Philippine
Biodiversity
What is Biodiversity?
The variety of all living things on earth!
Biodiversity - what is it?
• Variety of life in our natural
environment - from the smallest
micro-organism to the largest
mammals, including the
ecosystems where they live forests and mountains, rivers
and seas.
• Variety within and between
species.
Levels of Biological Diversity
1. Diversity of genes
example: dogs (Chihuahuas, beagles, and
rottweilers)
2. Diversity of species
example: monkeys, dragonflies, and meadow
beauties are all different species or kinds of
animals or plants.
3. Variety of ecosystems
Ecosystems or the environment like lakes,
coral reefs, ponds, and tropical rain forests has its
own set of species living in it.
I.
Genetic Diversity
➢
It is basically the variety of
species expressed at the
genetic
level
by
each
individual in a species.
No two individuals belonging
to the same species are exactly
similar.
For example, in the species of
human beings, each human
shows a lot of diversity in
comparison to another human.
People living in different
regions show a great level of
variation.
➢
➢
➢
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II.Species Diversity
➢ It is the biodiversity observed
within a community.
➢ It stands for the number and
distribution of species.
➢ The number of species in a
region varies widely depending
upon the varied environmental
conditions.
➢ For example, it is usually observe
d that civilizations residing beside
water bodies show more species
than the one compared to the
areas away from water bodies.
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III.Ecological diversity
➢ It defines the diversity observed among
the ecosystems in a particular region.
➢ Different ecosystems like mangroves,
rainforests, deserts, etc., show a great
variety of life forms residing in them.
7/11/2019
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Survey on the Flora and Fauna in
the Philippines
PHILIPPINES: high species
diversity and high endemicity
ENDANGERED
• Species that have
reduced in number to
be at critical level
ENDEMIC
• An organism
exclusively native to a
place or biota
Philippine Biodiversity
MAMMALS
206+ species of terrestrial mammals, 117 species (57%) endemic
27 species of marine mammals
* Heaney et al. 2010
DUGONG or SEA COWS
MOUSE
DEER
found
only in
PALAWAN
Our Dear Deer...
One of the world's rarest mammals
lives in the dwindling forest of Panay
Island: Philippine spotted deer
(Cervus alfredi), considered by many
as the most endangered deer in the
planet
Deer that cannot be found
elsewhere: the Calamian hog
deer or Calamian deer
have longer and darker legs,
compared with other hog deer.
By 1996, its population further
declined to only about 900,
prompting conservationists to
declare it as an endangered
species.
The Mammals
The Largest Endangered Animal
Unique pygmy water
buffalos (Bubalus
mindorensis) endemic to
Mindoro listed as one of
the ten most endangered
species in the world.
From 10,000 heads in the
1900's, population went
down to 369 heads in the
late 1980's to as few as
20 heads roaming in the
wild today
The Mammals
•
Philippine tarsier (Tarsius
syrichta) measures only about
twelve centimeters in length.
•
Its two big eyes cannot move
and do not have a tapetum - the
upper protective tissue; can
turn its head 180 degrees.
•
Found in the islands of Samar,
Leyte, Bohol and Mindanao, the
Philippine tarsier got its name
from its elongated tarsus bone.
•
Today, there are only about
1,000 tarsiers inhabiting the
wilds of Corella town in Bohol
province where the biggest
concentration of these rare
animals was once reported.
•
For Your Eyes Only...
Tarsier
Ensuring the continued
existence of the Philippine
tarsiers is the Philippine Tarsier
Foundation Inc.
The Mammals
Neither a Bear nor a cat
• The Palawan bearcat population is threatened
by human activities.
The Mammals
World's Smallest Hoofed Mammal
• South of Palawan, lies the Balabac Island, home of the world's
smallest hoofed mammal - the Philippine mouse deer.
• Locally known as Pilandok (Tragalus nigricans), this ruminant
stands only about 40 centimeters at the shoulder level.
• While the mouse deer are widely distributed across Asia, their
dwindling population has alarmed the World Conservation
Union, which declared them as endangered in 1996.
The Mammals
Herbivorus Marine Mammal
• Dugongs or sea cows,
the only herbivorous marine
mammals, are often sighted in
Philippine waters,
particularly near Palawan
province and southern
Mindanao.
• A dugong can live more than 70 years.
The Mammals
• The Philippine government has banned
the commercial exploitation of dugong
since 1991.
Largest Bats...
Golden- capped fruit
Bat
Acerdon jubatus
Over the years, these
two species of giant
fruit bats have
roamed around the
10,000-hectare Subic
Forest National
Protected Area,
which is considered
the biggest roosting
site of bats in the
world.
The Mammals
Smallest bats
The smallest bat in the world is the Philippine
bamboo bat (vespertilionid), which belongs to the
vespertilionid family. This bat measures about four
centimeters (1 1/2 inches) in length and has a
wingspan of 15 cm. Approximately, it weighs 1.5
grams (1/20 ounce).
The Mammals
Endemics...and Endangered
The Mindoro Pallid Flying
Fox smallest flying fox in
the Philippines
The Philippine tube-nosed bat,
Nyctimene rabori of Negros is
considered highly endangered
The Mammals
And they were gone...
bare-backed fruit bat or Dobsonia chapmani
Believed to
have become
extinct in
1970s as a
result of the
combination of
forest
destruction,
disturbance by
guano miners,
and hunting
The Mammals
Flying Lemur : Kagwang
The continuous denudation of
tropical forests in the country
threatens the remaining population of
kagwang, which used to abound in
the wilderness of Basilan, Leyte,
Samar, Bohol and Mindanao.
The Mammals
Philippine government declared
kagwang as an endangered species
and banned its commercial
exploitation.
Endemics...and Endangered
Northern Luzon Giant Cloud Rat
The Visayan Warty Pig
Sus cebifrons
1994: Endangered
1996 - 2004: Critically
Endangered
Phloeomys pallidus
Widespread in northern and central
Luzon
From sea level to high mountains (at
least 2000 m), in primary and
secondary forest and heavily disturbed
scrub
The Mammals
Philippine Biodiversity
BIRDS
Philippine Eagle
576+ species, 195 endemic
Bleeding Heart Pigeon
nesting in Luzon.
Causes of Endangerment of Birds
• They are large, easily seen birds and
thus vulnerable to being shot;
• They are trapped for pets or food;
• Their habitat has been destroyed,
especially lowland virgin forest; and
• They are restricted to one or two
islands.
The Philippine Eagle : Pithecophaga jefferyi
Lives in the rainforests of
Isabela, Samar, Leyte and
Mindanao.
It has similarities with Papua
New Guinea's Harpy Eagle
(Harpyopsis novaeguinea).
It lives on large snakes,
hornbills, civet cats, flying
lemurs and monkeys - the
reason why it is also called
monkey-eating eagle.
With an estimated population
of 100 to 300 today, the
Philippine eagle is in danger of
extinction.
One of the World's
Largest Eagles
It is one of the 400 exotic bird
species in the Philippines,
which, if not protected, would
disappear from the face of the
Earth.
Endangered…
Philippine Cockatoo - Image copyright Blake Twigden
The Philippine or Red-vented Cockatoo
(Cacatua haematuropygia)
The Palawan Peacock Pheasant
(Polyplectron emphanum)
Endangered…
The Sulu Hornbill
(Anthracoceros montani)
The Mindoro Imperial Pigeon
(Ducula mindorensis)
Sulu hornbill and Cebu black shama, the Philippine
Eagle might follow the Cebu flowerpecker which is now
presumed extinct.
Endangered…
Cebu Black Shama
Cebu Flowerpecker
(now presumed extinct)
Endemics…and Endangered
Visayan wrinkled hornbill
Aceros waldeni
The Negros Bleeding Heart Pigeon
Gallicolumba platenae
Red-bellied pitta (Pitta erythrogaster)
Endemics…and still widespread
Grand
Rhabdornis
Philippine Biodiversity
REPTILES
258+ species, 170 (66%) endemic
* Diesmos et al. 2002
I'm a leatherback, the largest sea turtle
in the world. I can grow up to 7ft long
and weigh over 2,000 lbs! I can also
dive deeper than any other sea turtle up to 4,200 feet!.
Philippine crocodiles
less than 200 in the wild
Philippine Biodiversity
AMPHIBIANS
101+ species, 78 (77%) endemics
* Diesmos et al. 2002
Caecilian
-not a worm nor snake
-legless amphibian
-very hard to find.
Pygmy Forest Frog
- smallest frog in the
Philippines
Sibuyan Island.
Cordillera and Sierra Madre
World's Largest Reptile
Salt Water Crocodile
Crocodylus porosus, it is different from
Mindoro's freshwater crocodile (Crocodylus
mindorensis)
There were tales
that a 27-foot
saltwater
crocodile was
killed near Lake
Taal in Batangas
in 1823.
It reportedly
took 40 men to
bring the body
ashore.
Amphibians and Reptiles
ONLY IN THE PHILIPPINES
• Busuanga, Culion, and Palawan
Philippine flat- headed frog
Barbourula busuangensis
• inhabits clear, unpolluted swift-flowing mountain
streams and rivers in lowland rainforests where it
usually floats near the surface of the water unless
disturbed, when it will hide under submerged rocks
Amphibians and Reptiles
ONLY IN THE PHILIPPINES
southern Luzon and
Catanduanes Island
in the Philippines,
where it inhabits the
forested slopes of
low mountains
Gray’s monitor
Varanus olivaceus
Amphibians and Reptiles
Our Turtles...
Loggerhead (Caretta caretta)
Olive Ridley Sea Turtle - Lepidochelys olivacea
Leatherback Sea Turtle - Dermochelys coriacea
Olive Ridley (Lepidochelys olivacea)
Eretmochelys imbricata (Hawksbill Turtle)
Leatherback sea turtle
Philippine pond turtle
Heosemys leytensis
Philippine Green turtle
Hawksbill sea turtle
Amphibians and Reptiles
Philippine Biodiversity
FISH
About 4,050 species in the Indo-Pacific region
2,228 coral reef fish species in the Coral Triangle (37%
World; 56% Indo-Pacific)
People call me Nemo these
days, which is short for
anemonefish. I make my
home among the stinging
tentacles of a sea anemone.
Yes, I'm a fish! I'm a
young batfish and I'm
mimicking a toxic
flatworm so predators
won't eat me.
I'm a whale shark,
the largest fish in
the sea! But I'm not
a whale, I'm a
shark. You'll often
see me swimming
in Donsol,
Sorsogon.
World's Largest Fish
• Donsol, a fishing town in Sorsogon province,
serves as a sanctuary to a group of 40 whale
sharks (Rhincodon typus), which are considered
as the largest fish in the world.
• Locally known as "butanding", whale sharks
visit the waters of Donsol from November to May.
They travel across the oceans but nowhere else
have they been sighted in a larger group than in
the waters of Sorsogon.
•
In 1996, a marine biologist discovered that whale sharks are ovoviviparous, which means
that the females produce live offspring from eggs hatched in the uterus.
•
The Philippine government declared whale sharks as endangered species in 1998, thereby
banning its plunder and exploitation.
•
Right now, the Department of Tourism is promoting eco-tourism to protect the whale
sharks in Donsol.
Fish
World's Smallest Fish...vanishing
The world's smallest freshwater fish is found in the
Philippines. The dwarf goby (Pandaka pygmaea) measures
1.2 centimeters or less than half of an inch, the tiniest
known vertebrate.
American Ichthyologist Albert Herre first discovered it in
Malabon River in 1925.
Fish
World's Smallest Commercial Fish
it would take a thousand to fill a tablespoon
World's smallest commercial fish: Sinarapan (Mistichthys luzonensis)
found only in Lakes Bato and Buhi in Camarines Sur province.
Sinarapan grows to an average length of 1.25 centimeters, only slightly
longer than the dwarf goby.
Today, unabated fishing in the two lakes threatens the population of
sinarapan.
Fish
Endemics...and Endangered Under the Sea
Sawtail Catshark - Galeus boardmani
Sawtail Catshark
Chaetodontoplus caeruleopunctatus
Blue-spotted angelfish
Philippine Anchovy: Dilis or Bolinao
Exyrias: goby or biya
Fish
Exotic Seahorses
•
More than 500 of the world's 700 coral species are
found under the waters of the Philippines, which is
a part of the Coral Triangle - a region in the Pacific
Ocean.
•
There are at least 50 known seahorse species in
the world. They inhabit temperate and tropical
waters but most of them are concentrated in the
warm coastal waters of the Philippines.
•
The seahorse's scientific genus name,
Hippocampus is a Greek word, which means, "bent
horse."
•
At least 47 nations and territories around the world
are involved in buying and selling seahorses. The
largest known importers are China, Hong Kong,
and Taiwan.
•
Among the largest exporters is the Philippines.
Fish
Philippine Biodiversity
INVERTEBRATES
Mollusks: 22,000 species
Insects: 20,940+ species, 70% endemic
Corals: At least 484 hard coral species
I'm not called flamboyant
cuttlefish for nothing! I change
color very quickly when I'm
disturbed or attacked. You
wouldn't want to eat me though
because I'm poisonous!
I'm called Palawan
birdwing because I have a
very large wingspan for a
butterfly. I can fly really
high and for long
distances. You can only
find me in Palawan.
Do I remind you of
something? A brain
perhaps? That's why
I'm called brain coral!
I can grow up to 6ft
and live up to 900
years!
Philippine Biodiversity
INVERTEBRATES
Mollusks: 22,000 species
Insects: 20,940+ species, 70% endemic
Corals: At least 484 hard coral species
Did you know? Philippine Coral Reefs are considered to be the
center of the center of marine biodiversity!
Largest Shells
Tridacna gigas, one of the world's largest shells
can be found under Philippine waters.
Tridacna gigas grows as large as one meter in length
and weighs 600 pounds
The Invertebrates
Smallest Shells
Pisidum, the world's tiniest shell,
can be found under Philippine waters.
Pisidum is less than
1 millimeter long
The Invertebrates
The Most Expensive Shell
A shell called glory of the sea (Connus gloriamaris) is also
found in the Philippines and considered as one of the most
expensive shells in the world.
The Invertebrates
Philippine Biodiversity
PLANTS
15,000+ kinds of plants, 50% endemic
I'm called Rafflesia and I'm a
parasitic plant. I have the
largest flower of any plant, but
don't come too close because
it stinks!
I'm a Philippine
Ironwood, the hardest
hardwood species in
the Philippines. If my
trunk was 70cm in
diameter, it would take
you 2-4 days to cut it!
I'm Apitong, and I
belong to a family of
trees that are important
sources of timber.
Please don't cut me
down though because I
am already critically
endangered.
ONLY IN THE PHILIPPINES
• Total Plant Species: 9,2536
• Endemic Plant Species: 6, 091
• Endemics as Percentage of World
Total: 2.0
The Plants
Our Endemic Trees and Fruits...
Velvet Apple, Mabolo
Diospyros discolor
There are more than 150 species of palms and
dipterocarps in the hotspot, and around twothirds of these are found nowhere else in the
world.
Among the endemic fruit trees
in the Philippines are durian,
mabolo, pili and bignay
The Plants
Our Endemic Flowers...
Gingers, begonias, gesneriads, orchids and
pandans are particularly high in endemic
species
As many as 9,000 flowering plants can be
found in the country
Of the 1,000
species of
orchids found in
the Philippines,
70 percent are
restricted to the
hotspot.
The Plants
World Record Animals found in
the Philippines
Giant Clam
The largest clam in the world
Whale Shark
The largest fish in the sea
Philippine Pygmy Forest Frog
The smallest frog in the Philippines
Philippine Crocodile
The most endangered crocodile in the world.
Leatherback Sea Turtle
The largest sea turtle in the world
Philippine Eagle
The largest raptor in the world
Golden-Crowned Flying Fox and Large Flying Fox
The largest bats in the world
Rafflesia
The largest single flower in the world
Protected Areas
• are portions of land and water set aside for their unique biological
and physical significance.
- They are managed to enhanced biological diversity and protected
against human destruction.
• Endangered Endemic Species
• Coron Islands
• El Nido Marine Reserve
• Malampaya Sound
• Mt. Pulag (Benguet)
• Mt. Isaraog (Camarines Sur)
• Mt. Inglit Baco (Mindoro)
• Mt. Guiting-Guiting (Romblon)
• Mt. Malindang (Misamis Occidental)
10 Protected Areas in the Philippines
• Batanes – habitat of migratory birds & endemic birds and
lizards
• Northern Sierra Madre National Park – Philippine Eagle, deer,
dipterocarp species, sea grass beds, coral reefs.
• Subic Bay National Park – endangered bat species
• Apo Reef Marine National Park – coral reefs and species of
fish, shells and corals
• Mt. Kanlaon
• Mt. Apo and Mt. Katanglad
• Agusan Marsh Sanctuary – largest swamp in the country
• Siargao Wildlife Sanctuary – crocodiles and birds, 500 species
of plants and animals, 4,000 hectares of mangroves
• Turtle Island Marine National Park –nesting site of marine
turtles
There are several threats to biodiversity as
follows:
• Habitat destruction - deforestation
• Pollution
• Species introductions
• Global Climate Change
• Exploitation
There are two general categories of reasons why
it is important to protect biodiversity:
• Based on arguments of principles, ethics, and
spirituality
• Other species have a right to exist and therefore it is
simply wrong to drive them to extinction
• Ecosystems and their species are Deity’s creation, thus,
a sin to destroy them
• Based on human self-interest
– of direct and indirect value to humans