Download ConsInternatPhilippines

More than 7,100 islands fall within the borders of the
Philippines hotspot, identified as one of the worldâ??s
biologically richest countries. Many endemic species
are confined to forest fragments that cover only 7
percent of the original extent of the hotspot. This
includes over 6,000 plant species and many birds
species such as the Cebu flowerpecker, the Philippine
cockatoo, the Visayan wrinkled hornbill, and the
enormous Philippine eagle. Amphibian endemism is
also unusually high and boosts unique species like the
panther flying frog.
The Philippines is also one of the most endangered
areas. Historically logged for timber products, today,
the forests are also being cleared for farming needs
and for developments to accommodate the nations
growing population.
Hotspot Original Extent (km 2)
Hotspot Vegetation Remaining (km
297,179
2)
20,803
6,091
Endemic Plant Species
Endemic Threatened Birds
56
Endemic Threatened Mammals
47
Endemic Threatened Amphibians
48
2
Extinct Speciesâ?
Human Population Density (people/km
2)
Area Protected (km 2)
Area Protected (km
2)
273
32,404
in Categories I-IV*
18,060
â? Recorded extinctions since 1500. *Categories I-IV afford higher levels of protection.
URL: http://www.biodiversityhotspots.org/xp/hotspots/philippines/Pages/default.aspx
27.07.2007
Overview
The world's second largest archipelago country after Indonesia, the Philippines includes
more than 7,100 islands covering 297,179 km² in the westernmost Pacific Ocean. The
Philippines lies north of Indonesia and directly east of Vietnam. The country is one of the
few nations that is, in its entirety, both a hotspot and a megadiversity country, placing it
among the top priority hotspots for global conservation.
The archipelago is formed from a series of isolated fragments that have long and complex
geological histories, some dating back 30-50 million years. With at least 17 active
volcanoes, these islands are part of the â??Ring of Fireâ?• of the Pacific Basin. The
archipelago stretches over 1,810 kilometers from north to south. Northern Luzon is only
240 kilometers from Taiwan (with which it shares some floristic affinities), and the
islands off southwestern Palawan are only 40 kilometers from Malaysian Borneo. The
island of Palawan, which is separated from Borneo by a channel some 145 meters deep,
has floristic affinities with both the Philippines and Borneo in the Sundaland Hotspot, and
strong faunal affinities with the Sunda Shelf.
Hundreds of years ago, most of the Philippine islands were covered in rain forest. The
bulk of the country was blanketed by lowland rainforests dominated by towering
dipterocarps (Dipterocarpaceae), prized for their beautiful and straight hardwood. At
higher elevations, the lowland forests are replaced by montane and mossy forests that
consist mostly of smaller trees and vegetation. Small regions of seasonal forest, mixed
forest and savanna, and pine-dominated cloud forest covered the remaining land area.
URL:
http://www.biodiversityhotspots.org/xp/hotspots/philippines/Pages/biodiversity.aspx
27.07.2007
Taxonomic Group
Species
Endemic Species
Percent Endemism
9,253
6,091
65.8
Mammals
167
102
61.1
Birds
535
186
34.8
Reptiles
237
160
67.5
89
76
85.4
281
67
23.8
Plants
Amphibians
Freshwater Fishes
Unique and threatened biodiversity
The patchwork of isolated islands, the tropical location of the country, and the once
extensive areas of rainforest have resulted in high species diversity in some groups of
organisms and a very high level of endemism. There are five major and at least five
minor centers of endemism, ranging in size from Luzon, the largest island (103,000 km²),
which, for example, has at least 31 endemic species of mammals, to tiny Camiguin Island
(265 km²) speck of land north of Mindanao, which has at least two species of endemic
mammals. The Philippines has among the highest rates of discovery in the world with
sixteen new species of mammals discovered in the last ten years. Because of this, the rate
of endemism for the Philippines has risen and likely will continue to rise.
Plants
At the very least, one-third of the more than 9,250 vascular plant species native to the
Philippines are endemic. Plant endemism in the hotspot is mostly concentrated at the
species level; there are no endemic plant families and 26 endemic genera. Gingers,
begonias, gesneriads, orchids, pandans, palms, and dipterocarps are particularly high in
endemic species. For example, there are more than 150 species of palms in the hotspot,
and around two-thirds of these are found nowhere else in the world. Of the 1,000 species
of orchids found in the Philippines, 70 percent are restricted to the hotspot.
The broad lowland and hill rain forests of the Philippines, which are mostly gone today,
were dominated by at least 45 species of dipterocarps. These massive trees were the
primary canopy trees from sea level to 1,000 meters. Other important tree species here
include giant figs ( Ficus spp.), which provide food for fruit bats, parrots, and monkeys,
and Pterocarpus indicus, like the dipterocarps, is valued for its timber.
Vertebrates
Birds
There are over 530 bird species found in the Philippines hotspot; about 185 of these are
endemic (35 percent) and over 60 are threatened. BirdLife International has identified
seven Endemic Bird Areas (EBAs) in this hotspot: Mindoro, Luzon, Negros and Panay,
Cebu, Mindanao and the Eastern Visayas, the Sulu archipelago, and Palawan. Like other
taxa, birds exhibit a strong pattern of regional endemism. Each EBA supports a selection
of birds not found elsewhere in the hotspot. The hotspot also has a single endemic bird
family, the Rhabdornithidae, represented by the Philippine creepers ( Rhabdornis spp.).
In May 2004, a possibly new species of rail Gallirallus was observed on Calayan island
in the Babuyan islands, northern Philippines. It is apparently most closely related to the
Okinawa rail ( Gallirallus okinawae) from the Ryukyu islands, Japan.
Perhaps the best-known bird species in the Philippines is the Philippine eagle (
Pithecophaga jefferyi, CR), the second-largest eagle in the world. The Philippine eagle
breeds only in primary lowland rain forest. Habitat destruction has extirpated the eagle
everywhere except on the islands of Luzon, Mindanao and Samar, where the only large
tracts of lowland rain forest remain. Today, the total population is estimated at less than
700 individuals. Captive breeding programs have been largely unsuccessful; habitat
protection is the eagle's only hope for survival.
Among the hotspot’s other threatened endemic species are the Negros bleeding heart (
Gallicolumba keayi, CR), Visayan wrinkled hornbill ( Aceros waldeni, CR), Scarletcollared flowerpecker ( Dicaeum retrocinctum, VU), Cebu flowerpecker ( Dicaeum
quadricolor, CR), and Philippine cockatoo ( Cacatua haematuropygia, CR).
Mammals
At least 165 mammal species are found in the Philippine hotspot, and over 100 of these
are endemic (61 percent), one of the highest levels of mammal endemism in any hotspot.
Endemism is high at the generic level as well, with 23 of 83 genera endemic to the
hotspot. Rodent diversification in the Philippines is comparable with the radiation of
honeycreepers in the Hawaiian Islands and finches in the Galapagos.
The largest and most impressive of the mammals in the Philippines is the tamaraw (
Bubalus mindorensis, CR), a dwarf water buffalo that lives only on Mindoro Island. A
century ago the population numbered 10,000 individuals; today only a few hundred
animals exist in the wild. Other mammals endemic to the Philippines include: the
Visayan and Philippine warty pigs ( Sus cebifrons, CR and S. philippensis, VU); the
Calamianes hog-deer ( Axis calamaniensis, EN) and the Visayan spotted deer ( Rusa
alfredi, EN), which has been reduced to a population of a few hundred on the islands of
Negros, Masbate and Panay; and the golden-capped fruit bat ( Acerodon jubatus, EN),
which, as the world's largest bat, has a wingspan up to 1.7 meters.
The Negros naked-backed fruit bat ( Dobsonia chapmani), which was thought to be
extinct in the Philippines, has recently been rediscovered, on the islands of Cebu in 2000
and Negros in 2003.
Reptiles
Reptiles are represented by about 235 species, some 160 of which are endemic (68
percent). Six genera are endemic, including the snake genus Myersophis, which is
represented by a single species, Myersophis alpestris, on Luzon. The Philippine flying
lizards from the genus Draco are well represented here, with about 10 species. These
lizards have a flap of skin on either side of their body, which they use to glide from trees
to the ground.
An endemic freshwater crocodile ( Crocodylus mindorensis, CR) is considered the most
threatened crocodilian in the world. In 1982, wild populations totaled only 500-1000
individuals; by 1995 a mere 100 crocodiles remained in natural habitats. The recent
discovery of a population of this species in the Sierra Madre of Luzon brings new hope
for its conservation, as does the implementation of projects aimed at raising awareness
and protecting the crocodile’s habitat. The Crocodile Rehabilitation, Observance and
Conservation (CROC) Project of the Mabuwaya Foundation is active in carrying out such
projects.
Other unique and threatened reptiles include Gray's monitor ( Varanus olivaceus, VU)
and the Philippine pond turtle ( Heosemys leytensis, CR). A newly discovered monitor
lizard, Varanus mabitang, from Panay is only the second monitor species known in the
world to specialize on a fruit diet.
Amphibians
There are nearly 90 amphibian species in the hotspot, almost 85 percent of which are
endemic; these totals continue to increase, with the continuing discovery and description
of new species. One interesting amphibian, the panther flying frog ( Rhacophorus
pardalis), has special adaptations for gliding, including extra flaps of skin and webbing
between fingers and toes to generate lift during glides. The frog glides down from trees to
breed in plants suspended above stagnant bodies of water. The frog genus Platymantis is
particularly well represented with some 26 species, all of which are endemic; of these, 22
are considered threatened. The young of all Platymantis species undergo direct
development, bypassing the tadpole stage. The hotspot is also home to the Philippine flatheaded frog ( Barbourula busuangensis, VU), one of the world's most primitive frog
species.
Freshwater Fishes
The Philippines has more than 280 inland fish, including nine endemic genera and more
than 65 endemic species, many of which are confined to single lakes. An example is
Sardinella tawilis, a freshwater sardine found only in Taal Lake. Sadly, Lake Lanao, in
Mindanao, seems likely to have become the site of one of the hotspot’s worst extinction
catastrophes, with nearly all of the lake’s endemic fish species now almost certainly
extinct, primarily due to the introduction of exotic species (like Tilapia).
Invertebrates
About 70 percent of the Philippines’ nearly 21,000 recorded insect species are found only
in this hotspot. About one-third of the 915 butterflies found here are endemic to the
Philippines, and over 110 of the more than 130 species of tiger beetle are found nowhere
else.
URL: http://www.biodiversityhotspots.org/xp/hotspots/philippines/Pages/impacts.aspx
27.07.2007
Human Impacts
Along with its remarkable levels of species endemism, the Philippines is one of the
worldâ??s most threatened hotspots, with only about seven percent of its original, oldgrowth, closed-canopy forest left. A mere three percent is estimated to remain in the
lowland regions. About 14 percent of the original vegetation remains as secondary
growth in various stages of degradation; these areas would probably be capable of
regeneration if they are not disturbed further.
The Philippines has a population of 80 million people with livelihoods highly dependent
on natural resources. Severe rural poverty and a high population growth rate (2.2 percent)
and density (273 people per km²) have put enormous pressure on the remaining forests.
Widespread use of timber became common 500 years ago, when the Spanish began using
trees for the construction of their fleet. As late as 1945, two-thirds of the country was still
covered by old-growth forest. However, in the following decades, logging rates
accelerated rapidly. Between 1969 and 1988, 2,000 km² were logged annually, three
times the global rate for tropical forest conversion. Although there has been a decline in
logging activities due to the state of its forests and the increasing awareness among the
communities, illegal logging activities still persist in the countries remaining forests as
witnessed in the December 2004 landslides.
Other imminent threats to Philippine forests include mining and land conversion. In 1997,
regions where mining activities took place covered one-quarter of the country and
included more than half of the remaining primary forest. The countryâ??s development
objectives, which include road network development, irrigation, power and energy
projects, and planned ports and harbors, still need to be harmonized with biodiversity
conservation goals.
Introductions of exotic species have also taken a toll, particularly in wetlands. The
following groups have had a particularly negative impact on wetland biodiversity: fish
such as the giant catfish and black bass; toads and frogs, including the marine toad ( Bufo
marinus), the American bullfrog ( Rana catesbeiana) and leopard frog ( Rana tigrina);
and aquatic plants like the water hyacinth and water fern.
URL:
http://www.biodiversityhotspots.org/xp/hotspots/philippines/Pages/conservation.aspx
27.07.2007
conservation action and protected areas
Conservationists fear that, without immediate intervention, the Philippines hotspot is on
the brink of an extinction crisis. Logging concessions have not been eliminated from
lowland forests, which have already been reduced to a tiny fraction of their original
cover, and illegal logging is widespread.
National parks and protected areas are crucial for the conservation of Philippine
biodiversity. However, only 11 percent of the total land area of the Philippines
(approximately 32,000 km²) is protected. This figure drops to only six percent of the
hotspot (18,000 km²) when only protected areas in IUCN categories I to IV are
included. National park boundaries have not been well demarcated, there is little
enforcement, and there is even debate over how many parks exist in the country. Twothirds of parks have human settlements, and one-quarter of their lands have already been
disturbed or converted to agriculture. On a positive note, at least five new protected areas
were proclaimed in 2002. In October 2003, the Peñablanca Protected Landscape and
Seascape was greatly expanded, from 4,136 hectares to 118,108 hectares. More recently,
the Quirino Protected Landscape, which covers 206,875 hectares in northeastern Luzon,
was established through a presidential proclamation.
One way of ensuring that the network of protected areas adequately conserves
biodiversity is through the conservation of Key Biodiversity Areas (KBAs), sites holding
populations of globally threatened or geographically restricted species. KBAs are discrete
biological units that contain species of global conservation concern and that can be
potentially managed for conservation as a single unit. In the Philippines hotspot,
Conservation International-Philippines in collaboration with the Field Museum in
Chicago, Haribon Foundation and other local partners are in the process of identifying
and delineating KBAs throughout the Philippines. This work, supported by CEPF, is a
refinement of the broad-scale priorities identified during the 2000 Philippines
Biodiversity Conservation Priority-Setting Process. It builds directly from the 117
Important Bird Areas defined by the Haribon Foundation, published in 2001. As IBAs are
sites containing globally threatened, restricted-range, and congregatory species, they
provide the starting point for the incorporation of data on other taxonomic groups to
identify KBAs.
In addition to creating effective protected areas, basic field research is desperately needed
to support conservation activities. New endemic species are being discovered all of the
time, and this information feeds directly into the refinement and prioritization of KBAs.
A range of other conservation activities are underway throughout the islands. For
example, the Philippine Cockatoo Conservation Program on Palawan has made great
progress in reducing the theft of this speciesâ?? eggs. On Cebu, the recent rediscovery of
several of the islandsâ?? presumed-extinct species (most famously the Cebu
flowerpecker), has focused community conservation activities by the Cebu Biodiversity
Conservation Foundation on protecting the islandâ??s last few hectares of forest. The
Haribon Foundation and Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund have organized a
Threatened Species Program to support such initiatives through the provision of small
grants.
In the long term, it is clear that landscape- and seascape-scale conservation will be
necessary to allow the Philippinesâ?? extraordinary biodiversity to persist. To this end,
Conservation International and the Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund have been
supporting conservation in biodiversity conservation corridors in the Sierra Madre,
Palawan, and Eastern Mindanao regions. This work has included the establishment of the
Philippine Eagle Alliance, to coordinate the work of the various conservation groups
working within the range of this magnificent but seriously threatened flagship species for
Philippine conservation.