PHOTO PHILIPPINE BIODIVERSITY CONSERVATION PROGRAM

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rays monitor lizards are a unique and poorly understood species. Endemic to the Southern Luzon Faunal Region of the Philippines, this elusive creature was first described in 1845 from a single preserved specimen. Historically thought to be extinct, Grays monitor lizard was rediscovered in 1976 by the late professor Walter Auffenberg of the University of Florida. Grays monitor lizard is one of a handful of fruit-eating lizard species. Many lizard species will eat fruit incidentally; however, only a few species are adapted for a diet of almost entirely fruit. The Grays monitor lizards dietary habitats are even more interesting considering nearly all other members of the Varanus genus are either carnivorous or insectivorous. In fact, there is only one other member of this genus that is frugivorous the Mabitangs monitor lizard. This lizard is only known from the Island of Panay in the western Visayas Region of the Philippines and was only described within the last two years. Grays monitor lizard is one of only two monitor lizards listed by the IUCN. The other is the Komodo monitor lizard, which has been the subject of considerable attention from many scientists and conservation organizations. In contrast, Grays monitor lizard has been almost entirely neglected. The unique evolutionary biology of the animal and its status as the largest and most vulnerable frugivore in the forests of the Philippines suggest that the studies aimed at understanding the biology of this lizard should be considered a priority. Staff of the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden are currently involved in a broad biodiversity conservation

PHOTO RUSTON HARTDEGEN / DALLAS ZOO

program in the Philippines with Grays monitor lizard being identified as an important flagship species for the Southern Luzon Faunal Region. The Philippine archipelago is one of the few places in the world where reptiles are considered among the more conspicuous terrestrial vertebrates in a given ecosystem. Monitor lizards are by far the largest obligate frugivores in the Philippines and have much lower powers of dispersal than other animals that depend on year-round supplies of fruit. However, the amount and quality of forest required to maintain populations is unknown. The geography of the Philippines is complex. There are six distinctive faunal regions identified by the distribution and evolutionary relationships of mammals within these islands that were previously connected by land bridges. These faunal regions harbor a myriad of species considered among the rarest in the world. The massive island of Luzon also has smaller satellites Catanduanes, Alabat, Marinduque and the Polillo group, which collectively comprise the Greater Luzon faunal region.

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Numerous conservation centers will implement all the regional conservation proorganizations including grams. These include forest warden schemes, biological the World Conservation surveys, captive breeding programs and conservation eduUnion, Fauna & Flora cation programs. International (FFI), World Beginning in January 2000, a wide-ranging rapid assessConservation Monitoring ment of the Southern Luzon Faunal Region was undertakCenter, and Conservation en in collaboration with biologists from PBCP and Siliman International have desUniversity. The project encompassed a total of 12 ignated the Philippines as a provinces in the region including Marinduque, Rapu-rapu, high priority area for conBurias and Cataduanes Islands. One of the primary objecservation. Further, recent tives of this survey was to determine the range and current A survey to identify the range and current surveys of marine environconservation status of Grays monitor lizard. ments surrounding the conservation status of Grays monitor lizard identified The survey encompassed almost all areas known or a number of priority areas for more detailed Philippines (Carpenter and believed likely to support Grays monitor and other focal follow-up surveys, the most important of which is Springer, in press) suggest species; the only exceptions being parts of the Bondoc and Mt. Malinao in Albay: the single largest remaining track of forest in the region. that this area is an imporCamaroan Peninsulars which were deemed unsafe to visit PHOTO PHILIPPINE BIODIVERSITY CONSERVATION PROGRAM tant center of marine due to the presence of active insurgents. This survey was biodiversity. In addition, funded through the AZAs Conservation Endowment Fund according to Birdlife International (Birdlife Conservation Series #4), (CEF), The Dallas Zoo and the Melbourne Zoo in Australia. the Philippine archipelago is one of the few locations in the world The project identified a number of priority areas for more nearly completely covered with Important Bird Areas. In fact, the detailed follow-up surveys and other conservation-related activities, group identifies the Philippines as having the third highest number most of which have been overlooked in the past. The most imporof threatened bird species in the world, behind Brazil and Indonesia tant of these sites is Mt. Malinao in Albay, which comprises the sinrespectively. However, if sub-species are counted, the Philippines gle largest remaining track of forest in the region. A detailed move to number one on the list. 16-week follow-up survey of Mt. Malinao was conducted in 2002 In response to the growing conservation crises in the Philippines, confirming the regions importance. The Mount Malinao particularly in the Central Visayas, Mindoro and Southern Luzon Biodiversity Expedition was also funded through a generous grant regions, The Philippine Biodiversity Conservation Program (PBCP) from the CEF. was established in 1990. This program is managed under the More detailed studies of the biology of this unique lizard are curumbrella of Fauna and Flora International and is comprised of a rently being conducted on an isolated, insular population located consortium of international zoos and conservation organizations. on the Island of Polillio, which lies off the east coast of Southern These include the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden; The Luzon. The study sight is situated within the boundaries of one of Oklahoma City Zoological Park; West of England Zoological the PBCP forest reserves. This work is being done in collaboration Society (Bristol Zoo, U.K.); Dallas Zoological Society (USA); with and funded in part by the PBCP. Methods include the use of Decin Zoo (Germany); Dresden Zoo (Germany); Gessellschaft zum global positioning system data loggers, fixed camera traps and visuSchutz der Eulen e.V. (Society for Conservation and Research of al observations. Owls); Landau Zoo (Germany); Loro Parque Fundacion (Tenerife, Researchers will also assess the current status of the recently Spain); Melbourne Zoo (Australia); North of England Zoological described Mabitangs monitor lizard on the island of Panay. Society (Chester Zoo, U.K.); Parc Zoologique et Botanique de la Ville de Mulhouse (Mulhouse Zoo, France); and the Rotterdam Zoo (Netherlands). The broad vision of the PBCP is to establish a series of conservation centers staffed by Filipino biologists, educators and other relevant personal within the most critical conservation regions. These include Panay, Cebu, Negros, Mindoro and Polillo (Southern Luzon). Staff at these
One of several the many teachers workshops held during the Education Assessment of the PBCP conducted by Shasta Back in 2004.
PHOTO SHASTA BACK / CINCINNATI ZOO

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Considering the limited tracts of remaining forest on Panay, this species may be functionally extinct if its range is confirmed to be restricted to the island. Staff of the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden, in collaboration with staff of the PBCP, are currently in the initial phase of developing a unique and ambitious education initiative associated with the ongoing conservation efforts in the Philippines. An educational needs assessment, which consisted of interviews with PBCP staff as well as local teachers, was conducted in May 2004 by staff of the Cincinnati Zoo. All agreed that biodiversity conservation is critically important and that education will play a significant role. The major needs identified center on accessible resources particularly reference materials and curricula on Philippines biodiversity and training on how to connect students and communities to their natural heritage. While a number of PBCP education projects are underway, constraints on funding and skilled personnel have led to a lack of sustained coordination to maximize impact across all sites. It was determined that this would require the full-time efforts of a dedicated Filipino education professional. Shasta Back, Interpretive Media Manager for The Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden, will be taking the lead role in developing this program and will also provide logistical support and training for the individual that fills the position. The PBCP Educational Coordinator will be directly accountable to staff of the Cincinnati Zoo and will work closely with William Oliver, FFIs Coordinator for the PBCP, who is based full-time in the Philippines. A team of PBCP biologists will be dispatched to the BatanesBabuyan Islands in late 2005. The Batanes and Babuyan island groups are clusters of small islands (< 200 sq km) located on the northernmost tip of the Philippine archipelago, and lie within the Luzon strait that connects Luzon with Taiwan. Both groups represent one of three known secondary areas of endemic bird areas (EBA-SA 094) in the Philippines. Both also represent one of the faunal sub-regions of the Philippines; known as the Greater BatanesBabuyan Faunal Sub-region, separate from Greater Luzon Faunal Region. This region contains an interesting and unique faunal (and floral) assemblage largely different from the rest of the country due to its close Palaearctic links with Taiwan and the Ryukyu Islands. Rumors

Conservation efforts for Grays monitor lizard include captive breeding programs, as well as forest warden schemes, biological surveys and conservation education programs.
PHOTO RUSTON HARTDEGEN / DALLAS ZOO

persist that an additional undescribed species of frugivorous monitor lizard may also occur in this region. This project was made possible primarily through support being provided by the Oklahoma City Zoological Park. Although the PBCP has many goals, the Grays monitor lizard continues to be the focal species for the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden and PBCPs efforts in the Southern Luzon Region of the Philippines. However, effective conservation efforts must focus on more than one species. Accordingly, our efforts aim at preserving and protecting the system Grays monitor lizard represents and the broader ecological communities throughout the relevant areas of the Philippines. Additional funding for the projects mentioned in this article has been provided by the Riverbanks Zoo and Garden, Columbus Zoo and Aquarium and the Pittsburg Zoo and Aquarium.

Winston Card is Reptile, Amphibian and Aquatic Conservation Manager at Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden and Chair of AZAs Lizard TAG.

One of the PBCP primary tenets is that the future of the Philippines lies in the hands of the countries children.
PHOTO SHASTA BACK / CINCINNATI ZOO

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