How Biodiverse is the Philippines?

Being one of the most megadiverse countries in the world, the Philippines houses 70-80% of the Earth’s plant and animal species, ranking fifth in the number of plant species in the world. The approximately 7000 islands of the Philippines contain rainforests, mangrove forests, coral reefs, and other ecosystems, which is home to about 50,000 plant species, including over 3,000 endemic species, and 100,000 animal species, including over 500 endemic species. Furthermore, the Philippines is located at the apex of the Coral Triangle, the global center for marine biodiversity, adding to the richness of the country’s ecology1, 2.

The Global Standard for the Identification of Key Biodiversity Areas contains criteria agreed upon globally to identify Key Biodiversity Areas (KBA) throughout the world. KBAs are defined as areas significantly contributing to the global persistence of biodiversity in the terrestrial, freshwater, and marine ecosystems, and they represent the most important areas for biodiversity conservation worldwide2, 3. In the Philippines, there are 228 KBAs identified, where 128 terrestrial and freshwater KBAs were identified in 2006 and 123 marine KBAs in 2009. The identified KBAs span approximately 106,000 km2 in total and are the known habitat of 855 globally important species of plants, corals, mollusks, elasmobranchs, fishes, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals in the country, which includes 396 globally threatened, 398 restricted-range, and 61 congregatory species. About 20% of the country’s land area are identified as terrestrial KBAs, while 1,9% of the Philippine Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) are identified as marine KBAs2, 4, 5. Table 1 summarizes the different identified KBAs per ecosystem.

Table 1. Statistics of the Identified KBAs in the Philippines as of 20092, 4, 5

KBAs by Ecosystem Coverage Area (km2) Number of KBAs % of KBAs Number of Protected KBAs Number of Partially Protected KBAs Number of Unprotected KBAs
Terrestrial only 51,249 101 44% 27 25 49
Marine only 19,601 77 34% 8 6 63
Terrestrial and Marine 35,702 50 22% 15 10 25
Total 106,552 228 100% 50 41 137

 

The criteria for the identification of KBAs follow the principles of species vulnerability and irreplaceability, as discussed below:

  • Vulnerability
    The vulnerability of an area is measured by the confirmed presence of at least one globally threatened species as defined by the international Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List, which are categorized as:

    • Endemic species – These are species unique to a specific geographic location, such as an island, nation, country, or any other defined zone or type of habitat. In the Philippines, data for species’ range and population sizes are still lacking. In turn, data for endemic species were used as reference for identifying KBAs based on restricted-range species.
    • Congregatory species – These are species that gather in large numbers (at least 1% of the species’ global population) at specific areas in a stage of their life cycle such as feeding, breeding, and resting during migration.
  • Irreplaceability
    The irreplaceability of an area is measured through the presence of geographically concentrated species in which the destruction or loss of the area will cause significant negative effects in the achievement of conservation targets.

Note: The identified KBAs in the Philippines are based on the 117 Important Bird Areas (IBAs) identified by Haribon Foundation and Birdlife International and the 206 Conservation Priority Areas (CPAs) identified through the Philippine Biodiversity Conservation Priority-setting Program (PBCPP) in 2002.

 

It is important to note that majority of the terrestrial KBAs are considered as sacred by certain indigenous cultural communities or people. Ninety-six (96) out of 101 terrestrial KBAs are part of the ancestral land/domains of indigenous peoples (IPs) where they have claims, and a number of these claims have been granted ancestral domain/land certificate/titles2, 6 .

 

What Challenges Does Philippine Biodiversity Face?

As one of the world’s biodiversity hotspots, the Philippines faces serious threats to its rich biological diversity and high levels of endemism. Over the years, the country has experienced a drastic decline in its original forest cover, accompanied by a growing number of species classified as globally threatened on the IUCN Red List. Despite its ecological wealth, the Philippines remains among the top ten countries with the highest number of species at risk of extinction. Notably, only about 20% of the country’s KBAs are legally protected by a conservation-related legislation. Environmental degradation has been widespread and persistent, with the country losing approximately 10.9 million hectares of forest between 1934 and 1990. Over the past century, deforestation has continued at varying rates, averaging around 150,000 hectares per year1, 2, 5.

As reported in the Philippine Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (2015-2028), the major challenges the Philippines face to its biodiversity are the following (in no particular order)2:

  • Increase in the conversion of Protected Areas (PAs) to agricultural land
  • Illegal extraction of timber and non-timber products in PAs
  • Increase in the construction of human settlements and establishments in PAs
  • Increase of unregulated tourism activities in the PAs
  • Other pressures and causes of biodiversity loss such as invasive alien species, climate change, pollution, overexploitation (e.g., overfishing, illegal wildlife trading, etc.), and habitat loss (e.g., deforestation, mining, etc.)
  • Overlapping policies and conflicting management regimes
  • Political intervention, decisions, and dynamics
  • Limitations in finances and manpower, resulting to weak technical and enforcement capacities of staff
  • Lack of accurate technical data on the biological stage of the PAs

 

How Does the Philippines Manage its Biodiversity and What Steps is the Country Taking?

The Philippines has various policies and regulations that contribute to the overall biodiversity conservation of the country, some of which are the following2:

Table2. Some policies contributing to the overall biodiversity conservation of the Philippines2

Policy Responsible Agencies
National Integrated Protected Areas System (NIPAS) Act of 1992 (RA 7586) Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), Department of Agriculture (DA), and Palawan Council for Sustainable Development (PCSD)
National Caves and Cave Resources Management and Protection Act of 2001 (RA 9072) DENR
An Act to Prevent, Deter and Eliminate Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated Fishing, Amending RA 8550 or the Philippine Fisheries Code of 1998 (RA 10654 of 2015) DA
The Indigenous Peoples’ Rights Act (IPRA) of 1997 (RA 8371) National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP)
Philippine Mining Act of 1995 (RA 7942) DENR-Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB)
Philippine Clean Water Act of 2004 (RA 9275) DENR-Environmental Management Bureau (EMB)
Philippine Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000 (RA 9003) National Solid Waste Management Commission (NSWMC), National Ecology Center (NEC), and the Local Government Units (LGUs)
Revised Forestry Code of 1975 (PD 705) DENR-Forest Management Bureau (FMB)
Moratorium on the Cutting and Harvesting of Timber in the Natural and Residual Forests and Creating the Anti-Illegal Logging Task Force (EO 23, s. 2011) DENR-FMB
National Greening Program (EO 26, s. 2011) DENR-FMB
Climate Change Act of 2009 (RA 9729) as amended by People’s Survival Fund (RA 10174 of 2012) Climate Change Commission (CCC)
Environmental Awareness and Education Act of 2008 (RA 9512) Department of Education(DepEd), Commission on Higher Education (CHED), Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA), Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), DENR, and Department of Science and Technology (DOST)
Amended Animal Welfare Act of 2013 (RA 8485/10631) DA
Toxic Substances and Hazardous and Nuclear Waste Control Act of 1990 (RA 6969) DENR-EMB
Sustainable Forest Management (EO 318, s. 2004) DENR-FMB

 

Additionally, the Philippines is a signatory to various international conventions and multilateral environmental agreements (MEAs), such as the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), Convention on Wetlands (also known as the Ramsar Convention), Convention on Migratory Species (CMS), World Heritage Convention (WHC), and the Convention to Combat Desertification (CCD). As a party to these agreements, the country is legally committed to formulating national strategies and action plans to support and implement the goals set by these conventions2.

DENR-BMB has also published the Philippine Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (PBSAP), which is the roadmap to conserve the country’s biodiversity. The overarching goal of PBSAP is: “By 2028, biodiversity is restored and rehabilitated, valued, effectively managed and secured, maintaining ecosystem services to sustain healthy, resilient Filipino communities and delivering benefits to all.”2

In conclusion, the Philippines has established a comprehensive policy and legal framework to manage and protect its biodiversity. Despite the existence of key legislation, effective implementation remains a challenge due to various factors such as limited resources and enforcement gaps. Nevertheless, the country has demonstrated significant progress through community-based initiatives, interagency collaboration, and alignment with international environmental commitments. To address emerging threats, there is a pressing need to strengthen institutional capacities, enhance local participation, and adopt more integrated, science-based approaches to biodiversity management.

 

References

  1. Ramachandran, S. Building Back Biodiversity. United Nations Development Programme https://www.undp.org/philippines/blog/building-back-biodiversity (2023).
  2. Biodiversity Management Bureau (BMB) Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR). Philippine Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (2015-2028): Bringing Resilience to Filipino Communities. https://www.cbd.int/doc/world/ph/ph-nbsap-v3-en.pdf (2016).
  3. International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources. Key Biodiversity Areas. International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources https://iucn.org/our-work/region/mediterranean/our-work/biodiversity-knowledge-and-action/key-biodiversity-areas
  4. Foundation for the Philippine Environment. The Philippine Key Biodiversity Areas (KBAs). Biodiversity https://fpe.ph/biodiversity.html/view/the-philippine-key-biodiversity-areas-kbas
  5. The Philippine Clearing House Mechanism. Key Biodiversity Areas (KBAs). The Philippine Clearing House Mechanism https://www.philchm.ph/key-biodiversity-areas/
  6. Global Environment Facility. Indigenous peoples in the Philippines leading conservation efforts. Global Environment Facility https://www.thegef.org/newsroom/feature-stories/indigenous-peoples-philippines-leading-conservation-efforts (2019).