Thesis (BS Architecture) -- University of the Philippines Mindanao, 2009

The Philippine Eagle, the country's national bird, is a symbol of the diverse and rich natural wonders of the Philippines. It glides through its sole habitat, the rain forests of the Philippines, powerful wings spread to seven feet, navigating the tangled canopy with unexpected precision. It is possible that no one has ever described this rare raptor, one of the world's largest, without using the word ?magnificent? (White, 2008). In the kind of irony all to familiar to conservationists, however, the very evolutionary adaptions that made it magnificent have also made it one of the planet's most endangered birds of prey. There is no competition of prey from tigers, leopards, bears, or wolves in the Philippines archipelago, the eagle's only home so it became, by default, the king of the rain forest (White, 2008). ?The birds had the islands all to themselves, and the grow big,? says Filipino biologist Hector Miranda, who has studied the eagles extensively. ?But it was a trade-off, because the forest that created them is almost gone. And when the forest disappears ? well, they're at an evolutionary dead end. Indeed, with deforestation rates in the Philippines among the highest in the world (more than 90 percent of primary forest may have been lost to logging and development), the eagle has been reduced to a population estimated at several hundred breeding pairs. Nowadays, eagle sightings are concentrated at the island of Mindanao more specifically around Mt Apo territories. There were eagles sightings in other parts of the country before. But due to the deforestation added with indiscriminate hunting, the eagles diminished in numbers. However, the growing awareness about conservation in the Philippines showed flashes of light in the dark tunnel. Filipinos begun standing up and working out strategies that deem helpful in the revival of the losses in the environment. The Philippine Eagle Foundation is one of the greatest efforts on conservation. Its efforts are concentrated on growing the population of the eagles through the captive-breeding program. Through the past two decades of intensive research and eagle reproduction, the foundation has produced more than a dozen of eagles. The education of the people is also main concern of the foundation in order to develop the conservation mentality on every individual. The inclining progress of the foundation in its captive-breeding program presents new demands for a larger space, better facilities and more financial aids for the operation to persist. With this issues, the proponent takes an opportunity to create, enhance and present possible mitigation. By using the two goals of foundation, which is to breed eagles and educate people, the achievable solutions can be identified. Hence, the holistic growth of the eagles will be attained by ensuring the survivability and sustainability of the Philippine Eagle and the foundation itself.