Studies show that wildlife conservation works. A 2024 global meta-analysis published in Science, led by Re:wild Chief Program Officer Dr Penny Langhammer and 32 other researchers, found that conservation action improved biodiversity or slowed its decline in two-thirds of the cases studied.
So why does conservation success so often lead to less funding instead of more?
Surely, we should continue to support actions that we know are working until a species is at low risk of extinction.
Much of the issue stems from a mindset that a species’ International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List status should guide funding allocation.
The Red List ranks the levels of threat facing species, from least concern all the way to critically endangered and, ultimately, extinct. Much like paramedics arriving at a scene and triaging the most life-threatening wounds first, many conservation funds prioritise critically endangered species.
Without fully grasping the nuances of conservation, this method of prioritisation may make sense. But in reality, it can hurt the very species we are trying to save.
Take the dulungan, or Rufous-headed Hornbill, for example. These large birds are endemic to the Philippines, meaning they can’t be found anywhere else in the world. In the past, they were thought to be widespread across the islands of Panay and Negros, flying through the once-dense lowland forests. Now, they can only be found in the limited forest areas that remain on Panay.
For the last four years, Haribon Foundation and other non-governmental organisations in the Philippines, including the Philippine Initiative for Environmental Conservation and Philippines Biodiversity Conservation Foundation Inc, have coordinated with the Province of Antique to conduct censuses of the bird’s population across Antique.
The surveys we have conducted have given us insight into the birds’ locations, behaviours and threats. This information is vital for determining the best course of action for conservation. What these surveys also revealed was that the decline in the bird’s population has slowed.
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While critically endangered species are at the highest risk of extinction, there are still many reasons to continue prioritising funding for those that are simply endangered. De-prioritising projects for a species just because it’s been downlisted contradicts what the species needs.
This new knowledge meant that the dulungan needed to be downlisted on the IUCN Red List from critically endangered to endangered in 2025. The requirements for these listing criteria are rigorous and unchangeable. They are based on the most current scientific data available for the species. But endangered still means that the bird is at significant risk of extinction.
With this downlisting, however, dulungans were suddenly excluded from grants that prioritise critically endangered species only. This is why linking funding to conservation status becomes problematic.
Yet the dulungan is still facing serious threats. The birds depend on high-quality forest, and on Panay, only 8 per cent of the original primary forest remains. As more trees are felled to make room for roads and renewable energy infrastructure, this figure is likely to decline further. If financial support for the birds were to end now, Haribon and other conservation organisations would not have the resources to advocate for forest protection, restore habitats and support species recovery interventions.
This is where the similarities to paramedics triaging a scene fall short. Paramedics may first attend to those with the most serious wounds, but medical teams do not simply abandon other injured people once the immediate crisis has passed.
And while critically endangered species are at the highest risk of extinction, there are still many reasons to continue prioritising funding for those that are endangered.
For one, deprioritising projects for a species simply because it has been downlisted contradicts what the species needs. Just as paramedics don’t leave casualties at the scene after they’ve been stitched up, they bring them to the hospital and ensure that they are healing well. Endangered species still require follow-up actions.
The dulungan also serves as a flagship species for the Central Panay Mountains. This means that the bird is well known and can help drive further conservation action. It is also a cultural emblem for nearby communities. Because of this, when Haribon approached local communities about engaging in conservation efforts, they were eager to participate.
The people of Panay began celebrating Dulungan Month each August. Community members became ‘Bantay Gubat’, or forest guards, who report cases of poaching, forest encroachment and forest loss. They have even established a native tree nursery that provides sustainable income.
The efforts to protect the forest for the dulungan don’t only help this one species. The dulungan’s dependence on native fruit trees and large trees for nesting means that protecting the species can help protect an entire ecosystem. In the Central Panay Mountains, conservation of the dulungan also helps the endangered Visayan Hornbill and even the critically endangered Negros Bleeding-heart. These efforts cannot stop simply because the dulungan was downlisted to endangered.
Regardless of the change in status, Haribon will continue to work with Philippine stakeholders and prioritise time and money for this bird because of its ecological and cultural value. We want to make sure that everyone can continue to celebrate this incredible species every August for years to come.
