Events

Touring Mindoro for the Tamaraw Symposium!

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Tamaraw selfie
Tamaraw and Mindoro Bleeding Hearts can be found in Mt. Siburan on Mindoro.

Every October for Tamaraw Month, two unique animals take a tour of their own home in Mindoro.

Tala the Tamaraw (Bubalus mindorensis) and Mindy the Mindoro Bleeding-heart (Gallicolumba platenae) pigeon like to visit Mt. Siburan, Mt. Iglit, and Mt. Baco, mountains where generations of their friends and relatives have lived side-by-side.

Unfortunately as time goes on, there are less of them now.

Only around 600 Tamaraw can be found (MBCFI 2021), and up to 400 Mindoro bleeding-hearts are estimated to be left in Mindoro (BirdLife).

Both of them are “island endemics” meaning they can only be found in Mindoro and nowhere else in the world! (Gonzalez 1999)

Learn more by attending the upcoming Tamaraw Symposium in Calapan, Oriental Mindoro this October 16 to 18, 2025. Follow Thriving Together with Tamaraw, Mindoro Biodiversity Conservation Foundation, Inc. (MBCFI), and the DENR-Tamaraw Conservation Program Office for the latest updates and trivia.

Tamaraw Symposium events

  • 📌 Oct 16 – MBC Summit
  • 📌 Oct 17 – Tamaraw Symposium
  • 📌 Oct 18 – Mindoro Wildlife Quiz Contest

References

Asian Waterbird Census

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Where there is water, there are birds. Time for the annual Asian Waterbird Census!

The AWC happens every January, when people count waterbirds, or birds “ecologically dependent on wetlands” (Wetlands Int. 2018). Wetlands include coasts, mangrove areas, rivers, lakes, marshes and other similar areas.

By counting these birds together in various places in Asia, we contribute to a more robust scientific foundation of why these areas must be protected. These wetland areas also give us water for agriculture, recreation, and tourism. If a wetland area is healthy enough for birds, it is healthy enough for people too.

If you live in the Philippines, and live near bountiful rice fields, mangroves, a lake, fish ponds, or some other expanse of wetland, you might be able to help.

The best way to start is to see if your local DENR (Department of Environment and Natural Resources) is already holding counts. You might live near another environmental group as well.

Recommended dates for counting are January 4 to 19. The following organizations are known to join the AWC by holding waterbird counts in certain areas in the Philippines. Contact them to see how you can help!

If you are already a bird enthusiast or outdoor lover, you might be able to do it yourself. Guides and more information can be found at the South Asia Wetlands International website at: https://south-asia.wetlands.org/news/join-us-for-the-asian-waterbird-census-2025/