Tawa, meaning laugh in Tagalog, is a Northen Sierra Madre Forest Monitor (Varanus bitatawa) which his name was derived from. His name perfectly represents the spirit of monitoring and promoting the environment of Sierra Madre and its biodiversity!
Sierra Madre features widely diverse ecosystems and organisms from freshwater crocodiles in the rivers to the golden-crowned flying foxes of the sky!
Sierra Madre's biodiversity is threatened by deforestation and human encroachment. When forest coverage is turned to residential zones, endemic species lose their habitat to invasive species that are more tolerant to disturbed areas.