility in the Philippines, is selected to host this year's event, in partnership with the Davao City government, Department of Tourism, and AdDU.
The delegates will come from 30 ARRCN member countries, including Japan, India, China, Taiwan, Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore, and Indonesia.
PEF conservation education administrator Bai Kristie Salve Gomez said this is a rare opportunity "because the event is the first to be held in the Philippines."
"We would like to invite the students especially so they would learn how these researchers conduct raptor research monitoring in their respective countries," she said.
Gomez said there are only few people conducting research about raptors and through them (researchers) “we would be able to learn how other countries are conserving and protecting their raptor species”.
She said there are other raptors in the country aside from the Philippine Eagle. "This event will give us the chance to get to know the researchers and their works," she said.
Raptors or birds-of-prey play a prominent role in human culture.
Among several traditional societies, eagles are spiritual symbols of divine protection and charismatic representation of desirable human traits such as courage, firmness and leadership.
Unfortunately, people's attitude towards raptors is not always positive. In northern Philippines for instance, hundreds of migrating Grey-faced buzzards are slaughtered for food at their roost sites.
In Nagaland, thousands of Amur falcons migrating in 2012 were butchered by locals who regarded the bird multitudes as like "manna dropping down the heaven".
But there are good reasons for hope like the community-managed annual raptor festivals in Taiwan and Thailand, for instance, demonstrate how people and migrating raptors can maintain a harmonious co-existence.
In Nagaland, Gomez said local apathy has been replaced by care and concern just a matter of two years. Gomez said the change was brought by advocacy, education and grassroots conservation.
"Several equally-inspiring community-based raptor conservation programs across Asia exist hence posaitive human attitudes can be devloped," she said.
Gomez said the conference will highlight how support to community-based actions can result to healthy people-raptor relationships.
The goal of the ARRCN is to further promote raptor conservation and determine the link between raptors and local communities to encourage appreciation and protection of raptor species. (Digna D. Banzon/PNA)
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