Stop wildlife trafficking now before it is too late.

This was the call of the Negros Forests and Ecological Foundation Inc. when it launched a poster campaign at the Capitol in Bacolod City yesterday.

NFEFI is stepping up its campaign against wildlife trafficking because the situation is getting worse, some species that are indigenous to Negros are critically endangered and have a 50 percent chance of extinction in five years, Dr. Leo Suarez, curator of NFEFI's Biodiversity Conservation Center, said.

Among those critically endangered are the Visayan Warty Pig, Negros Bleeding-Heart and the Visayan Writhed-billed Hornbill, he said.

The Philippine Spotted Deer and Visayan Warty Pig are, in fact, already extinct in Cebu, Masbate and Guimaras, Suarez said.

The poster campaign calls for a stop to hunting, selling and buying of wildlife, and warns that trafficking of such is a crime.

"Many of our protected indigenous species are in grave danger of extinction, especially the Visayan warty pig and the Philippine spotted deer. This is the result of continuous habitat loss, aggravated by hunting, selling and buying of wild animals," Suarez said.

The Philippines is also first in the world in the most number of critically endangered and endangered endemic species of mammals and birds, he said.

He called on more help from government officials, law enforcement agencies and the public to put a stop to the problem.

"Everyone can play a part by not hunting, buying or selling wildlife and by reporting any of these illegal activities to the Department of Environment and Natural Resources," Suarez said.

The NFEFI poster campaign, funded by a grant from the US Peace Corps, features two tarpaulin designs in both English and Ilonggo. These will be prominently displayed at key sites in Bacolod and other major cities in Negros Occidental, Suarez said.

Meanwhile, Jose Ma. Valencia, chief of staff of Gov. Joseph Marañon, said the provincial government will provide whatever is needed to help stop wildlife trafficking in the province and to preserve its remaining wildlife.

The provincial government's Task Force Ilahas will not only concentrate on conservation of the forests but on wildlife protection as well, he said.

The governor has also offered an area at the Mabukal Resort in Murcia to serve as a sanctuary for wildlife under NFEFI protection, and is prepared to build a P1.5 million structure for this, Valencia said.*CPG

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