World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) Philippines launches the book entitled The Tagbanua of Malampaya Sound: Conserving Nature As Lifeways which was authored by Dr. Raoul Cola a veteran conservationist that tackles on the indigenous conservation strategies of the Tagbanuas in Palawan. They were one of the oldest tribes in the Philippines where mainly found in the Malampaya Sound in northern and central Palawan which according to research that they are possible descendants of the Tabon Man which refers to the fossilized anatomically modern human remains discovered by Dr. Robert B. Fox in the island of Palawan in 1962.
The Tagbanua have kept their forests, rivers and coasts in an almost pristine state for thousands of years. While struggling to survive amidst the rapidly-changing times, the Tagbanua have shown the world how people can steward nature without destroying it.
With the idea of conservation involve, Dr. Cola mentioned that one of the aims of conservation is to respect and preserve the cultural knowledge of indigenous peoples. In regards with all the projects that cover the indigenous people’s territories, WWF exerts great effort in understanding their culture and work and ensure that conservation activities are consistent to aspirations and standing traditions of the indigenous people living in the area. The idea holistic conservation takes place to contribute towards each indigenous group’s own vision of development.
The Malampaya Sound is known as the haven of the Irrawaddy dolphins (Orcaella brevirostris) which is classified by the International Union for Conservation for Nature (IUCN) as critically endangered. Aside from that the area is ecologically and economically-rich region which boasts of productive coral reefs, seagrass beds, coastal beaches, mangrove thickets and lowland forests.
In 2001, there are around 77 individuals of Irrawaddy dolphins in the area and sadly it goes down to 44 heads and reason of their deaths was being entanglement in passive fishing gear like fish and crab traps. About 70% of Malampaya Sound’s population engages in fishing.
With the book it will bring its readers especially those who are eager to learn about preservation and conservation to a more natural and indigenous way of protecting the environment not to mention making it part of their culture and religion. The The Tagbanua of Malampaya Sound book of Dr. Cola is available through WWF-Philippines to order email Spanganiban@wwf.org.ph or sfaycan@wwf.org.ph The book is published by New Day Publishing.
