TUPI, South Cotabato, Philippines — An international conservation group had started Friday the conduct of a research and study about the habitat and characteristics of tarsier found inside the Mt. Matutum Protected Landscape (MMPL) in Tupi municipality in this province.

Mayor Reynaldo Tamayo Jr. said, Dr. Pierre Fidenci, president and founder of the conservation group Endangered Species International (ESI) and four of his researchers will conduct and study on the characteristics of the primates inside the Mt. Matutum Protected Landscape (MMPL).

Tupi is a 1st class municipality in South Cotabato, nestling at the foot of a dormant volcano, Mt. Matutum and is considered as the fruit, vegetable and flower basket of South Cotabato.

The ESI research team will be here for two months and will set up a research center in the village Linan: Sitio Bagong Silang and Sitio Fortuna where the primates were first seen in 2009.

“The research is very important to ensure sustainable intervention [for the tarsiers in MMPL],” Fidenci said.

The local government here has assured Fidenci of full support because it will also boost tourism and economic potential in the area.

"We welcome this development, we have been waiting for this for so long, and we will be extending our full support to the ESI and to their project," Tamayo said.

Early this year, SOCSKSARGEN Environment and Natural Resources (DENR-12) Regional Executive Director Alfredo S. Pascual signed the Wildlife Gratuitous Permit allowing the Endangered Species International (ESI) to collect and study the tarsiers in the area of MMPL.

Fidenci said the study aims to assess the tarsiers distribution, population size and density, habitat association, and status in Mt. Matutum.

Adding that ESI also plans to establish a core conservation center at Sitio Bagong Silang in Linan, Tupi, South Cotabato to better protect their habitat and to prevent the tarsiers from total extinction.

ESI is a non-profit organization headquartered in San Francisco, California, USA. It is strongly committed in reversing the trend of human induced species extinction, saving endangered species, and preserving their vital ecosystems.

Other tourism sites in this town include the Linan Hot spring, Waterfalls and Campsite located within the Matutum forest reserved area. The hot springs which emits sulfuric hot water is believed to be medicinal. The area is part of the Protected Landscape of Mt. Matutum under the NIPAS Law.

Acmonan Hot spring and Waterfall located at the foot of Mount Matutum. The Hot Springs and Waterfalls are just adjacent to each other and not far from Linan and Acmonan Falls is the Lunen Waterfalls. Caves can also be found in the villages of Kablon, Linan, Miasong and Polonuling.