Download Phenological Knowledge of Rural Folks, Biodiversity, and

Introduction
The rapidly growing human population
worldwide and the changing consumption
patterns have propelled the world to embrace
industrialised or the so-called Fordist
agriculture (Lopez, 2006), but limited the
crops to few species only, which they called as
‘superior’ ones to feed millions.
The traditional agricultural ways of our
forebears have been displaced by ‘modern’,
‘intensive’ ways that lead to the 12% emission
of GHGs (International Trade centre
UNCTAD/WTO, 2007), which is presumed as
one of the causes of Climate Change .
Phenology is defined as the study of ‘the
timing of natural events’, ‘nature’s cycles
of life’, the ‘death and birth of natural
events’ (Fewless, 2007; OSU-PGN, 2006).
Common examples of these are the cyclic
natural falling of leaves and flowering and
fruiting of plants and the emergence and
migration of birds, insects and other
faunal organisms, which are their natural
response to seasonal, climatic and even
catastrophic changes in our environment.
As such, phenology supports that plants,
animals and seasons are interrelated from
one another and their interactions create
mutual multiple dependencies that are given
with ‘meanings’ by human beings.
Thus, phenology is not only limited to the
academicians, because this has been practiced
by our forebears a long time ago. It served as
their natural calendar in agriculture for a
successful harvest, thus already a part of
human culture as it is connected to the
‘unseen beings’ and people’s traditional
knowledge or local knowledge.
Methodology
This study is an exploratory qualitative
research,
which
make
use
of
unstructured interviews. It covers 15
interior and agroecological barangays
such as: Bayute, Boi, Canat, Hinapulan,
Sabong, Tambunan, Tumagabok and
Hinapulan in the town of Boac;
Bagtingon and Timbo in the town of
Buenavista; Tabionan in the town of
Gasan; Nangka, Sibuyao, Sinambahan
and Talawan in the town of Torrijos.
Results and Discussion
Plant species
Afzelia rhomboidea (Blnc.)Vidal
Antidesma bunius (Linn.) Spreng.
Canarium ovatum Engler
Cinnamomum mercadoi Vidal
Clausena anisum-olens (Blnc.) Merr.
Cordia dichotoma Forster f.
Dillenia philippinensis Rolfe
Duabanga moluccana Blume
Erythrina orientalis (Linn.)Merr.
Ficus ampelas Burm. F.
Kleinhovia hospital Linn.
Lithocarpus buddii Soepadmo
Micromelum compressum (Blnc.) Merr.
Musa errans var. butuan (Blnc.)
Polyalthea flava Merr.
Pongamia pinnata (Linn.)Merr.
Premna odorata Blnc.
Pterocarpus indicus Will.
Samanea saman (Jcq.)Merr.
Schizostachyum diffusum (Blnc.) Merr.
Spathodea campanulata Beauv.
Sterculia foetida Linn.
Trema orientalis (Linn.)Blnc.
Vitex parviflora Juss.
Siit-grass ( unknown scientific name)
Local name
Tindalo
Awsep
Pili
Kalingag
Anis-gubat
Anonang
Katmon-gubat
Luktob
Dapdap
Balete
Tan-ag
Babagsik
Tapyas
Pakil
Lanutan
Bani
Alagaw
Narra
Acacia
Usiw
Tulipang-gubat
Bangad
Anabiong
Mulawing-kahoy
Siit
Table 1. Plant ‘messengers’, classification and local names.
Plant family
Caesalpiniaceae
Euphorbiaceae
Burseraceae
Lauraceae
Rutaceae
Boraginaceae
Dilleniaceae
Sonneratiaceae
Papilionaceae
Moraceae
Sterculiaceae
Fagaceae
Rutaceae
Musaceae
Annonaceae
Papilionaceae
Verbenaceae
Papilionaceae
Mimosaceae
Poaceae (Bambusae)
Bignoniaceae
Sterculiaceae
Ulmaceae
Verbenaceae
Poaceae
Type
tree
shrub
tree
tree
shrub
tree
tree
tree
tree
tree
tree
shrub
shrub
herb
tree
tree
shrub
tree
tree
bamboo
tree
tree
tree
tree
grass
Results of the study revealed 25 plant
species (one has still unknown scientific
name) (Table 1). Majority of them are trees
and are considered diverse, because they
are represented by 18 families.
Farmers are aware of the imminence of
certain
pests
in
their
farms
by
synchronizing their occurrence to the
flowering and fruiting of certain species of
plants in their locality (Table 2).
Plant ‘messenger’
Afzelia rhomboidea (Blco.) Vidal
Antidesma bunius (Linn.) Spreng.
Floweringfruiting period
Aug-Sept
June-Aug
‘Message’
Collecting freshwater shrimps
Prevalence of white stem borer
Canarium ovatum Engler
Jan-Feb
Abundance of Tarictic birds
Cinnamomum mercadoi Vidal
July-Aug
Prevalence of green leafhopper
Clausena
anisum-olens
(Blco.)
Merr.
Cordia dichotoma Forster f.
June-July
Prevalence of blister beetle
May-June
Planting of cassava
Dillenia philippinensis Rolfe
Feb-March
Signal the harvesting of wild yams in the forests
Duabanga moluccana Blume
Oct-Nov
Collecting edible snails
Erythrina orientalis (Linn.) Merr.
Apr-May
Collecting red crabs
Ficus ampelas Burm. F.
Jan-Feb
Abundance of Balud birds and other dove family
Kleinhovia hospital Linn.
Aug-Sept
Abundance of Katsuwonus sp., Sarda sp.
Lithocarpus buddii Soepadmo
Aug-Sept
Fruiting marks the mating season of wild deer
Micromelum compressum (Blco.
)Merr.
Musa errans var. butuan (Blco.)
Aug-Sept
Treating the camote field with sugar or grated coconut to increase yield
once matured
Fruiting marks the abundance of civet cats
Polyalthea flava Merr.
Apr-May
Preparing the swidden for cropping
Pongamia pinnata (Linn.) Merr.
Apr-May
Abundance of Cheilopogon sp., Auxis sp.
Premna odorata Blco.
Oct-Nov
Planting of irrigated rice to avoid pests
Pterocarpus indicus Will.
Feb-March
Prevalence of bean leaf beetle & melon fly
Samanea saman (Jcq.) Merr.
May-June
Planting of camote and of trap crops in the swidden e.g. Zinnias, Tithonia, Marigold
Schizostachyum diffusum (Blco.)
Merr.
Spathodea campanulata Beauv.
March-Apr
Feb-March
Rarely bear flowers, but when happened marks the start of long dry season /
drought
Collecting edible freshwater crabs
Sterculia foetida Linn.
March-Apr
Preparing the swidden for cropping
Trema orientalis (Linn.) Blco.
Feb-March
Abundance of octopus and squid; planting of crucifers
Vitex parviflora Juss.
May-June
Planting of corn
Siit-grass
name)
(
unknown
scientific
-
When turned sallow during April, wild boars raid the farmer’s farm
Table 2. Plants’ cycle of flowering & fruiting as ‘messenger’ to farmers.
LOCAL PHENOLOGY AND THE IMMINENCE OF PESTS
The flowering of Narra (Pterocarpus
indicus) signals the imminence of bean
leaf beetle and melon fly
Others synchronize the planting and
transplanting of these trap-crops at the
onset of the flowering of Acacia
(Acacia samanea).
Alagaw (Premna odorata) marks the
onset of pests for their cash crops and
sometimes they use its leaves to drive
them away
The imminence of blister beetles in the
farm is synchronized to the flowering and
fruiting of Anis-gubat (Clausena anisumolens), which the leaves are also used in
driving them away from the protected
plants
The farmers pound the
combined leaves of Anis-gubat
and Ikmo (Piper betle) with
fruits of Siling-labuyo
(Capsicum frutescens) and use
them as plant spray.
LOCAL PHENOLOGY AND FARMING
In the upland, the farmers
look at the shedding of
leaves and flowering of
Bangad (Sterculia foetida) in
preparing swiddens for cash
crops.
Other farmers look on the
flowering of Lanutan
(Polyalthia flava), which is
abundant in the forests for
the right time of preparing
their fields
The start of the flowering
of Tapyas (Micromelum
compressum) marks the
application of sugar or
grated coconut to the
mounds of camote to
increase yield and to
sweeten.
LOCAL PHENOLOGY, FISHING AND COLLECTING OF
CRUSTACEANS AND MOLLUSCS
The collection of
Susong sapa and
Susong banagan (edible
snails) in the rivers and
creeks is synchronized
to the flowering of
Luktob (Duabanga
mollucana).
According to them,
the flowering of
Tindalo (Afzelia
rhomboidea) marks
the collection of
freshwater shrimps
in the rivers and
creeks
The onset of the big,
red flowers of
Tulipang-gubat
(Spathodea
campanulata) marks
the right time for
collecting freshwater
crabs in the rivers
and creeks
Some people follow the flowering season
of Dapdap (Erythrina orientalis). When
they are all red and all the leaves shed
off, collection of Kagang (red rock crab)
is made.
LOCAL PHENOLOGY AND PREVALENCE OF WILD
ANIMALS
The ripening of the fruits of Balete
(Ficus ampelas) and Pili (Canarium
ovatum) in the forested areas marks
the
prevalence
of
Tarictic
(Penelopidas manillae) and Balud or
Imperial
Pigeon
(Ducula
mindorensis)
The prevalence of wild pigs,
civet cats and deers are marked
by the yellowing of Siit grass,
the synchronized ripening of
fruits of Pakil (Musa errans var
butuan Blco) and the falling of
fruits of Babagsik (Lithocarpus
buddii) respectively
Conclusion and Implications
 The farmers identified 25 plants, mostly trees and shrubs.
Their flowering and fruiting seasons serve as their
‘messenger’ or marker for farming, imminence of pest,
fishing, prevalence of wild animals and even ‘announces’
the coming of long dry season.
 Local phenology maybe classified by others as foolish,
maybe in the opinion of some university educated, city
dwellers, who always look on statistics. But, this has been
developed based from the farmers’ knowledge and
experiences, which later become a part of the
communities’ beliefs, value system and practices. As they
relate these cyclical patterns to subsistence activities, they
considered them as environment-friendly.
 Nowadays, very few farmers are applying
these cyclical patterns of plants in their
environment, because of these plants
unpredictable changes, which is presumed
brought by Climate Change.
 For us, this local knowledge system of the
farmers is facing extinction, same as the
plants and animals that are pressured by the
effects of Climate Change. Therefore, it is sad
to say that these local knowledge of our
forebears will be lost in oblivion, same as the
case of our vanishing forests, plants and
animals.
THANK YOU!