Haribon Membership can be regarded as Haribon’s first ever project. A group of nature-lovers started the Haribon Society in 1972 which then grew from a birdwatching group to become the country’s oldest biodiversity conservation membership.
In 1972, the Haribon Foundation was established as a birdwatching society that made Members from nature lovers. It activated people who wanted to champion solutions and science to reduce threats to precious wildlife in the country. Today, hundreds of dedicated individuals have passed through Haribon Membership, taking with them the understanding of what it means to be biodiversity champions.
To develop these champions, Haribon provides an opportunity for people of all backgrounds and ages to deepen their understanding of the environment and our conservation work.
Latest news from Haribon Membership
Scattered throughout 2014 and 2015 were educational & research activities geared towards giving individuals and organizations firsthand experience in biodiversity conservation.
Haribon Learning Sessions were implemented, discussing topics such as natural ecosystems, ecology and Philippine biodiversity, climate change, environmental laws and Philippine forests, solid waste management and facilitation skills. 7 sessions were conducted from 2014 to 2015. Haribon also launched Haribon Meets U (HMU) in September of 2015 with “What’s your fish today?” Covering Haribon’s latest research in 5 important marine key biodiversity areas, the first HMU brought 9 members face to face with Haribon researchers and professionals.
Haribon membership also conducted talks and sign-up drives to grow biodiversity knowledge and membership. From 2014 to 2015, 41 drives were conducted in different schools and corporations. This includes drives for Affiliate Members; schools and companies that signed up as organizations. 6 Affiliates were signed in 2014, and 7 in 2015, including Earth UST, an environment organization in the University of Santo Tomas. Earth UST also helped coordinate activities for our Welcome to the Birds campaign in both 2014 and 2015.
The Welcome to the Birds campaign celebrates the migratory bird season, which roughly occurs from September to March every year. Millions of birds from around the globe travel through the East Asian-Australasian Flyway, a “highway in the sky”. The Philippines is located near-center in this flyway; its habitats acting as a haven and pit stop for many of the 400+ species that use the flyway. Haribon members assisted in information campaigns and teaching tours, while Earth UST held booths in our annual Bird Kite-Flying festival; twice in a row from 2014 to 2015.
Haribon continued its drive to keep members updated and active by holding its annual General Assembly (GA) and Board of Trustees Election. In 2014, 96 members attended the GA held in Ortigas at the Crowne Plaza with the theme “Express Yourself”. With the theme “Act. Make an Impact.” The 2015 GA was held in UP Diliman with the UPIE Club (University of the Philippines-Industrial Engineering) as the official partner. There we introduced two new Haribon Ambassadors for Conservation (HAC) Enzo Pineda and Barbie Forteza from GMA Artist Center, and soon after took members on a bird watching activity for our Urban Birds campaign.
“I have grown to really appreciate our country’s natural beauty, our marine and forest sanctuaries…” -Anna Victoria Cordero, Haribon Member
2014
- 658 Individual members registered.
- 6 Member Organizations & Affiliates from various schools and companies.
- 15 Membership drives conducted with schools & companies.
- 60 Birdwatchers participated in 8 birdwatching activities.
2015
- 208 Individual members registered.
- 7 Member Organizations & Affiliates from various schools and companies.
- 26 Membership drives conducted with schools & companies.
- 90 Birdwatchers participated in 6 birdwatching activities.
