Philippine hornbills' conservation status: Problems & prospects

Abstract

Philippine hornbill species comprise over 16% of the global Bucerotidae (Aves: Bucerotiformes), a charismatic group of tropical Afro- Asian birds. All 15 taxa (species and their subspecies) in the Philippines are endemic to the archipelago, often restricted to rain forests of a particular island or faunal region. Currently, half of the known hornbill species in the Philippines are regarded as threatened (IUCN 2012). Proposed taxonomic changes in hornbills follow a recent comprehensive molecular phylogenetic analysis of Bucerotidae (Gonzalez 2012), and re-evaluation of species limits based on the application of new criteria (Tobias et al. 2013). These proposed changes have elevated three taxa of Philippine hornbills to full species status, thus restricting their respective areas of occupancy. We evaluate the applications of these taxonomic changes and present revisions in their conservation status, based on IUCN categories. In this paper, we enumerate the implications of these revisions for the re-launching of the Philippine Hornbills Conservation Programme, focusing on problems and prospects in the action plans for priority conservation areas. These priority areas represent key island groups/faunal regions for endemic and threatened hornbills, including the West Visayas faunal region, Polillo group, Mindoro, Calamianes group, Greater Mindanao faunal region and Sulu islands.

Source or Periodical Title

Malayan Nature Journal

ISSN

251291

Page

184-199

Document Type

Article

Subject

Bucerotiformes, Conservation, Hornbills, Mitochondrial DNA, Molecular phylogenetic, Philippines

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