Forest species in Davao Oriental endangered

LOS BAÑOS, Philippines  – A number of forest species in the Mount Hamiguitan range in Davao Oriental are now threatened with extinction.

The range is known for being the largest pygmy forest in the country. It is home to about 800 species made up of angiosperms (plants whose seeds are in a closed ovary, as orchids and roses), gymnosperms (those whose seeds are not enclosed or naked, as conifers or the pines species), ferns and fern allies.

A report furnished The STAR by the Los Baños-based Philippine Council for Agriculture, Forestry and Natural Resources Research and Development (PCARRD) said 34 forest species in the Mt. Hamiguitan range are now threatened.

Of the mountain’s floral species, 204 are economically important, 163 are endemic, and 33 are rare.

Mt. Hamiguitan has five vegetation types: agro-ecosystem, dipterocarp forest, montane forest, typical mossy, and mossy-pygmy forest.

“These forests are all natural forests, except the agro-ecosystem since it is partly a managed land for agriculture,” said PCARRD’s Dr. Leila America and Paula Bianca Ferrer.

They reported that species richness was highest in the montane forest and lowest in both agro-ecosystem and typical mossy forests.

To protect the species’ habitats, the researchers have proposed to organize Bantay Gubat teams in the towns of Mati and Gov. Generoso.

“This is for long-term monitoring of the ecological resources,” they said.

Also proposed was the regulation of the extraction of rosin such as almaciga and barks such as badbad, as well as the collection of rattan by the villagers.

It was also recommended that the villagers be trained in scientific extraction and collection of forest resources.

A report on the state of the Mount Hamiguitan range was among those presented at the recent R&D symposium of the Northern Mindanao Consortium for Agriculture and Resources Research and Development, one of the 14 government regional R&D consortia coordinated by PCARRD.