A. Species
Scientific name: Pteropus vampyrus
Common name(s): Large Flying-fox
Global IUCN Red List Threat Status:
B. Location of use
Geographic location(s):
- Philippines
Country/Region: Philippines / Mindanao Island
C. Scale of assessment
Scale of assessment: Individual Site
Name/Details of location: Agusan Marsh Wildlife Sanctuary ( 8.316N and 125.866E) Province of Agusan del Sur
D. Timescale of use
Start Year: 2012
End Year: 2018
E. Information about the use
How is the wild species sourced?: Wild species sourced from its natural habitat
Type of use: Extractive
Practice of use: Hunting and/or Trapping of live terrestrial and aerial animals
Lethal or non-lethal: Lethal
Does this use involve take/extraction of: The whole entire organism
Purpose(s) of end use: Food and feed
Motivation of use: Basic subsistence and Income generation from trade (individual/household/community)
Is this use legal or illegal?: Illegal under national law
F. Information about the Users
Which stakeholder(s) does the record primarily focus on?: Local people
G. Information about the sustainability of use
Is there evidence that the use is having an impact on the target species?: Wild species sourced from its natural habitat
Has an assessment (or judgement) of sustainability of the use of the target species from an ecological perspective been recorded?: Yes, considered unsustainable
Details of assessment carried out: Based on IUCN: "The Large Flying-fox is currently listed as ‘Near Threatened’ by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN 2021)", and "Pteropus vampyrus is listed under Appendix II of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES):.
Brief summary on why the use has been assessed/judged to be sustainable or unsustainable: The study progresses from its stated IUCN / CITES) precept that: "Half of all extant large-bodied species in the genus, Pteropus are unsustainably hunted across Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, and several islands in the Pacific and Indian Ocean".
Has an assessment (or judgement) of sustainability of the use of the target species from an economic perspective been recorded?: Yes, considered unsustainable
Details of assessment carried out: this study
Brief summary on why the use has been assessed/judged to be sustainable or unsustainable: The study explains that the socioeconomic vulnerability of the indigenous and local communities in AMWS due to a low daily wage (Php 182.50 or <4 USD during the dry season and Php 123.63 or <3 USD during the wet season) which is below the poverty threshold. Other contributing factors to the poor economic condition in AMWS include a high number of household dependents, lack of diversified income sources, and annual flooding. Most economic activities are influenced by the seasonal flood cycle in the marsh, availability of natural resources, and occurrence of drought. Rice and corn farming and fishing are the most common livelihoods in AMWS. Hunger is greatest among the communities in the first quarter of the year (December–March) due to reduced economic activities and decreasing food supply, e.g., limited farm produce and low fish catch. The study also shows that only a few households have a supplementary source of income, e.g., rubber tapping, fish vending, food peddling, livestock raising (pigs and chickens), small stores, seasonal carpentry, farm services, motor driving, boat driving, and domestic services.
Has an assessment (or judgement) of sustainability of the use of the target species from a social perspective been recorded?: Yes, considered unsustainable
Details of assessment carried out: this study
Brief summary on why the use has been assessed/judged to be sustainable or unsustainable: The study explains that the socioeconomic vulnerability of the indigenous and local communities in AMWS due to a low daily wage (Php 182.50 or <4 USD during the dry season and Php 123.63 or <3 USD during the wet season) which is below the poverty threshold. Other contributing factors to the poor economic condition in AMWS include a high number of household dependents, lack of diversified income sources, and annual flooding. Most economic activities are influenced by the seasonal flood cycle in the marsh, availability of natural resources, and occurrence of drought. Rice and corn farming and fishing are the most common livelihoods in AMWS. Hunger is greatest among the communities in the first quarter of the year (December–March) due to reduced economic activities and decreasing food supply, e.g., limited farm produce and low fish catch. The study also shows that only a few households have a supplementary source of income, e.g., rubber tapping, fish vending, food peddling, livestock raising (pigs and chickens), small stores, seasonal carpentry, farm services, motor driving, boat driving, and domestic services.
Has an assessment (or judgement) of sustainability of the use of the target species from a human health perspective been recorded?: not recorded
Details of assessment carried out: this study does not investigate this
Brief summary on why the use has been assessed/judged to be sustainable or unsustainable: this study does not investigate this
Has an assessment (or judgement) of sustainability of the use of the target species from an animal health/welfare perspective been recorded?: not recorded
Details of assessment carried out: this study does not investigate this
Brief summary on why the use has been assessed/judged to be sustainable or unsustainable: this study does not investigate this
Recommendations provided in the record to maintain or enhance the sustainability of the use of the target species
The study lists potential solutions to regulate flying fox hunting in the region. In summary: 1) Engagement of indigenous and local communities in conservation 2) Adaptive Information, Education and Communication Campaign 3) Improved law enforcement 4) Local food security and sustainable livelihood Concluding: "Achieving successful conservation and positive behavioral change requires a combination of effective information and education communication to different sectors, engagement of the local communities in research and conservation, improved patrolling scheme to assure sustainable hunting limits (quota) and to ban trading, capacity building for sustainable livelihood programs and diversification of income sources."
Record source
Information about the record source: scientific_pub
Date of publication/issue/production: 2021-01-01T00:00:00+0000
Source Reference(s):
https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7096-9798
Date of record entry: 2022-11-24