Green Racket-tail
The green racket-tail (''Prioniturus luconensis'') is an endemic parrot of the Philippines where it is found on Luzon and Marinduque. This species was once common, but is rapidly declining and is currently classified as endangered due to lowland deforestation and capture for cage-bird trade. The population is now estimated to be just 1,000 - 2,499 mature individuals and is continuing to decline with many local extinctions in its former range. Description Ebird describes this bird as "A rare medium-sized parrot of lowland and foothill forest on Luzon. The two central tail feathers have extended shafts ending in a racket shape. Overall green in color, slightly darker on the back, with paler head and underparts and a pale bill. Male is more yellowish-green in color. Overlaps geographically with the Luzon racket-tail, but Green is found at lower elevations and lacks the brownish back. Also overlaps with Blue-naped parrot, but has a pale rather than red bill. Voice consists of ring ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Joseph Beal Steere
Joseph Beal Steere (9 February 1842 – 7 December 1940) was an American ornithologist. Steere was born in Rollin, Michigan, the son of William Millhouse and Elizabeth Cleghorn (Beal) Steere. He received a B.A. from the University of Michigan in 1868 and a B. of Law in 1870. Shortly after his graduation he entered upon an extensive tour to make collections for the University Museum. His mother's cousin, Rice A. Beal—owner and publisher of the ''Ann Arbor Courier''—agreed to pay for the expedition if Steere would write letters from his journey to be published in the ''Courier''. He spent about eighteen months on the Amazon River and its tributaries, making collections in zoology, botany and archaeology. He crossed the Andes and continued his collections in various parts of Peru. He then sailed for China and the island of Formosa (Taiwan). He went on another scientific expedition in 1887 to the Philippines where he made an extensive collection of birds, shells, and other natu ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Primary Forest
An old-growth forestalso termed primary forest, virgin forest, late seral forest, primeval forest, or first-growth forestis a forest that has attained great age without significant disturbance, and thereby exhibits unique ecological features, and might be classified as a climax community. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations defines primary forests as naturally regenerated forests of native tree species where there are no clearly visible indications of human activity and the ecological processes are not significantly disturbed. More than one-third (34 percent) of the world's forests are primary forests. Old-growth features include diverse tree-related structures that provide diverse wildlife habitat that increases the biodiversity of the forested ecosystem. Virgin or first-growth forests are old-growth forests that have never been logged. The concept of diverse tree structure includes multi-layered canopies and canopy gaps, greatly varying tree height ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Cage-bird Trade
Wildlife trade refers to the of products that are derived from non-domesticated animals or plants usually extracted from their natural environment or raised under controlled conditions. It can involve the trade of living or dead individuals, tissues such as skins, bones or meat, or other products. Legal wildlife trade is regulated by the United Nations' Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), which currently has 184 member countries called ''Parties''. Illegal wildlife trade is widespread and constitutes one of the major illegal economic activities, comparable to the traffic of drugs and weapons. Wildlife trade is a serious conservation problem, has a negative effect on the viability of many wildlife populations and is one of the major threats to the survival of vertebrate species.The illegal wildlife trade has been linked to the emergence and spread of new infectious diseases in humans, including emergent viruses. Global initiat ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Northern Sierra Madre Natural Park
The Northern Sierra Madre Natural Park is the largest protected area of the Philippines covering the northern range of the Sierra Madre mountains of eastern Luzon. The park is located in the eastern part of the province of Isabela in Cagayan Valley (Region II) containing a total of . It was first declared a wilderness reserve encompassing an area within a radius of Palanan Point known as the Palanan Wilderness Area through Letter of Instructions No. 917-A signed by President Ferdinand Marcos on 7 September 1979. On 10 March 1997, the area was converted into a natural park with the signing of Proclamation No. 978 by President Fidel Ramos. The park is considered the richest in terms of genetic, species and habitat diversity in the Philippines. It is one of the country's ten priority protected areas managed by its own Protected Area Management Board headed by the Regional Executive Director of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources for Region II under the rules set for ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Bataan National Park
Bataan National Park is a protected area of the Philippines located in the mountainous interior of Bataan province in the Central Luzon Region. The park straddles the northern half of Bataan Peninsula near its border with Subic Bay Freeport Zone. The park was first established in 1945 under Proclamation No. 24 with an initial area of 31,000 hectares and included portions of the fenced area of Subic Bay Freeport Zone. The park was reduced in 1987 to its present size of and is now wholly located in Bataan province. The park encompasses the Bataan towns and cities of Hermosa, Orani, Samal, Abucay, Balanga, Bagac and Morong. Mount Natib with its wide forested acorn-shaped caldera is located in the middle of the park. Activities in the park include nature viewing, bird watching, and trekking to its several peaks and waterfalls. The park is located from Manila, its mountains can be seen across Manila Bay from the city. Topography and ecology Bataan National Park is covered b ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Quezon National Forest Park
The Quezon Protected Landscape is a protected area in the Republic of the Philippines, spanning the municipalities of Pagbilao, Padre Burgos and Atimonan in Quezon province. The park is situated north of the narrowest section of Luzon in Quezon province, located about southeast of Metro Manila."Quezon National Park" . World Wildlife Adventures. Retrieved on 2012-06-19. Protected area The park was first established as a on October 25, 1934, with Proclamation no. 740. The parks has a total area of and was named as Quezon National Park. The park was enlarged to with Proclamation no. 594 on Aug ...[...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Blue-crowned Racket-tail
The blue-crowned racket-tail (''Prioniturus discurus'') is a parrot found on all the larger islands of the Philippines except Palawan and Panay islands. It is 27 cm, basically green with a blue crown, bluish undertail, whitish beak, and dark underwings with green coverts. The blue-headed racket-tail (''P. platenae'') was formerly included in this species. Taxonomy There are three subspecies: * P. d. ''discurus'': Jolo, Mindanao, Olutanga, Basilan, Guimaras, Luzon. * P. d. ''whiteheadi'': Negros, Bohol, Samar, Leyte, Masbate, Cebu. Less blue on crown. * P. d. ''nesophilus'': Tablas, Sibuyan, Catanduanes. Still less blue. May be part of P.d. ''whiteheadi''. It inhabits humid forests, mangroves, and cultivated areas up to 1750m. Small flocks of 5-12, but more gather at fruit trees. Eats fruit, berries, nuts and seeds. Widespread but threatened by habitat destruction and trapping for the cage-bird trade Wildlife trade refers to the of products that are derived from no ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Subic, Zambales
Subic, officially the Municipality of Subic ( ilo, Ili ti Subic; tl, Bayan ng Subic), is a 1st class municipality in the province of Zambales, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 111,912 people. It is located along the northern coast of Subic Bay. Portions of the town also form part of the Subic Freeport Zone. Subic is from Iba, from Olongapo, and from Manila. Etymology The native Zambales inhabitants called the area ''Hubek'', which means "head of a plough"; Spanish missionary priests mispronounced the name as ''Subiq''. By the time of the American occupation, "Subiq" was mispronounced as ''Subig''. Eventually the name reverted to "Subiq", but the letter 'q' was replaced with 'c'. History In 1572, Juan de Salcedo, the Mexico-born Spanish conquistador and grandson of Miguel Lopez de Legazpi, founded Zambales during his exploration of northern Luzon. [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Slash-and-burn
Slash-and-burn agriculture is a farming method that involves the cutting and burning of plants in a forest or woodland to create a field called a swidden. The method begins by cutting down the trees and woody plants in an area. The downed vegetation, or "slash", is then left to dry, usually right before the rainiest part of the year. Then, the biomass is burned, resulting in a nutrient-rich layer of ash which makes the soil fertile, as well as temporarily eliminating weed and pest species. After about three to five years, the plot's productivity decreases due to depletion of nutrients along with weed and pest invasion, causing the farmers to abandon the field and move to a new area. The time it takes for a swidden to recover depends on the location and can be as little as five years to more than twenty years, after which the plot can be slashed and burned again, repeating the cycle. In Bangladesh and India, the practice is known as jhum or jhoom. Slash-and-burn is a type of shif ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Road Construction
A road is a linear way for the conveyance of traffic that mostly has an improved surface for use by vehicles (motorized and non-motorized) and pedestrians. Unlike streets, the main function of roads is transportation. There are many types of roads, including parkways, avenues, controlled-access highways (freeways, motorways, and expressways), tollways, interstates, highways, thoroughfares, and local roads. The primary features of roads include lanes, sidewalks (pavement), roadways (carriageways), medians, shoulders, verges, bike paths (cycle paths), and shared-use paths. Definitions Historically many roads were simply recognizable routes without any formal construction or some maintenance. The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) defines a road as "a line of communication (travelled way) using a stabilized base other than rails or air strips open to public traffic, primarily for the use of road motor vehicles running on their own wheels", which ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Mining
Mining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the Earth, usually from an ore body, lode, vein, seam, reef, or placer deposit. The exploitation of these deposits for raw material is based on the economic viability of investing in the equipment, labor, and energy required to extract, refine and transport the materials found at the mine to manufacturers who can use the material. Ores recovered by mining include metals, coal, oil shale, gemstones, limestone, chalk, dimension stone, rock salt, potash, gravel, and clay. Mining is required to obtain most materials that cannot be grown through agricultural processes, or feasibly created artificially in a laboratory or factory. Mining in a wider sense includes extraction of any non-renewable resource such as petroleum, natural gas, or even water. Modern mining processes involve prospecting for ore bodies, analysis of the profit potential of a proposed mine, extraction of the desired materials, an ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Illegal Logging
Illegal logging is the harvest, transportation, purchase or sale of timber in violation of laws. The harvesting procedure itself may be illegal, including using corrupt means to gain access to forests; extraction without permission, or from a protected area; the cutting down of protected species; or the extraction of timber in excess of agreed limits. Illegal logging is a driving force for a number of environmental issues such as deforestation, soil erosion and biodiversity loss which can drive larger scale environmental crisis such as climate change and other forms of environmental degradation. Illegality may also occur during transport, such as illegal processing and export (through fraudulent declaration to customs); the avoidance of taxes and other charges, and fraudulent certification. These acts are often referred to as "wood laundering". Illegal logging is driven by a number of economic forces, such as demand for raw materials, land grabbing and demand for pasture for ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |