INDIGENOUS LAND MANAGEMENT BRIDGES CULTURES TO SAVE THE PHILIPPINE EAGLE

(from left to right) Australia Awards Fellow (AAF) Warnit Lumista; Dhimurru Ranger Kayla Wanambi; Philippine Eagle Foundation's Jimbea Lucino; Dhimurru Cultural Adviser Maxine Gumbula; AAF Agnes Gabuat-Donato; and Dhimurru Ranger BJ Mununggurr.

BY ASAD KHAN

DARWIN, AUSTRALIA – A First Nations conservation and land management initiative from the Northern Territory is playing a pivotal role in the survival of the critically endangered Philippine eagle, the national bird of the Philippines.

Philippine rangers and Indigenous leaders traveled to Gove to engage in extensive fieldwork and cultural exchange with Yolŋu rangers from the Dhimurru Aboriginal Corporation (DAC).

The collaboration is aimed at diversifying conservation approaches, including fire management and wildlife monitoring, to restore the native habitat of the Philippine eagle.

Once abundant, the Philippine eagle has been driven to the brink of extinction due to deforestation and illegal hunting. With fewer than 400 pairs remaining in the wild, the eagle is one of the world’s rarest birds.

“The forest is very important for the eagle and Indigenous culture because it’s the foundation of biocultural diversity,” explained Dr. Jayson Ibañez, Director of Operations at the Philippine Eagle Foundation (PEF).

Dr. Ibañez highlighted the critical need for fire management on ancestral lands, exacerbated by climate change and prolonged droughts.

“No one is investing in managing the landscape with respect to fire,”

“The Dhimurru Rangers will assist us with their knowledge and experience to create proof-of-concept models on Indigenous land management that we can present to the Philippine Government and the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples.” he said.

Dr. Ibañez, a trained zoologist and biologist, completed his PhD in Natural Resources Management at Charles Darwin University’s (CDU) Research Institute for the Environment and Livelihoods (RIEL) in 2015. Returning to Australia to lead this initiative marks a significant milestone in his career.

“I made a promise to Mandaka Marika, the former Managing Director of DAC, that I would bring my Indigenous leaders here so they could experience what I’ve experienced,” Dr. Ibañez said. “Now it’s happening – so it’s very exciting.”

Listen to Ngaarda Media’s Lead Journalist speak with Dr Jayson: