The Haribon Foundation for the Conservation of Natural Resources, simply known as Haribon Foundation, is a membership organization dedicated to the conservation of Philippine biodiversity. It aims to build a constituency for environmental issues that will prioritize conservation actions on habitats and sites, based on solid, scientific, and socio-economic research. It considers itself the pioneer environmental organization in the Philippines.
The name “Haribon” is a concatenation of “haring ibon,” in English "bird king" or "king of the birds", referring to the Philippine Eagle, the icon signifying the importance of protecting biodiversity in the Philippines. Its presence is a constant reminder to Filipinos to be continuously involved in taking care of our environment.[1]
Haribon started out as a bird-watching society in 1972 which evolved into a nature and wildlife conservation society. In 1983, the society became a full-fledged conservation foundation. It is recognized in the Philippines and abroad as the pioneer in Philippine environmental conservation. It joins birds and habitat conservation organizations worldwide in a global partnership called BirdLife International, Haribon being the Philippine partner.
On December 9, 2007, Getafe, Jandayan Island off Bohol is a marine sanctuary, since 1995 to the luminous seahorses swimming among corals in the dark waters. It was awarded the most outstanding marine protected area (MPA) in the Philippines by the MPA Support Network (MSN), a multisectoral alliance of organizations seeking to protect the marine environment. The 50-hectare Handumon marine sanctuary is part of a large barrier reef in the waters of Bohol, teeming with fish, seashells and thick mangroves. The Haribon Foundation set up a Project Seahorse Foundation in Handumon to protect seahorses.[2]