Biodiversity

BIOLOGICAL DIVERSITY
(BIODIVERSITY)
– refers to the wealth of life forms on earth and the ecological
complexes in which these organisms occur.
– sum of all the different species of animals, plants, fungi, and

microbial organisms living on Earth and the variety of habitats
in which they live.
– scientists estimate that upwards of 10 million—and some

suggest more than 100 million—different species inhabit the
Earth. Each species is adapted to its unique niche in the
environment, from the peaks of mountains to the depths of
deep-sea hydrothermal vents, and from polar ice caps to
tropical rain forests.
Number of Described Species
IMPORTANCE OF BIODIVERSITY
– Biodiversity is the foundation of healthy and

functioning ecosystems – the fountains of opportunity
for all people.
– Rich soils, clean air and water, abundant forests – the

complexity of nature and the myriad species they
support –are essential for thriving societies.
– It offers vast potentials as irreplaceable sources of

food, fiber, medicine, fuel, clean air and water, fertile
soil for agriculture, materials for industrial purposes,
aesthetic and scientific purposes.
Biodiversity is made up of three levels,
namely:
1. Genetic Diversity - sum total of genetic information
contained in the genes of individual organisms that
inhabit the earth.
2. Species Diversity –variety of living organisms on earth

which is estimated to be between five and fifty million or
more (only about 1.75 million or 13% of the total number
of species on earth has been described).
One measure of biodiversity would be the number of

species (a group of organisms genetically so similar that
they interbreed and produce offspring).
3. Ecosystem Diversity – relates to the variety of habitats,

biological communities, and ecological processes in the
biosphere.
IMPORTANCE OF BIODIVERSITY
– Biodiversity is the foundation of healthy and

functioning ecosystems – the fountains of
opportunity for all people.
– Rich soils, clean air and water, abundant forests –

the complexity of nature and the myriad species
they support –are essential for thriving societies.
– It offers vast potentials as irreplaceable sources of

food, fiber, medicine, fuel, clean air and water, fertile
soil for agriculture, materials for industrial
Biodiversity in
the Philippines
• Made up of 7,100 islands
• Land area of 30 million ha.
• 220 million ha of waters (88% of
entire territory)
• 52,177 described species
• one of the 17 megadiversity
countries
• Richness in biodiversity is found
in marine, wetland and terrestrial
• Of the more than 1,130 terrestrial
wildlife, almost half are nowhere
found elsewhere.
• Of its 10,000 to 14,000 species of plants (vascular, non
vascular and fungi) more than half are endemic
• Contains nearly 500 of the 600 known coral species

worldwide
• More than 2,000 fish species
• More than 40 species of mangrove
• 4,500 species of non-flowering plants (about 30-40%

are endemic
• Home of 86 species of birds
• 895 species of butterflies where 352 are
endemic to Philippines
• 332 species of reptiles and amphibians living
in the country, 215 of them endemic to the
archipelago
• Hosts 165 species of mammals, 121 of which
can be found only in this part of the world
• Less than 14 of the 114 total species of
snakes in the country are poisonous
The Philippine Pride
•The largest and the biggest eagle in the world,

Pithecophaga jefferyi, can be found in the Philippines.
•The giant clam Tridacna gigas is the biggest bivalve under
the care of Calauit Wildlife Sanctuary in Palawan.
•The 21-foot estuarine crocodile, Crocodylus porosus, holds

the distinction of being the longest crocodile ever captured.
•The smallest fish (Pandaka pygmea) and the largest fish

called the whale shark can be found only in the Philippines
•The tarsier (Tarsius synrichta), lemur and dugong are

endemic in the country.
Philippine Wildlife Status
Fauna Total Endemic Threatened

Species Species
Mammals 204+ 111+ 51

Birds 576+ 195+ 74
Reptiles 258+ 170+ 8
Amphibians 101+ 79+ 24
Threatened Species – are species of organisms
that could become extinct if a critical factor in
their environment were changed.
Endangered Species – those species that are

present in small numbers that they are in danger
of becoming extinct.
Rare Species – are not endangered species; they

usually have restricted limited habitat.
Extinct Species – species of organisms that have

completely disappeared on the face of the earth.
Endemic species – ecological state of a species

being unique to a defined geographic location
Pressures on Philippine
Biodiversity:
–Philippine biodiversity faces one of the highest levels of
endangerment.
– More than 93% of the Philippines’ original forest cover

has been lost in the last 500 years and 418 threatened
species are already listed in the 2000 International
Union for the Conservation of Nature and the Natural
Resources (IUCN) Red list Red List.
–The mangrove and seabeds have been reduced to

120,000 hectares from original 500,000 hectares while
only 5% of the country’s coral reefs remain in excellent
condition.
Biodiversity Hotspot:
The Philippines is one of the two countries
(Madagascar being the other), which are both a
megadiversity of life and a biodiversity hotspots.
Per hectare, the Philippines probably harbors

more diversity than any other country, hence,
every parcel of land that is converted, cultivated,
or developed will result in the loss of unique life
forms found nowhere else in the planet.
1. Habitat destruction – anthropogenic causes:
logging, fires, land conversion, siltation, destructive
fishing methods, encroachment and occupancy in
protected areas.
- Natural causes: volcanic eruptions, earthquakes,
typhoons, pests and diseases.
- Deforestation is the main cause of biodiversity
loss and species extinction.
* The rate of deforestation is 105,000 to 119,000
hectares per year.
2. Overexploitation – overharvesting and
unsustainable use of resources due to
poverty, population pressure, ignorance,
paucity of livelihood opportunities, wrong
values, and unrestrained and unregulated
access to natural resources.
3. Environmental pollution – chemical waste
from mine tailings, hazardous wastes from
industrial plants, factory discharges,
agricultural pesticide and fertilizer, and
household wastes.
- Pollutants overwhelm and overtax the
dispersal and self-cleansing capacity of
our atmosphere, water bodies, and land.
4. Biological pollution – introduction of exotic

species at the expense of the endemic and
indigenous species through predation,
parasitism, competition, hybridization, and
habitat alteration.
5. Weak institutional and Legal capacities –
inappropriate, overlapping, conflicting,
and obsolete policies and institutions;
shortage of technical expertise, shortage
of funds, weak information, education,
and communication; poor integration of
research and development activities.
Impact of Biodiversity Loss in the Philippines:
➢ floods and landslides
➢ destruction of crops, fisheries, homes, roads,

bridges etc.
➢ shortage in availability of certain resources
➢ loss of human lives
➢ economic crisis (loss of billions of pesos)

Initiatives / Institutions In-charged of
Conservation:
• PAWB – Protected Areas and Wildlife Bureaus was

tasked at handling the establishment and management
of the country’s protected areas and the conservation
of biological diversity.
• DENR – was assigned the formulation of the

Philippine Strategy for Sustainable Development
• PCSD – Philippine Council for Sustainable
Development help fulfill the Philippines’ commitment to
the Convention on Biological Diversity
• NIPAS Act – National Integrated Protected Areas

System Act became the basis for the establishment and
management of protected areas.
• NBSAP – National Biodiversity Strategy and Action

Plan sets forth the strategies and actions that the
country will pursue to conserve its biodiversity.

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BIOLOGICAL DIVERSITY

– sum of all the different species of animals, plants, fungi, and

– scientists estimate that upwards of 10 million—and some

– Biodiversity is the foundation of healthy and

– Rich soils, clean air and water, abundant forests – the

– It offers vast potentials as irreplaceable sources of

2. Species Diversity –variety of living organisms on earth

One measure of biodiversity would be the number of

3. Ecosystem Diversity – relates to the variety of habitats,

– Biodiversity is the foundation of healthy and

– Rich soils, clean air and water, abundant forests –

– It offers vast potentials as irreplaceable sources of

• Contains nearly 500 of the 600 known coral species

• More than 2,000 fish species

• More than 40 species of mangrove

• 4,500 species of non-flowering plants (about 30-40%

•The largest and the biggest eagle in the world,

•The 21-foot estuarine crocodile, Crocodylus porosus, holds

•The smallest fish (Pandaka pygmea) and the largest fish

•The tarsier (Tarsius synrichta), lemur and dugong are

Fauna Total Endemic Threatened

Mammals 204+ 111+ 51

Endangered Species – those species that are

Rare Species – are not endangered species; they

Extinct Species – species of organisms that have

Endemic species – ecological state of a species

– More than 93% of the Philippines’ original forest cover

–The mangrove and seabeds have been reduced to

Per hectare, the Philippines probably harbors

4. Biological pollution – introduction of exotic

➢ floods and landslides

➢ destruction of crops, fisheries, homes, roads,

➢ shortage in availability of certain resources

➢ loss of human lives

➢ economic crisis (loss of billions of pesos)

• PAWB – Protected Areas and Wildlife Bureaus was

• DENR – was assigned the formulation of the

• NIPAS Act – National Integrated Protected Areas

• NBSAP – National Biodiversity Strategy and Action

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