What kind of biodiversity do the philippines have
What makes Philippine biodiversity unique?
The Philippine biodiversity, one of the world’s most diverse and unique, since many can only be found in the country. This rich biodiversity has provided millions of Filipinos resources and services for food, medicines, wood and plant products, as well as breeding stocks, among others.
How many biodiversity are there in the Philippines?
Safeguarding biodiversity
Of more than 52,100 species described in the Philippines, more than half are found nowhere else in the world. The Philippines are also home to some of the highest concentrations of critically endangered and endangered species on the planet.
What are the biodiversity issues in the Philippines?
The continuing habitat degradation and forestland conversion are major threats to Philippine biodiversity. These are attributed primarily to large-scale and indiscriminate logging and mining, burgeoning human population, overharvesting of resources, and infrastructure development.
What type of ecosystem does the Philippines have?
The Lay of the Land: Ecosystem Diversity in the Philippines
| General Types (Higher Level) | Sub-types (Lower Level) |
|---|---|
| Freshwater Ecosystem | Lacustrine: Lakes and ponds Riverine: rivers, streams, creeks Palustrine: marshes |
| Brackish/Estuarine Ecosystem | Mangrove swamp Nipa swamp |
How diverse is the Philippines?
Because of its archipelagic nature, Philippines is a culturally diverse country. With its topography consisting of mountainous terrains, dense forests, plains, and coastal areas, the Philippines is rich in biodiversity.
What are the biodiversity hotspots in the Philippines?
BirdLife International has identified seven Endemic Bird Areas (EBAs) in this hotspot: Mindoro, Luzon, Negros and Panay, Cebu, Mindanao and the Eastern Visayas, the Sulu archipelago, and Palawan.
Why is the Philippines considered to have one of the richest biodiversity?
The Philippines covers only 2/100 of the total land area of the earth, yet 20,000 species of plants and animals were recorded here, half of which are found nowhere else in the world. Of the estimated 7,620 species of plants documented in the country, 5,832 are believed to be endemic.
What are the three natural ecosystems found in the Philippines?
The different types of ecosystems found in the Philippines are the Terrestrial ecosystem, Freshwater ecosystem, Brakish/Esuarine ecosystem, Saltwater/Marine ecosystem.
Is Philippine rich in biodiversity?
The Philippines is one of the 17 mega biodiverse countries, containing two-thirds of the Earth’s biodiversity and 70 percent of world’s plants and animal species due to its geographical isolation, diverse habitats and high rates of endemism. The Philippines’ biodiversity provides several ecosystem services.
Why does the Philippines harbor such diversity?
Why do the Philippines harbor such diversity? The answer lies in the islands’ geology. Entirely surrounded by tropical seas, the Philippines are separated from the Asian landmass by hundreds of miles of open water in most directions.
Do we have grasslands in the Philippines?
Of the forage resources, it is estimated that the Philippines has 3.5 million hectares of open grasslands and about 400,000 hectares out of the 2.5 million hectares of land under coconuts which are currently utilized for grazing.
What are ecosystem services in the Philippines?
Ecosystem services are the benefits people obtain from nature’s ecosystems. Tangible benefits are used in economic and other human activity such as the use of timber to build houses or for energy.
What do you know about biodiversity?
The term biodiversity (from “biological diversity”) refers to the variety of life on Earth at all its levels, from genes to ecosystems, and can encompass the evolutionary, ecological, and cultural processes that sustain life.
Does Philippines have rainforest?
Luzon is the largest island in the Philippines, and the Luzon rain forests is the most extensive rainforest ecoregion of the country. The ecoregion includes the lowlands of Luzon and neighboring islands below 1000 meters elevation.
Is there a desert in the Philippines?
The La Paz Sand Dunes is an 85-square-kilometre (33 sq mi) protected sandy coastal desert and beach located in Laoag, Ilocos Norte, in the Philippines. The area is popular for recreational activities such as sandboarding and 4×4 vehicle riding.
What are the flora and fauna in the Philippines?
The diverse flora includes 8,000 species of flowering plants, 1,000 kinds of ferns, and 800 species of orchids. Common mammals include the wild hog, deer, wild carabao, monkey, civet cat, and various rodents.
Is Philippines a jungle?
The Sierra Madre Mountains found on the island of Luzon are home to the largest track of virgin jungle in the Philippines, constituting approximately 40 percent of the country’s total forest cover. The remainder of tropical rain forest in the Philippines is found on the islands of Mindanao and Palawan.
What are the major causes of deforestation in the Philippines?
Aside from logging (whether legal or illegal), other causes of deforestation in the Philippines are forest fires, “kaingin” farming (slash-and-burn agriculture), and mining operations. Volcanic eruptions have also devastated some of the country’s tropical rainforests.
What is the vegetation like in Philippines?
Most of the Philippines’ vegetation is indigenous and largely resembles that of Malaysia; the plants and trees of the coastal areas, including the mangrove swamps, are practically identical with those of similar regions throughout the Malay Archipelago.
Is the Philippines tropical?
The Climate of the Philippines is tropical and maritime. It is characterized by relatively high temperature, high humidity and abundant rainfall. It is similar in many respects to the climate of the countries of Central America.
Are Negros Visayas?
Negros, island, one of the Visayan Islands, central Philippines. It is separated from the island of Panay to the northwest by the Guimaras Strait and from Cebu island to the east by Tanon Strait. The island is bordered on the north and south by the Visayan and Sulu seas, respectively.
How many islands does the Philippines have?
The Philippines is an archipelago of 7,107 islands. It stretches from the south of China to the northern tip of Borneo. The country has over a hundred ethnic groups and a mixture of foreign influences which have molded a unique Filipino culture.