A PHILIPPINE Flying Fox Conservation and Management Forum was conducted at the provincial government-run Mambukal Resort and Wildlife Sanctuary in Murcia town on Monday, July 4, 2022.

The provincial government, in a statement, said the forum entails a comprehensive conservation and management plan to preserve the vulnerable flying foxes.

The event was attended by executives from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), environment stakeholders, as well as representatives from the different regions, academe and non-government organizations.

Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson, who spoke at the activity, said that flying foxes are considered endangered.

Lacson said the Philippines is host to 10 species of flying fox. Of which, five species are found only in the country.

“While it is true that the balance of our biodiversity isn’t always easy to maintain, we must nonetheless undertake the necessary steps for its protection and balance -- for ecological, medical, agricultural, and even aesthetic and recreational importance,” he stressed.

Among the attendees of the forum included DENR-Zamboanga Peninsula Assistant Regional Director Dante Oporto, Katherine Soriano of the DENR-Biodiversity Management Bureau, Dr. Tammy Mildenstein of the University of Guam, Dr. Juliana Senawi and Dr. Nur Ain Elias of the University of Malaysia, Sheherazade of Indonesia, and Dr. Merlyn Van Weerd of Mabuwaya Foundation, among others. (PR)