All the different species of life living together in any given area is "biodiversity". The Philippines is one of 17 megadiverse countries which host 70-80% of the world's biodiversity. It has more than 52,177 described species, half of which are endemic or found nowhere else on earth.

 

 

"State of Philippine Biodiversity" NewCAPP

 

The Philippines is one of only a few nations in the world that are completely island-based. This, plus its geological history rooted in plate-tectonic movement, has contributed to it being one of the most biodiverse countries in the world.

 

Philippine Biodiversity for Beginners. 2006. The Haribon Foundation.

 

The "Big 5" can only be found in the Philippines and all five can be found on the island of Panay. There, communities are working to protect them and uplift adjacent communities.

 

The 5 are composed of: the Panay Monitor Lizard, the Visayan Warty Pig, the Visayan Spotted Deer, the Rafflesia, and the Dulungan Hornbill.

 

 

The Philippines is located within the "Coral Triangle," an area that boasts the highest biodiversity of any reef system on the planet.

 

Also known as "rainforests of the sea," Philippine coral reefs provide food, livelihood, & tourism income to millions of people, contributing an estimated US$1.1 billion annually to the economy.

 

 

Known locally as apitong, bagtikan, lauan, guijo, or yakal, dipterocarps make up most of the native trees you see in lowland Philippine forests.

 

From the Greek di = double, ptero = wing, and karpos = fruit, dipterocarp seeds have "wings" that parachute them down when they fall, sometimes from heights as high as 50 meters!

 

"Habitats of Philippine Dipterocarps" by Edwino S. Fernando

 

An ecosystem is a system of living things and nonliving components like air, water and soil, interacting together. There are many ecosystems in the Philippines, and nine are considered major ones: Forest, Coral, Mangrove, Freshwater, Agricultural, Urban, Seagrass, Soft-bottom, and Marginal.

 

Wiki for "Ecosystem" "Philippine Biodiversity for Beginners." 2006. The Haribon Foundation.

 

Flora corresponds to all plant life and fauna to all animal life in a given habitat at a given time. Philippine flora and fauna vary by region due to a long history of plate-tectonic movement, and rising and falling sea levels.

 

For example, Palawan fauna is different from other islands, while Masbate’s fauna is more identical to Panay’s than to Luzon’s.

 

Oxford Dictionary of Biology "Philippine Biodiversity for Beginners." 2006. The Haribon Foundation.

 

The rise in the earth’s average temperature today is attributed to the increase of greenhouse gases by society; gases that absorb infrared radiation and heat up the planet like a greenhouse.

 

Small increases in temperature have an effect on everything from weather to agricultural output, and more.

 

Oxford Dictionary of Biology for "Greenhouse Effect"

 

We are a part of biodiversity. But as more and more of us move to urban centers our understanding of biodiversity’s importance to us become jeopardized.

 

Stay informed and participate in figuring out ways to sustain biodiversity for ourselves, each other, and the planet.

 

"10 FAQ on Biodiversity" http://www.unesco.org/mab/doc/iyb/faq.pdf

 

Indigenous territories are estimated to cover up to 24% of the world’s land surface and contain 80% of the Earth’s remaining healthy ecosystems. Many of the world’s protected areas are located on indigenous lands.

 

Sometimes "connecting to your roots" can have more than one meaning. It’s time for us to re-connect.

 

"10 FAQ on Biodiversity" http://www.unesco.org/mab/doc/iyb/faq.pdf

 

Jellyfish are some of the simplest of invertebrates. They can be as harmless as those found in Siargao's Sohoton Jellyfish Sanctuary where visitors are invited to swim alongside them... or as deadly as the box jellyfish that kill 20 to 40 people a year in the country!

 

"Jellyfish by the Numbers" by the National Science Foundation, Virginia, USA.

 

ChoosePhilippines.com

 

Not necessarily the "king of birds", but not boring either, the Indigo-banded Kingfisher is part of a stubby-looking big-billed family of birds called Kingfishers.

 

They are typically bright, fast, and most kingfishers dive head first in streams and rivers to catch their fish!

 

"A Guide to the Birds of the Philippines." By Robert S. Kennedy.

 

Legislation or laws governing how forests should be treated go back to the colonial period. Today only 24% of forests remain and forest policy still needs work.

 

The Forest Resources Bill, if passed, will ensure natural forests will be protected and forest restoration is prioritized, once and for all.

 

"Broad environmental alliance pushes for Forest Resources Bill passage in 16th Congress" by Eric Dorente.

 

Mangrove trees are actually "live-born", falling out of their "parents" as seedlings, ready to grow. Mangroves not only protect coastal communities from typhoons, but they also hold abundant biodiversity.

 

 

 

Native trees are more adaptive to the forest being restored and ensure the flourishing of native plants and animals.

 

Exotic trees are not as conducive to local biodiversity and potential diseases they carry can adversely affect other trees and wildlife.

 

"Road to 2020" http://www.haribon.org.ph/index.php/road-to-2020

 

Ornithology is the study of birds. The word ornithology is from ancient greek "ornis" or bird and "logos" or explanation. Although humans have observed birds for millenia, we have yet so much to learn from these very animals whose ability to fly has been envied for just as long.

 

Wiki for "Ornithology" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ornithology

 

From the greek phōs, "light", and synthesis, "putting together", photosynthesis is the process used by plants to synthesize organic compounds from carbon dioxide and water in the presence of sunlight.

 

All life is directly or indirectly dependent on plants for food and the oxygen you breathe was released during photosynthesis.

 

Wiki for "Photosynthesis" / Oxford Dictionary of Biology

 

Why do tarsiers have big eyes? How many Philippine Eagles are left in the wild?

 

Questions like these lead to discoveries in Philippine biodiversity. From new species to new medicines, the quest for discovery always begins with a question.

 

The Rafflesia is a very peculiar flower. It is a parasite whose only known host is the tetrastigma vine. When a Rafflesia bud finally forms on the vine, it can take 9-10 months before it blooms. It then releases a smell only flies and certain insects can love, for it is only insects like them who can pollenate them.

 

 

 

The Samar Cobra can only be found in the southern Philippines. Although it can live in a wide range of habitats from tropical forest to various modified habitats including rice fields, there are suggestions of declines in parts of its range such as the Zamboanga Peninsula.

 

IUCN Redlist for "Naja samarensis" http://www.iucnredlist.org/details/169763/0

 

The Tamaraw is a small hoofed mammal that can only be found on the island of Mindoro. It was once found all over the island but due to human habitation, hunting, and logging, it is now restricted to a few remote grassy plains.

 

Wiki for "Tamaraw" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tamaraw

 

An understory corresponds to plant life growing under the taller trees in a forest. Less light enters this area so many of the plants here have larger leaves to capture more light. Its unique temperatures and lower light conditions contribute to an abundance of biodiversity in this layer of forest.

 

Wiki for "Understory" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Understory

 

The Visayan Wrinkled Hornbill or Dulungan is one of only two hornbills in the world that are critically endangered.

 

It can only be found on the islands of Guimaras, Negros, and Panay.

 

IUCN Redlist for "Aceros waldeni" Wiki for "Hornbills"

 

Although the White-winged Flying Fox or Desmalopex leucopterus can only be found in Luzon, its smaller relative Desmalopex microleucopterus was recently discovered in 1998 on the island of Mindoro.

 

"A New Species of Desmalopex (Pteropodidae) from the Philippines..." Jacob A. Esselstyn, Harvey J. D. Garcia.

 

Xylem are vessels in plants and trees that carry water from their roots. The wood found in trees is comprised of these vessels. Some vessels show spiral patterns while others show double helixes!

 

Biologist Kahlil Panopio

Wiki for "Xylem"

 

It has a yellow butt hence its name. We don’t want to know where the name bulbul comes from though. (Just kidding. It’s Persian for "nightingale.")

 

Wiki for "Bulbuls"

 

Not much is known about the Zamboanga Bulbul. It can only be found on the islands of Basilan, Malamawi, and Mindanao.

 

"A Guide to the Birds of the Philippines" By Robert S. Kennedy.