About

KATALA FOUNDATION, INC. ORGANIZATION PROFILE

BACKGROUND

Members of the current Katala Foundation successfully implemented the Philippine Cockatoo Conservation Program since 1998 on Rasa Island, Narra, Palawan. The frame condition of this endeavor was a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) between the Department of Environment and Natural Resources - Protected Areas and Wildlife Bureau (DENR-PAWB) and Espace Zoologique in France, represented by Mr. Marc Boussekey.

Since then, the people involved in the project broadened their scope of activities and institutionalized their efforts through the involvement of Rep. Juan Miguel F. Zubiri, who visited the Rasa project in the course of film-shooting for the TV documentary "Team Explorer" at Studio 23.

Katala Foundation Incorporated (KFI) was then duly registered under the Security and Exchange Commission (SEC) on August 19, 2002 under SEC No. CN200253626.
Its name Katala is derived from the local name of the Philippine cockatoo Cacatua haematuropygia. The Philippine cockatoo, Katala as locally known, is endemic to the Philippines. It belongs to the rarest and most threatened bird species globally; thus, classified Critically endangered by the World Conservation Union or the International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN).

Katala Foundation, Inc., a non-profit, non-stock, non-governmental organization, has been active in protecting and conserving wildlife, particularly the Philippine cockatoo and other threatened endemic wildlife in Palawan.

Katala Foundation's niche developed over the years of researches, advocacy and development works in order to protect and conserve the biological diversity along with people.

VISION AND MISION

KFI's vision is to effect conservation of biological resources through active community involvement - conserving with people!

STRATEGIES AND APPROACHES

To attain this vision, Katala Foundation employs participatory and ecosystem approaches to all its programs and activities.

In particular, strategies are aimed to:
- Capacitate and empower local partners and communities as effective conservation managers;
- Increase level of knowledge on biodiversity conservation through intensive conservation education activities and thereby influencing positive attitudes and behaviours towards the environment;
- Conduct scientific researches along with local partners applying international standards and methodologies to fill up research gaps and recommend the most appropriate action for decision makers to lead;
- Develop proactive leadership among local partners; and
- Strengthen the organization through staff development.

PROJECTS AND PROGRAMS IMPLEMENTED

- Philippine Cockatoo Conservation Program: Species conservation program aimed to conserve the Philippine cockatoo from extinction through, e.g. nest protection, identification, protection and management of key conservation sites,  habitat restoration, conservation education, community involvement, rescue of individual birds, translocation, conservation breeding for later re-introduction, etc.
Key partners: DENR-PAWB, Loro Parque Fundacion (LPF), Zoologische Gesellschaft fur Arten- und Populationsschutz (ZGAP, incl. Fonds Fuer Bedrohte Papageien and Strunden-Papageien-Stiftung), Conservation des Especes et Des Populations Animales (CEPA) and Zoological Gardens of Chester, Municipalities of Narra and Dumaran.

- Pride Campaign (component under PCCP): A conservation education program which uses marketing methodologies to galvanize community support for conservation. This uses the Philippine cockatoo as flagship species which cultivates and promotes pride among local partners. Proven marketing vehicles like billboards, posters, factsheets, puppet shows, school and community visits, festivals are used to deliver relevant and compelling conservation messages.
Key partners: RARE Center, Critical Ecosystems Partnership Fund (CEPF), Conservation International, Municipality of Dumaran.

- Katala Quest (component under PCCP): Assessment of vertebrate communities in lowland forests of northern Palawan.
Key partners: British Petroleum Conservation Programme, Western Philippines University, Palawan Council for Sustainable Development (PCSD).

- Southern Palawan Anti-Poaching Initiative (SPAPI): A project to control trapping and hunting of wildlife in Culasian, Rizal Municipality, one of the illegal wildlife trade "hotspots" of Palawan.
Key partners: Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund, PCSD, ZGAP.

Current Address:
Santiago Compound, National Highway
Bgy. San Jose, Puerto Princesa City 5300
Palawan, Philippines
Website: www.philippinecockatoo.org