The Philippines is considered the hottest hotspot of biodiversity (Myers et al., 2000), comprising mosaic of diverse terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. One of these ecosystems is the forests over limestone, thriving on limestone outcrops. Geologically, forests over limestone are unique formations in tropical forests with ages ranging from the Cambrian to the Quaternary (Day & Urich 2000). This formation is quite extensive, especially in Southeast Asia, northern Central America, southeastern Brazil and the Greater Antilles (Tang et al. 2011). The Philippines is one of the countries in the ASEAN region with vast forests over limestone landscapes (Fernando et al. 2008). Incidentally, Samar Island, the third largest island in the country, has one of the most extensive forests over limestone (Quimio 2016; Tolentino et al. 2020). Locally known as kaigangan, the forests over limestone landscape of Samar Island has unique flora and fauna, including the Philippines’ national bird, the large Philippine monkey-eating eagle (Pithecophaga jefferyi). Sightings were recorded in a protected area in Taft, Eastern Samar, under the jurisdiction of the Samar Island Natural Park.
The Samar Island Natural Park (SINP) encompasses an area of 333,000 hectares which spans across 35 municipalities, 3 cities, and 3 provinces within Samar (DENR-SINP. n.d.). It was initially proclaimed as Samar Island Forest Reserve in February 1996, through Presidential Proclamation 744, designating 360,000 hectares for protection from rampant logging that started in the 1980s. On April 13, 2003, the establishment of SINP was authorized through Presidential Proclamation No. 442. This was in accordance with Republic Act 7586, also known as the National Integrated Protected Area System Act, as amended by RA 11038, or the E-NIPAS Act of 2018.
The recent assessment conducted by CONserve-KAIGANGAN in Samar Island Natural Park, in Samar, Eastern Visayas, Philippines, has shown the outstanding biodiversity of forests over limestone (Tolentino et al., 2020; Obeña et al., 2021; Villanueva et al., 2021). New species had been discovered such as, Decaisnina tomentosa (Tandang et al., 2022), Corybas kaiganganianus (delos Angeles et al., 2022a), Begonia normaaguilariae (delos Angeles et al., 2022b), Schismatoglottis minuta (delos Angeles et al., 2023) and Hoya kaiganganiana (delos Angeles et al., in press). It is worth knowing that the Samar Island Natural Park has been nominated as UNESCO World Natural Heritage Site (Villanueva et al., 2021). More should be uncovered in the next coming years.
Given the exceptional value of Samar kaigangan biodiversity, community stakeholders should be informed of its importance, as well as conservation, protection, and sustainable use. Locals should understand that the environment and ecosystem services they are enjoying right now, are made possible because of the existence of kaigangan. Degradation of the forests over limestone, can negatively affect the food productivity, regulatory, cultural and aesthetic services afforded by this forest formation type. Local communities can be good stewards of this ecosystem to sustain health of the environment, the people and the biodiversity in it. They should be encouraged and empowered to develop their capacities and be involved in the planning, implementation, and decision making to conserve kaigangan biodiversity even at the local level. This is where setting localized conservation priorities becomes valuable.
Setting conservation priorities is essential in biodiversity conservation since not all plant species had been assessed by IUCN and by the national committee on Red List, led by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), Philippines. This helps identify the taxa that need to be targeted for priority conservation with local communities taking active part. Thus, a list of conservation priorities provides knowledge on the level of priority and recommended action for plants that are targeted for regulation and wise utilization by the local communities in Samar before these are overharvested and may even become eventually extinct. It is also a crucial step in creating conservation strategies for the species and ecosystems, given the limited financial resources allocated in any conservation efforts. It can give the planners, resource managers, and local people essential information on local biological diversity of cultural and economic importance (Brehm et al., 2010). Moreover, this approach can also be used in identifying the priority areas for conservation as demonstrated by Chanthavong and Buot (2019).
Localized conservation initiatives will provide equal opportunity for men and women in the local communities to actively participate in addressing biodiversity decline. The conservation priority setting is instrumental for the formulation of science-based strategies on sustainable use and conservation of biodiversity. A local policy can be formulated in consultation with stakeholders from different sectors. This book documents the top 20 priority plants for conservation at the Samar Island Natural Park, particularly, in the municipalities of Paranas, Samar and Taft, Eastern Samar, using the localized conservation priority index (LCPI), especially developed for the locality. Photographs we got from the field are shown for easy identification by villagers across ages and backgrounds.
This initiative hopes to contribute to SDGs 5 (Gender equality), 6 (Clean water), 11 (Sustainable cities and communities), 12 (Responsible consumption and production), 13 (Climate Action), 15 (Life on land) and 17 (Partnership to achieve goal).
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