Princess Joy Deriada
Palawan Bearcat or the Palawan binturong a sub species of Arctictis Binturong that is commonly accepted by the scientific community as opportunistic omnivorous. This species is endemic in Palawan and listed as vulnerable by IUCN Red list but listed as endangered by the Palawan Council for Sustainable Development (PCSD).
The area of the study is in Sitio Bubulongan, Barangay Corong-corong, El Nido Palawan, Phlippines. The project site is situated within the El Nido-Taytay Managed Resource Protected Area (ENTMRPA).
This study aims to make an executive list of the plant and tree species involved in binturong's diet as well as to know the impact of the biturong’s feeding behavior and digestion on the seed dispersion and germination. Moreover, taking the plants conservation status into consideration will contribute to the improvement of the conservation programs targeting the binturong by including the protection of these plants as an effective measure to protect the binturong.
The identification of the trees involved in the diet of the binturong and their current conservation status will help in the improvement of conservation programs targeting bearcats. This information can indeed be employed, for example, in the choice of the tree species of reforestation actions in Palawan. It could also lead to the protection of targeted tree species if some appears to be specifically important in binturong's diet. Moreover, the in-situ observation will allow to understand the impact of the binturong in environment for the conservation of their habitat, which is of importance to validate or invalidate the commonly accepted fact that the binturong is an important seed disperser for Asian forests.