Manila, July 1 -- The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) has logged a 12 percent increase in the population of the critically endangered tamaraw in Mindoro, but noted that forest degradation and other human-induced threats remain the biggest obstacles to ensuring the species' long-term survival.

In an interview on Wednesday, Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Office (PENRO) Occidental Mindoro officer and concurrent Tamaraw Conservation Program chief Efren Delos Reyes said the steady increase in the population is giving conservationists reason for optimism.

The tamaraw (Bubalus mindorensis), a dwarf buffalo found only on Mindoro Island, remains one of the Philippines' most endangered mammals and is also con...