BIODIVERSITY and ECOSYSTEM

Ecosystem

- community of living organisms in conjunction with non-living components of their environment,

- linked together through nutrient cycles and energy flows.

Philippine Ecosystems

1. Forest
2. Inland water/ wetlands
a. Rivers, Waterfalls, Creeks, Streams and Estuaries
b. Lakes
c. Swamps and Marshes
3. Coastal and Marine Ecosystem
a. Marine Protected Areas
b. Coral Reefs and Seagrasses
c. Marine Flora and Fauna

Biodiversity

- refers to the variety and variability of life on earth.

Philippine Biodiversity

- considered a mega-diversity country rivaled only by a few countries in the world when it comes
to variety of ecosystems, species and genetic resources.
- A very high degree of land and animal endemism. The country hosts more than 52,177
described species of which more than half is found nowhere else in the world
- On a per unit area basis, the Philippines probably harbors more diversity of life than any other
country on the planet.
- considered a biodiversity hotspot. This is because the Philippines continues to experience an
alarming rate of destruction of these important resources brought about by overexploitation,
deforestation, land degradation, climate change, and pollution (including biological pollution),
among others.

Why it matters

- Biodiversity and ecosystems are key to lifting people out of poverty, contributing to our
economy, and strengthening our resilience to climate change. Over the decades, Philippines has
experienced rapid environmental degradation.
 - The ability of policy makers to address the key challenge of reducing poverty in the country is
dependent on building the capacity to appropriately manage and conserve ecosystems and the
services they provide.
- The opportunities for integrating economic values of ecosystem services into the country’s
national plans such as the PDP, national accounting, comprehensive land use plans (CLUP),
sustainable resource use and protection plans impact not only on ecosystems, but above all on
people.

Economic Benefits

1. Agriculture and fisheries contributed an average of 18.4 percent to GDP and the sector grew at
an average rate of 2.6 percent annually. (PDP 2010-2016).
2. Agriculture employed an average of 11.8 million people. These account for almost 35.1 percent
of the total work force (NEDA, 2011)
3. Between 2004 and 2010, agriculture and fisheries sector exports rose from US$2.5 billion to
US$4.1 billion. The top agricultural exports, in terms of value are coconut oil, fresh banana, tuna,
pineapple, tobacco, and seaweeds (NEDA, 2011)
4. Ecotourism - In 2010, foreign tourists - 3 million arrivals in 2009 - spent an average of US$83.93
per day and stayed an average of eight nights during their visit (NEDA, 2011). Domestic tourism
is also rising with an estimated 25.7 million Filipinos (15 years old and above) who had traveled
to any place within the country from April to September 2012 based on 2012 Household Survey
on Domestic Visitors by the National Statistics Office (NSO)

The Philippines derives services from biodiversity which include:

1. Water There are 421 principal river basins, 19 of which are considered major with each draining
watersheds of at least 140,000 ha. This is aside from the thousands of small coastal basins with
their own outlets to the sea. There are 59 freshwater lakes, including some of Southeast Asia’s
biggest. Groundwater resources are substantial along these rivers and lakes. Proven deposits
alone are in the order of 50 billion cubic meters (BCM) and covers 5,000,000 ha. These water
resources can supply 479 BCM to the country annually (6,000 m3 per person) or seventeen
times what is being actually used (Coulby, 2009).

2. Food Root crops, which include cassava, sweet potato, taro, yam, yam bean, arrowroot are
promoted by the Philippine Root Crop Research and Training Center, a government research,
development and training institution responsible for planning, implementing, coordinating,
monitoring and evaluating research and development/extension programs in support to the
rootcrop industry. Fish is second most important staple food of Filipinos. Every square
kilometer (km) of coral reefs can supply up to 30 tons of edible and economically important fish
every year (Alcala, 1988). Fifteen percent of the fisheries production in the country came from
inland waters (BFAR, 2011). · Philippine mangroves can produce about US$538 worth of
fish/ha/year (Primavera, 2000).

3. Pharmaceuticals The National Integrated Research Program for Medicinal Plants found
solutions to the most common problems such as cough (lagundi [Vitex negundo]), pain (yerba
buena [Clinopodium douglasii), renal stones (sambong [Blumea balsamifera]), diarrhea (bayabas
[Psidium guajava]), intestinal worms (niyog-niyogan [Quisqualis indica]), high blood pressure
 (bawang [Allium sativum]), high blood sugar (ampalaya [Momordica charantia]), fungal
infections (akapulko [Cassia alata]), tooth decay (tsaang gubat [Carmona retusa]) and arthritis
and gout (ulasimang bato or pansitpansitan [Peperomia pellucida Linn.]). Eighty three (83) plants
have already passed rapid-screening tests and are awaiting more exhaustive chemical and
clinical examination. The Philippine Institute of Traditional and Alternative Health Care, created
under the Traditional and Alternative Medicine Act or Republic Act (RA) 8423, promotes
additional lists of pharmaceuticals, cosmeceuticals and nutraceuticals in the country.

4. Biomass Fuels The resources available in the Philippines can generate biomass projects with a
potential capacity of around 200 megawatts (MW) (Zafar, 2015).

5. Carbon Sequestration and Climate Regulation A 2005 study by the World Bank (WB) and
National Disaster Coordinating Councilof the Philippines reported that the country’s
vulnerability to natural hazards cost the government an average of US$338 million annually in
direct damages, or more than 0.5 percent of gross domestic product (GDP). · The sampling for
the study to estimate the carbon storage of the Caimpugan peatland was done in the peat forest
from May 24-28, 2010. In Tall Pole Forest, Intermediate Forest, and the Pygmy Forests in two
locations in the peatland, the aboveground carbon stocks were measured in standing trees,
understorey, herbaceous vegetation, and litter. With the assumption that the three vegetation
zones sampled in this study were similar in other portions of the peatland, the 5,487-ha
Caimpugan peatland was estimated to store 22.9 M tons of carbon. The Caimpugan peatdome
was found to be a substantial and space efficient carbon store compared to other forest types in
the country. Considering its role as a significant carbon sink, stringent measures must be done to
protect and conserve these areas (Alibo & Lasco, 2012).

6. Crop pollination Economic value of insect pollination in the Philippines is valued at US$710
million for 2009 as assessed by the Food and Agriculture Organization or FAO (Ngo, Gemmill-
Herren, & Packer, 2012).

7. Cultural, Intellectual and Spiritual Inspiration Scientists and researchers benefit from the use of
natural sites for scientific research on the natural world, education and development of
technology. Increasing numbers of Filipinos have been finding peace and spiritual enhancement
from nature. Nature based tourism, a fast-growing industry, provides economic and social
benefits through recreation, leisure and education (Sinha & Heaney, 2005). DENR AO 2013-19
defines ecotourism as a “form of sustainable tourism within a natural and cultural heritage area
where community participation, protection and management of natural resources culture and
indigenous knowledge and practices, environmental education and ethics as well as economic
benefits are fostered and pursued for the enrichment of host communities and satisfaction of
visitors”.

Threats to Philippine Biodiversity

• Indiscriminate logging

• Mining claims and rights overlap with defined areas for protected areas, ancestral lands
including those planned for conservation areas.

• The increasing human population

• Narrowing of food base/Simplification of diets

• Introductions of invasive alien species

• Degradation from climate change.

• Weak capacities on natural resources

• management.

• Under-valuation of ecosystem services

• Weak integration of biodiversity