MANILA, Philippines - The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) has revealed that more than 270 wildlife species endemic to the Philippines have been found in the past 25 years.
DENR Secretary Ramon Paje said these “new discoveries” should prompt stakeholders to accelerate conservation efforts to fight threats from both human and nature itself. “These discoveries of sorts are a testament that the Philippines is richly endowed with unique biodiversity that only underscores the need for stepped up protection. These endemic species are our living jewels. They are irreplaceable and unique components of our awesome environmental heritage,” Paje said.
The term “new discovery,” he said, refers to the discovery of these species in their natural habitats and not as new life forms.
“The prospects for their discovery have simply increased because our forest cover has shrunk, making the species more concentrated in more compact areas while we await the growth of trees in our reforestation efforts. There are also potential threats such as habitat destruction, illegal trading, the introduction of exotic and invasive species, pollution and climate change, among others,” Paje said. “Saving a species is more than a simple matter of putting it in a cage or pot. It requires us to protect or rebuild its habitat, as well as the balance it keeps in relation to other species lower and higher in the food chain or web of life,” he said. The Protected Areas and Wildlife Bureau (PAWB) has included in its list of new discoveries 29 new species of rodents found across the country; three new species of bats from Mindoro and Abra; four bird species from the provinces of Cagayan, Cebu and Camiguin; and 44 reptile and 29 amphibian species from Luzon, Negros-Panay, Greater Mindanao and Sulu.
Over 160 new plant species have also been recorded, including some species of the world’s largest flower, the Rafflesia.
The country ranks fifth globally in terms of number of plant species and hosts about five percent of the world’s flora.
The Philippines has been named one of the world’s 17 megadiverse countries, and has been ranked globally as one of the countries with the highest rate of discovery in the world following the discovery of 16 new species of mammals in the past 10 years.
The Philippines has also recorded the highest level of endemism on a per unit basis in the whole Indo-Malayan region.