Assessing the efficacy of different survey techniques to determine status & threats to the Endangered Philippine pangolin in Palawan, Philippines

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Pangolins are the most heavily trafficked mammals in the illegal wildlife trade. All four Asianpangolin species are listed as either Critically Endangered or Endangered on the IUCN RedList due to past, present and predicted population declines which are driven by the growingdemand for pangolin parts and products. The Philippine pangolin (Manis culionensis) isendemic to the island of Palawan in the Philippines and is arguably the least known of all thepangolin species, with limited population data available. Population declines of >50% arepredicted but we have little knowledge on the local or international threats placed upon thisspecies, or even of the effectiveness of different research methods to gather baseline data toinform its conservation. This project will therefore assess the ability of a series of different,complementary methods to gather conservation-relevant data for the Philippine pangolin. Itwill inform conservation biology by building an evidence-base from which to provide the firstrobust assessment of the Philippine pangolin's conservation status, but with widerapplication through the development of an integrated methodological toolkit suitable forinvestigating the status of other poorly-known threatened species. It will also provideconservation planners with new data on the anthropogenic threats this species faces fromthe illegal wildlife trade in order to help prioritise conservation action.