October has been marked yearly since 2002 as a “Special Month for the Conservation and Protection of the Tamaraw in Mindoro’’ by virtue of Presidential Proclamation No. 273. The proclamation called for an “intensified effort to protect, conserve, and eventually perpetuate one of the country’s flagship species and national pride.’’

Prior to 2008, the tamaraw population had experienced a sharp decline due to human activities such as the “unabated hunting during the 1900s when such activity was considered a “gentleman’s game,’’ human habitation, road development, and illegal logging. Gentleman’s game refers to the practice of hunting down the species for food.

The tamaraw is a small wild buffalo weighing about 300 kilograms (660 pounds). It lives in dense forests with open glades for grazing and is known to prefer living close to water for wallowing. It feeds on grasses, bamboo shoots, and aquatic vegetation.

Its small size and great strength enables it to push through dense jungle and climb steep mountains.

First documented by Western science in 1888, the tamaraw has never been recorded in any area other than the island of Mindoro.At last year’s Tamaraw Conservation Month celebration, conservationists announced the good news that the tamaraw can be considered out of danger from extinction. The Department of Agriculture’s Philippine Carabao Center data reveal that from 2001 to 2008, the tamaraw population increased yearly by an average of 10 percent.

Findings in the latest tamaraw expedition conducted by government and private entities show that the tamaraw population numbered 263 this year, compared to only 175 in 2001, the year prior to the issuance of the proclamation.

The Tamaraw Conservation Program and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources attributed the increase in the tamaraw population to the continuing initiatives to raise awareness regarding the significance of the species and its preservation by local, national, and private sector initiatives.

In support of this year’s observance of Tamaraw Conservation Month, concerned government and non-government agencies are leading the production of the country’s first research coffee table book on tamaraws. The book recognizes that the tamaraw (Bubalus mindorensis), which is endemic to the Philippines, needs to be continually protected and nurtured.

We commend the joint efforts of the local, national, and private sector in reversing the downward trend of the tamaraw population thereby removing it from the list of endangered endemic species.

Replicating such conservation efforts would significantly benefit other endemic species in the Philippines that face the threat of extinction.