The Philippine Environment Amidst Climate Change

PHILIPPINE BIODIVERSITY

Biodiversity refers to the totality of life forms in the areas they occupy

Importance of Biodiversity
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Food

IMPORTANCE OF BIODIVERSITY

Food for all living organisms not > 90% calorie intake globally just for man! comes from 80 PLANT SPECIES

FISH comprises 10% of protein intake globally and 50-60% that of Filipinos.

IMPORTANCE OF BIODIVERSITY

Medicines
80% of the worlds population use plants as 1 source of medicine

30% of all pharma medicines are developed from plants and animals

IMPORTANCE OF BIODIVERSITY

Fuel, timber, fiber and other resources

Most houses, furniture and even many clothes are made from natural products, including wood, oils, resins, waxes, gums and fibers. The cocoons of silk worms are the basis of the valuable, centuries-old Asian silkmaking industry.

IMPORTANCE OF BIODIVERSITY

Air and water purification

IMPORTANCE OF BIODIVERSITY

Drought, erosion and flood control

IMPORTANCE OF BIODIVERSITY

Social / cultural value

Biodiversity is directly linked with traditional, spiritual and cultural values of people.

IMPORTANCE OF BIODIVERSITY

Economic value

National Pride: Philippine Biodiversity

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105 species of AMPHIBIANS 82 species are FOUND ONLY in the Philippines

More than 254 species of Reptiles

with 208 species endemic to the Philippines

BIRDS

A total of 576 species of birds

196 of these occur only in the Philippines

111

Of the 179 species of land mammals, species are found only in the Philippines

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Around 20,940 species of insects

69.8% are endemics

estimated 15,000 species, 50% are endemics

70 80% Flowering plants

193 Threatened species

INLAND WATERS
211 Lakes, 18 major rivers, 22 marshes, swamps and reservoir

PHILIPPINE WETLANDS
1616 species of aquatic plants 3675 species of fauna

MANGROVES
Around 60 mangrove plant species in the world 54 mangroves and related species occur in the Philippines
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Corals
462 coral species recorded (Werner and Allen, 2000) Highest in the world !!!

Eastern Papua New Guinea with 380 species; Ryukyu / Yaeyama Islands with 370 Great Barrier Australia with 350 Reef,

FISH
Philippine Total = 2,459/4,000 species in the IndoPacific region (Fish Base 2000)

2,241 marine species (2/3 coral reef-associated) 209 freshwater species

82 (possibly 98) species are Philippine Endemics

Molluscs
22,000 freshwater, land and marine species Nine species Seven occur of in Philippine Giant Clams waters worldwide

photos by Evette Lee

Some Notable Flora and Fauna Species in Philippines Philippine Eagle-

worlds largest eagle

King cobra largest terrestrial venomous snake Phil. Iron Wood/magkuno - hardest wood

Reticulated python largest / longest snake

Some Notable Flora and Fauna Species in Philippines

One of the smallest deer Mouse deer 1 of the Smallest primitive primates Slow loris & Tarsier One of the Largest flowers Rafflesia speciousa Worlds 2 largest bats Golden-crowned Flying Fox & Large Flying Fox Worlds largest rat Cloud rat

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Some Notable Flora and Fauna Species in Philippines

Giant Clam Boring Clam Sperm whale worlds largest giant clam species smallest giant clam species largest toothed cetacean

Porcelain Clam rarest giant clam species

Killer whale

largest dolphin species

Minke Whale
Dugong

smallest of all baleen whales

only herbivorous marine mammal in the Philippines

Some Notable Flora and Fauna Species in Philippines

Whale Shark worlds largest fish
Giant Manta Ray worlds largest ray

Saltwater crocodile worlds largest living reptile

Leatherback turtle largest of all sea turtles
Photo by Evette Lee

Dwarf Pygmy Goby - smallest freshwater fish

Sinarapan / Bia / Tabios smallest food fish

One of the Worlds Richest in Mineral Resources

2nd to Indonesia in geological prospectivity in SouthEast Asia 2nd to South Africa in Gold production 3rd in copper production 3rd in Gold, 4th in Copper deposits 5th in Nickel deposits 6th in Chromite in nickel deposits

Why is Philippine

Biodiversity so rich?
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Disappearing Biodiversity
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Composition and current characteristics of biodiversity in the Philippine Marine environment (source: DENR, 1997)
Taxon Number Economically Important Threatened

Marine Fungi
Sea Grasses Algae Corals1

7
16 1,062 381 3 531 60

Other Invertebrates
Fish2 Mammals3 Reptiles

1,616
1,831 18 20

152
672 18 20

47
18 20

Total*
1 Total
2

4,951

1,396

145

number of corals found in the Phil. now stands at 462 (Werner and Allen, 2000) Total number of fish now is estimated to be over 2,000 species. 3 Total number of marine mammals in Philippine waters is now at 23. * Estimated number of species in the Philippine marine environment is over 5,000

Status of Philippine Mangroves

1918

450,000 hectares (Brown and Fisher, 1920)

1997

only 112,400 hectares (24.97%) remains!!!

(Phil.

Forestry Statistics, 1998)

! loss is largely due to fishpond conversion of mangroves

! reclamation for residential, commercial & industrial purposes and excessive harvesting of trees for fuel

Total number of wildlife species in the Philippines

Major Taxa
Amphibians Reptiles Birds Mammals Total

No. of Species
101+ 258+ 576+* 204+** 1139+

Endemic Species
82+ (78%) 170+ (66%) 195+ (34%) 111+ (54%) 558+ 50%)

Threatened Species
24 8 74 51 157

Forest loss in Negros

1875
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1949 1970

1987 1992

Extent of Forest Cover Loss in the last 100 years

Less than 6% of the countrys original forest remains!

Source: Environmental Science for Social Change, 1999

YEAR 2002

18% forest cover < 3% original forest remains!!!

Km2 FOREST COVER Land area (300,000 km2)

300,000 250,000 200,000 150,000 100,000 50,000 0 1400 1500 1600 1700 1800 1900

(100 years) (400 years)

Spanish colonization (270,000 km2)

American colonization (210,000 km2)

(50 years)

Philippine Independence 1950s (150,000 km2) (40 years) Post EDSA Revolution (8,000 km2)
1990

YEAR

Extent of Original Forest Cover in the Philippines

Countrys productivity "Declining" productivity of the country's agricultural lands and fisheries. .
*

 These areas become increasingly degraded and pushed beyond their capacity to produce

Cause: Rapid forest loss has eliminated habitat for unique and threatened plant and animal species; it has also left large tracts of land in the Philippines vulnerable to soil erosion

 *The loss of nutrient rich soil reduces crop yields and contributes to the expanded use of chemical fertilizers - a practice that can, in turn, pollute water sources.

 Rivers and streams * Soil runoff into also carry eroded fish breeding and soil to the coasts, nursery areas is where it interferes one of several with fish nursery factors leading to areas. the overall decline in productivity of fisheries in the Philippines

Consequences

Food insecurity. The lack of a stable and reliable food supply contributes to poor nutritional status for many Filipinos, especially for children: Approximately 28 percent of children under 5 are underweight (DOH Report, 2006) Food insecurity also contributes to increases in environmentally destructive practices such as slash-and-burn agriculture ("kaingin" farming) or the use of dynamite to increase short-term fish catches.

.*

In 1970, 32 percent of the countrys population lived in urban areas. * Today, 48 percent is crowded into cities, where housing and infrastructure struggle to keep pace with the growing numbers.

 Overcrowding and insufficient housing can be particularly detrimental to children: Studies have suggested that infant mortality rates in Manila's slums are three times higher than in non-slum areas

Water crisis is not far behind: Access to clean and adequate water is an acute seasonal problem in Metro Manila, Central Luzon, Southern Tagalog, and Central Visayas.
Government monitoring data showed that up to 58 percent of the country's water ground is contaminated with coliform bacteria, causing such diseases as diarrhea, cholera, dysentery, and hepatitis A. studies show that there is a steady 30-50% drop in the levels of the countrys water sources for the past 20 years or an average drop of 1 meter/year

While on the average, the atmospheres moisture is renewed every 8 days, stream water every 16 days, soil moisture annually, swamp water in 5 years, lake water in 17 years, groundwater renews only after 1,400 years.

Threats to Philippine biodiversity

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(Sources of Water continuation)

Industrial Pollution

Aquaculture

(Sources of Air continuation)

Mobile Pollution

Domestic Pollution

DIRECT Deforestation due to unsustainable logging, farming and related practices Aquatic destruction due to unsustainable fishing and deforestation Conflicting and poor policies Poor law enforcement Pollution Natural extinction

INDIRECT

Poverty

from 47% Erap regime to 65% now (2 out of 3 feel extreme hunger)

Overpopulation 87.6 Million (August 1, 2007)

Corruption
Lack of knowledge/Miseducation

Apathy (Tragedy of the Common)

Laws of Ecology

Natures Law of Interrelatedness

All things are interconnected

Law of Conservation of Matter Everything Must Go somewhere!

Nature Knows Best

In the end, we will conserve only what we love, we will love only what we understand, and we will understand only what we are taught.
-Baba Dioum, a Senegalese conservationist