Invasive species under monitoring

CEBU, Philippines - The Department of Environment and Natural Resources has been conducting an inventory of species considered as “invasive” and “alien” to the 21,000-hectare Central Cebu Protected Landscape.

This developed as Philippines has been exposed to a number of alien or introduced species for the past years.

Eduardo Llamedo, the public information officer of the DENR, said that invasive alien species (IAS) are plants, animals, pathogens and other organisms that are not originally from the ecosystem that may cause economic or environmental harm.

“Such IAS may be either plants or animals and may disrupt by dominating a region, wilderness areas, particular habitats or wild-urban interface from loss natural controls such as predators or herbivores,” Llamedo said.

According to Llamedo a team of technical personnel mostly biologists and foresters from DENR-7 and ecosystem research and development bureau are now conducting validation survey as part of the identification, assessment and monitoring of IAS.

“Parallel to the validation, a survey was conducted to determine the extent or level of awareness of IAS,” Llamedo said.

Llamedo said the worst invasive plant species include the Chromalaena odorata or water hyacinth, Hiptage benghalensisa or vine, Imperata cylindrical or cogon, Lantana camara or Iring-iring, Leucaena leucocephala or Ipil-ipil and Mikania micrantha or known as a bitter vine.

Eight forest tree species in the country which have been identified as bioinvasive based from local and international sources are Mahogany, giant Ipil-ipil, Palasanto, Acacia auri, African Tulip, Aroma, Mesquita Aroma and Paper Mulberry.

The CCPL under Republic Act No. 9486 issued last June 7, 2007 covers a consolidated area of 28,312 hectares consisting of the Buhisan Watershed Forest Reserve, Mananga Watershed Forest Reserve, Sudlon National Park, Central Cebu National Park and the Kotkot-Lusaran Watershed Forest Reserve in the cities of Cebu, Talisay, Toledo and Danao, and in the towns of Minglanilla, Consolacion, Liloan, Compostela, and Balamban. — (FREEMAN)