A country rich in biodiversity, the Philippines has more than 15,000 species of flora. About 8,000 of these are vascular plants, or those with conducting tissues that transport water and minerals to the different parts of the plant. Some 7,000 species are composed of algae, mosses, fungi, ferns, and fern allies.
Of the total number of species, 3,500 are native to the Philippines and cannot be found anywhere else. The International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) based in Switzerland placed the country in the so-called red list because of the increasing number of extinct and threatened plants which now totals 227.
Currently, there are 37 species that are critically endangered, 28 are endangered, 128 are vulnerable, three are conservation-dependent, and 24 are near-threatened, while about seven species have insufficient data. Most of these plant species are found in lowland moist tropical forest habitats such as rainforest.
Endangered plant species
Some of the endangered plant species in the Philippines include the tree fern (Cyathea spp.), almaciga (Agathis philippinensis), belladonna (Paneolatus spp.), jade vine (Strongylodon macrobotrys), Philippine date palm (Phoenix hanceana Naud. var. philippinensis Becc.), kanyon or luplupak (Lilium philippinense Baker), waling-waling (Vanda sanderiana Reichb.f.), bungang-ipot (Areca ipot Becc.), Philippine camia (Hedychium philippinense K. Schum.), and Cebu cinnamon (Cinnamomum cebuense Koster).
Almaciga trees are found at high elevation in almost all the Philippine islands. These trees can be used in building or housing construction. However, since the cutting of almaciga trees was prohibited in the country, the tree was tapped for other non-timber uses. Experts from the Department of Science and Technology’s Forest Products Research and Development Institute (FPRDI) trained forest dwellers in some provinces of the country on proper collection, processing, and trade of Almaciga resin. They also developed technology in processing and refining Almaciga resin as raw material for varnish, paint, and other related products.
Vanda or waling-waling, on the other hand, originated from the warm islands of the South Pacific. Places like Malaysia , Thailand , Borneo, and the Philippines, particularly the foot of Mount Apo , are natural homes to these rare epiphytic orchid species. It is hailed as the “Queen of Philippine Orchids.” The orchid has long, trailing roots that draw moisture and nutrients from the air. Its long-lasting blooms make this orchid popular among breeders and cut flower enthusiasts. Moreover, it easily crossbreeds with several other orchid species. Some varieties, in fact, were used in successful hybridizations.
Called “tayabak” in the vernacular, the jade vine is another endangered plant species in the country. The luminescent aquamarine blooms of this tropical vine are unique in the plant kingdom. Its flowers are the color of jade, and they hang in bunches up to 90 cm long. Each clawlike flower is about 7.5 cm long. Each flower, looking like a stout butterfly with folded wings, attracts bees, butterflies, birds, and bats.
The Philippine camia or white ginger is also known as the Philippine garland. It is an epiphytic herb with one to three stems. The flowers are white with a shade of yellow, its edges crinkled. The fruit has three sides which turns orange-yellow in color and its seeds are dark red. Camia grows on trunks and branches of trees. The rhizome, or its creeping rootstalk, is used as medium in growing orchids. Its conservation status is very rare.
The Philippine date palm, locally known as “voyavoy” is an erect palm growing alone, its trunk rising up to 10 meters tall and its diameter up to 25 cm. The leaves grow up to 1 m long with leaflets at the lower portion. Its fruits are oblong which turn black when mature. The voyayoy is found mostly on grasslands and occasionally, along mountain streams at low medium altitudes. The plant is usually used for ornamental purposes. The fruit is used for food while the leaves are used to make raincoats, bags, hats, baskets, and others. Up north in Batanes, the leaves are used in making “vakul”, an Ivatan headgear, and “kanayi”, a vest.
“Pakong buwaya” or tree fern (Cyathea spp.) thrives well in high altitude areas like Baguio . It is occasionally planted in gardens and grows up to seven meters. The trunk is covered with black and still interlacing roots. The young fronds are boiled and eaten as vegetable. The rhizome hairs are considered as drug for coagulating blood in Chinese medicine and for rheumatic problems. It is also used as an old man’s tonic. The rhizome itself is used topically for wounds and ulcers, and in handicraft making and construction material such as fencing post. There are 26 endemic species of Cyathea in the Philippines .
Areca ipot Becc. locally known as “Bungang-ipot” is a small stocky tree that reaches four meters in height. The plant belongs to the Palmae family. The dark green leaves, about 1.5 m in length, are gracefully curved outward and appear to be swollen near the base. It bears clusters of flowers. It is normally found in primary forests at low and medium altitudes. Its deep orange fruit has a flattened base and a rounded top, while the seeds are oval-shaped. Some people use the nuts for betel-chewing.
There are still many endangered species in the country, but too little is known about them to be able to officially call them endangered.
Dark scenario
Deforestation is the major contributing factor to the loss of natural habitat of the country’s endangered species. Other reasons why species become endangered include overcollection or exploitation, introduction of other species, disease, pollution, and limited distribution, among others.
The ballooning of the country’s population has jeopardized its forest cover. Between 1990 and 2005, the Philippines lost a third of its forest cover, as the country gave way to the demand for non-agricultural land.
The current deforestation rate is around two percent per year, which is a 20 percent drop from the rate of the 1990s. This puts the country among the top 10 countries with the highest deforestation rates in the world together, namely Honduras , Nigeria , Benin , Ghana , Indonesia , Nepal , North Korea , Ecuador , and Haiti .
Dr. Raul Kamantigue Suarez, a professor in the Department of Ecology, Evolution and Marine Biology at the University of California, Santa Barbara and recently a grantee of DOST’s Balik Scientist Program described the state of Philippine deforestation as “a national Spolarium because when painted, the picture will emerge dark, violent and disturbing such as Juan Luna’s masterpiece.”
Deforestation does not only cause the loss of natural habitats that may eventually lead to species extinction. Its other effects include erosion, massive flooding, river siltation, and drought, all of which had terrible, if not tragic, effect to the country especially during the last decade. Devastating environmental catastrophes that frequently hit the country such as landslides in Baguio, provinces of Aurora and Quezon, Ormoc, Guinsaungon, Leyte, and flooding in Metro Manila were partly, if not entirely, due to the decline in our forest cover.
Such kinds of tragedies increased environmental awareness in the country. A number of non-government organizations and advocacy groups are clamoring to save the environment and preserve our biodiversity reserves and wildlife protected areas in their pristine state. According to the Herbarium Digital Library, plant conservation in the Philippines actually started when Republic Act 3983 was passed in December 3, 1932 to protect wild flowers and other plants from extinction. For the past years, more specific laws were enacted to protect and conserve our forest and wildlife, including the endangered species.
Time to take action
Globally, an international agreement called Convention on Biological Diversity was negotiated under the umbrella of the United Nations to conserve biodiversity. Critical plant sites or centers of plant diversity were identified as areas of great importance for conservation. Locally, these areas include Mount Apo in Mindanao, Mount Pulog in Luzon, Camiguin Island , Bohol Island , Batanes Island , Sibuyan Island in Romblon Province , and Palanan Wilderness area in Luzon .
The responsibility of taking action in the game of conservation does not only rest on the shoulders of scientists and environmentalists. Jane Smart, Director of IUCN’s Biodiversity Conservation Group said “it’s time for governments to get serious about saving species and make sure that it’s high on their agendas, as we are rapidly running out of time.” With the declaration of 2010 as International Year of Biodiversity (IYB), each one should be reminded of his/her role in conserving biodiversity as part of the community, country, and the planet. -30-
By Maria Judith L. Sablan
now i know..