Biodiversity inventory of selected watershed and protected areas in the Philippines: implications to wildlife conservation and protection

This lecture focuses on wildlife diversity inventory and assessment in four selected watershed and national protected areas in the Philippines, namely, La Mesa Dam Watershed Reservation, the Angat Watershed Reserve, the Caliraya Watershed, and the Mt. Banahaw National Park. Wildlife species composition, species richness and abundance, species diversity, and endemism of wildlife in these areas are highlighted as well as the presence of threatened species. These watersheds and protected areas harbor relatively high diversity of wildlife and relatively high level of endemism. Furthermore, the survey study revealed the presence of possible new species of wildlife particularly species of frogs. The lecture also discusses various threats to wildlife observed in these areas, which primarily include habitat reduction due to timber poaching, charcoal making and slash-and-burn farming practices, and collection of wildlife for pet trading and for human food consumption. The implications on the conservation and management of: important wildlife species in the area based on the research findings are tackled in the lecture. high species endemism and presence of threatened wildlife species imply that these watersheds and protected areas definitely need to be protected and managed properly to support biodiversity conservation efforts. Their strategic location and size fit them to be categorized and declared as biodiversity corridors or as Key Biodiversity Areas and Endemic Birds Areas. In these areas, involvement of various organizations and institutions exemplify collaborative efforts, which has to be sustained and promoted for a more successful protection and conservation program. Furthermore another strategy to boost conservation efforts is to allocate portion(s) of these areas as special land-use zone for IEC purposes. Lastly, a more extensive and intensive biodiversity survey needs to be done in the watershed and protected areas in the country to come up with a more reliable data on species diversity status that would serve as important tool for proper wildlife conservation and management planning.