A longitudinal evaluation of the Communication, Education and Public Awareness (CEPA) campaign for the Philippine crocodile Crocodylus mindorensis in northern Luzon, Philippines

Abstract

The Philippine crocodile Crocodylus mindorensis is Critically Endangered and its range is restricted to a few localities in human-dominated landscapes. Therefore, the survival of this species in the wild depends strongly on the support of local people. Communication and education are prerequisites for successful in situ conservation. Over a 12 year period, the Mabuwaya Foundation distributed posters, calendars and comic books, organized theatre shows, gave school lectures, facilitated community meetings and established a crocodile rearing station/visitor centre to mobilize local support for the conservation of the Philippine crocodile in the northern Sierra Madre in Luzon. This paper documents changes in peoples awareness of and attitudes towards the conservation of the Philippine crocodile, and changes in peoples behaviour in ten barangays (villages) in the municipality of San Mariano."