Extinction threatens the Philippines' unique bonsai forest

Paul Icamina Malaya 21 Jan 11;

The world’s only bonsai forest is found in Mt. Hamiguitan where the unique pygmy trees thrive.

Located in Davao Oriental, the 6,843-hectare mountain reserve is the only protected pygmy forest and, as such, is a candidate World Heritage Site of the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization.

Trees in the 225-hectare mossy-pygmy forest have an average height of only 1.4 meters with a diameter of 8 centimeters; the highest average height is 2.4 meters.

The stunted growth of trees is due to the ultramafic soil, so-called because it has an unusually high concentration of chromium, iron, nickel and magnesium that make it unproductive except for the most sturdy, often low, heath-like shrubs.

The bonsai forest is one of the reasons why , according to Park Superintendent Ruel Colong, the country is ranked seventh in the list of the world’s most biologically rich nations.

"It represents the fast disappearing habitats of globally important species," he told a symposium at the University of the PhilippinesInstitute of Biology.

Mt. Hamiguitan is home to the majestic Philippine Eagle and has been identified by Conservation International as one of the country’s biodiversity hot spots, meaning that wildlife in the extremely valuable area is most vulnerable to extinction.

Of the 477 species identified there, eight species have been recorded for the first time in Mindanao and one species is a new record in the Philippines. Some 163 species (18.56 percent) are endemic, 35 species (3.99 percent) threatened, 33 species (3.75 percent) rare and 204 species (23.23 percent) economically important.

These include the endangered Golden-crown Flying Fox and the Philippine Tarsier that are endangered and the Philippine Warty Pig, Philippine Brown Deer, Philippine Mossy-pygmy Fruit Bat and the Asian Palm Civet that are threatened.

Two endemic species of birds – the Dark-eared Brown Dove and the Tarictic Hornbill – are endangered; the Grey-hooded Sunbird is near-threatened while the Giant-scoop Owl is vulnerable.

"With its outstanding universal value, Mt. Hamiguitan Range Wildlife Sanctuary is a new frontier for science and conservation," Colong said.

Alas, Mt. Hamiguitan is also one of three mountain ecosystems in Mindanao – along with Mt. Kitanglad in Bukidnon and Mt. Malindang in Misamis Occidental – where rare plants are threatened, according to surveys made by the Central Mindanao University (CMU).

Wildlife diversity is highest in Mt. Malindang (with 1,164 species), followed by Mt. Hamiguitan (878 species) and then Mt. Kitanglad (661 species). Mt. Kitanglad is most vulnerable, with the highest number of threatened species (92), followed by Mt. Malindang (34) and Mt. Hamiguitan (35).

With the most number of trees that is unique to the place, Mt. Hamiguitan has high endemism (34 percent), followed by Mt. Kitanglad (21 percent) and Mt. Malindang (16 percent).

The three mountain ecosystems harbor 64 species documented for the first time in Mindanao and 21 species found for the first time in the Philippines. Two species are new to science.

"While conservation Initiatives are given to protect the remaining threatened and endemic species of plants and their habitats, many plant groups are still poorly known," Victor B. Amoroso, a professor who teaches plant morphology and systematics at CMU, said in the symposium on long-term ecological and biodiversity research.

"Although we have estimates on the species richness and the number of threatened plants, there is very limited knowledge on what kind and number of plants occur in mountain ecosystems, what are found only there, and which species are threatened," he said.

Amoroso chairs the Philippine national committees for the International Long-Term Ecological Research (ILTER) and DIVERSITAS hosted by CMU in Musuan, Bukidnon.

ILTER is a global network of scientists engaged in long-term, site-based ecological, biodiversity and socio-economic research. DIVERSITAS is an international, non-government program that links biological, ecological and social scientists to produce socially relevant new knowledge and provide the scientific basis for conservation.

The research – on the diversity, status and conservation initiatives in the three mountain ecosystems – was undertaken by Amoroso with CMU colleagues Cecilia B. Amoroso and Fulgent P. Coritico. It was funded by the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture, Commission on Higher Education and CMU.

Their efforts revealed nine vegetation types in Mt. Malindang, five in Mt. Hamiguitan and three in Mt. Kitanglad with three types. Regardless of the ecosystem, montane vegetation had high species richness and diversity compared to dipterocarp and mossy forests.

All these richness are under attack. Mt. Hamiguitan, according to Colong, is threatened by illegal collection of wild plants and animals; unregulated gathering of minor forest products; timber poaching; and adjacent mining exploration.

Unregulated hunting and rampant extraction of wildlife threatens Mt. Kitanglad as well, increasing the number on the watch list ofendangered and threatened species, said park superintendent Felix C. Mirasol.

A quarter of a million villagers, according to Mirasol, depend on the continued supply of clean water from Mt. Kitanglad. "Communities have reported that the frequency of droughts and floods has increased and that fish stocks and diversity in many rivers have decreased," he said.

Mt. Malindang is threatened by wildlife poaching, timber cutting and agricultural encroachment, said Park Superintendent Eden C. Pito, adding the protected areas is one of the key biodiversity areas in the country.