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Some Threatened Plants
in Negros
Dao
Scientific name:
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Dracontomelon dao
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Description:
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A large tree reaching a height of 40 meters and a
diameter of 10 centimeters. The bark is grayish, smooth and flaky
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Ecological Role:
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Habitat stabilization and good water reservoir.
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Economic Uses:
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Fruits and young leaves are edible, wood is used for
sliced veneers, furniture, cabinets, tables and other uses.
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Conservation status:
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Endangered. Depleted due to
logging, kaingin and conversion of forests in other uses. Very few mother
trees found in the forest of Negros.
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Tanguile
Scientific name:
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Agathis Philipinenses
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Description:
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A large tree up to 50 meters high and a diameter of 200
centimeters. The bark is light red.
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Ecological Role:
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Habitat stabilization and good water reservoir.
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Economic Uses:
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Wood is used for cabinet-making, plywood and
construction materials.
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Conservation status:
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Endangered. Depleted due to
logging, kaingin making.uses. Very few mother trees found in the forest of
Negros.
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Red Lauan
Scientific name:
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Shorea negrosensis
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Description:
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A tall tree up to 50 meters high and 2 meters in
diameter. The bark is thick, dark brown with reddish tinge. A dipterocarp
species that once dominated in Negros Island.
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Ecological Role:
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Habitat stabilization and good water reservoir.
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Economic Uses:
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Wood is commonly used for furniture and cabinet works,
veneer, hardboard, plywood, boat planking and construction materials.
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Conservation status:
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Endangered. Depleted due to
logging, kaingin making.uses. Very few mother trees found in the forest of
Negros.
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The most threatened of the 7 major
biogeograhic regions is the Negros-Panay region (Heaney and Regalado, 1998).
This area is now recognized as one the world’s tenth priority conservation
areas. This area contains the most endemic species or subspecies that are
‘functionally extinct’ or critically endangered within the whole of the
Philippines. Negros itself has only 4% of its original forest cover left
putting a huge amount of pressure on the remaining endemic species. Although a
total log ban was imposed in Negros in 1983, as commercial logging was no
longer a viable business, the islands forests still suffer from illegal
logging.
The moist forests of the Philippines,
including the NNFR, are the eighth most vulnerable forest ecosystem in the
world (WWF 2001). The NNFR is the largest remaining area of wet evergreen rain
forest in Negros and the second largest in the Negros-Panay Faunal region.
Vertebrate species that are included in the NNFR include the threatened
hornbills (Penelopides panini and Aceros waldeni), the endangered
(WCSP 1997) Philippine spotted deer (Cervus alfredi) and the Philippines warty
pig (Sus cebifrons). These species have been extirpated from 95% of their
former range (Cox 1987). Once common in the islands in the West Visayas are now
extinct from the Islands of Cebu, Guimaras and Masbate, Within Negros their
distribution and status is little known.
The rainforest, wetlands, and a rich
biodiversity are the vanishing treasures of Negros Island. The island itself is just a
microcosm of the environmental problems facing the Philippines. The Philippines
is one of the 17
Megadiverse countries in the world. These countries possess a
high density of different species of plants and animals. Unfortunately, these
countries are also considered as biodiversity hotspot. The Philippines ranked
4th in the list of the World’s
10 Most Threatened Forest Hotspots with only 7% of the country’s original forest habitat remaining.
According to Dr. William Oliver in a
1993 report, “Nowhere in the Philippines is environmental degradation quite so
acute, and the need for immediate conservation action quite so pressing as in
the West Visayas or Negros Faunal Region. This ecoregion harbors some of the highest levels of endemism but has suffered a
disproportionate share of deforestation, and to compound the problem the area
is underrepresented in the national protected area system.”
The Greater
Negros-Panay Faunal Region includes Negros, Panay, Cebu, Masbate, Ticao, and
Guimaras. This ecoregion used to belong to one continuous island during the
last ice age therefore they share the same species of plants and animals. Some
endemic species of the region which are already considered critically
endangered are the Visayan Warty Pig, the Visayan Spotted Deer,
Visayan Leopard Cat, Negros Bleeding Heart Pigeon, Visayan Tarictic Hornbill
and Rufous-headed Hornbill.
The image below
clearly illustrate the rate of forest loss in Negros Island.
The causes of the
habitat loss are clearly detailed in a case
study of
Negros Island in the book “Vanishing Treasures of the Philippine Rain
Forests”.
First factor
identified was the advent of modern medicine which reduced mortality thus
people lived longer and there’s an increase in population. The second factor
was the arrival of large scale agriculture such as sugarcane. Large tracts of
forests were cleared to give way to sugar cane plantations. The third factor
was the American colonial government which increased business activity and also
granted concessions to logging companies, allowing them to cut new roads to the
interior of Negros Island to gain access to our rain forest.
Is There Hope to Save
Our Treasures
A lot has changed since the publication of
the book. More people are now aware of the importance of protecting the
environment because of easy access to data and information.
Negrense environmentalist are also one of the most active and most vigilant in
the country. The Provincial Government of Negros Occidental is likewise very
active in reforestation activities. According to ornithologist Godofredo
Jakosalem, our forest areas increased to 11% although this still needs actual
ground validation.
Most of the remaining old growth forest of
Negros Occidental are at the North Negros Natural Park and Mt. Kanlaon National
Park and these are constantly at threat from illegal logging, land conversion,
and human encroachment. However, a recent
news said
that according to DENR,Negros
Occidental is losing 2,400 hectares of forest every year with the biggest forest losses in
Bago, Cadiz, San Carlos, and Talisay cities. This is very alarming considering
that part of these cities are also part of the North Negros Natural Park.
As ordinary citizens, we have a lot to
contribute in saving our forests and nature as a whole.
·
Get Involved in Environmental
Awareness/Protection Activities.
We can’t always be fence sitters when it
comes to the environment because we depend so much from it. Let us do our part
in creating awareness and in protecting the environment. Join an advocacy group
so that you can learn more on how you can help the environment. Civil society
was instrumental in stopping a geothermal project in Negros Occidental from
further exploration which could lead to the destruction of hundreds of hectares
of forest. Utilizing renewable
energyis good but if it means destruction of our
natural resources, then it defeats its purpose.
Let us be part of the solution by not
buying traded wild animals and plants and report to authorities those who do.
Foundations like the Negros Forest and Ecological Foundation, Inc. (NFEFI) and
Philippine Reef and Rainforest Conservation Foundation, Inc. (PRRCF) are
sustained through donations so they would really appreciate any help they can
get.
·
Educate our Youth
The future belongs to the youth and the
kind of adults they would become largely depend on the kind of youth we
nurture. Let us educate them and get them connected with nature. There are
various programs that we can involve our youth so that they can learn from
their experiences. Get them away from their gadgets and let them experience
nature.
·
Choose a Pro-Environment Leader
The Philippines
already have a lot of laws protecting the environment but its strict
implementation depend largely on the local officials. A good leader knows where
to strike a balance between development and environment protection. Let’s be
critical of the decisions
our leaders make when it comes to our natural resources. Are they doing it
for the common good or for their personal interests?
Our natural heritage
are our treasure and we should protect them at all times. We owe our food, our
water, and the quality of air we breathe to nature. And we owe it to the future
generation to protect our treasures – our forests, wetlands and the different
species of plants and animals that thrive there – so that we will leave them
with a better Negros Island.
Let me end this post
with a challenge from the Field Museum.
What will happen next is uncertain – whether the nation achieves
environmental stability and learns to fully appreciate its magnificent natural
heritage, or spirals into environmental and economic decline, is unknown. But
it is entirely clear that the choice between these outcomes is just that – a
choice. It is up to the citizens of the Philippines to decide what they want
their country to become. The choices are clear.
The Field Museum
The Visayan warty pig (Sus
cebifrons) is a critically endangered species in the pig genus (Sus). The Visayan warty pig is endemic to two of the Visayan Islands in the central Philippines, and is threatened by habitat loss, food
shortages, and hunting – these are the leading causes of the Visayan warty
pig's status as critically endangered. Due to the small numbers of remaining
Visayan warty pigs in the wild, little is known of their behaviors or
characteristics outside of captivity.
The Visayan spotted deer (Rusa
alfredi), also known as the Philippine spotted deer, is a nocturnal and endangered species of deerlocated primarily in the rainforests of the Visayan islands of Panay and Negros though it once roamed other islands such
as Cebu,Guimaras, Leyte, Masbate, and Samar. It is one of three endemic deer species in the Philippines, although it was not recognized as a
separate species until 1983. An estimated 2,500 mature
individuals survived worldwide as of 1996, according to the IUCN, although it is uncertain of how many of them still survive in
the wild. The diet of the deer, which consists of a variety of different types
of grasses, leaves, and buds within the forest, is the primary indicator of its
habitat. Since 1991 the range of the species has severely decreased and is now
almost co-extensive with that of the Visayan
warty pig.
In April 2009 a team of British and Filipino scientists discovered evidence of two
separate groups of deer in the North Negros Natural Park. These signs (scat and
feeding sites) are believed to be the first scientific evidence of the deer's
activity for over 25 years. It is estimated that an estimated 300 animals
survive on the island of Negros. Conservation efforts are currently underway
with the intention of preserving the remaining population of the species but
are poorly funded and supported.
The Visayan
leopard cat (Prionailurus
bengalensis rabori) is a recently described subspecies on the basis of
morphological analysis, although genetic analysis in progress is necessary to
confirm its taxonomic distinction. It is included here provisionally; the West
Visayan faunal region (the Philippine islands of Panay, Negros and Cebu) is separated
from the Sunda shelf islands (including the Philippine island of Palawan) by
deep water channels. It is likely to have undergone a long period of isolation
and the region shows a high degree of endemism in mammals.
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