Biodiversity

• Forest and Biodiversity


  • Rafflesia
  • Pitcher Plants
  • Cloud Rat
  • Bleeding hearth
  • jadevine
• Water system


  • Pasig – Marikina River is an important river in the Metro Manila, Philippines, since it provides livelihood and transport to its residents, and connects two major water bodies; Laguna de Bay and Manila Bay
  • It is now considered to be the toilet bowl of Metro Manila due to the large amount of wastes dumped into the river
  • Even with the efforts of the government to revive the quality of the Pasig River and its tributaries, it continues to deteriorate over time
• Illegal Fishing


  • Dugong
  • Sea turtles
  • Pygmy Seahorses
  • Napoleon Wrasse, Humphead
  • Harlequin Shrimp
• The Philippines


  One of the 17 mega diverse countries in the world
• The Philippines


  • Home to the most diverse species of life, weather plants, animals, mostly found nowhere else in the world
  • Has one of the world's longest coastline at 37,008 kilometers long
  • Has an estimated 26,000 square kilometers of coral reefs containing mangroves, reef fish, seagrass, algae, whales and dolphins, and marine turtles
• Biodiversity


  The engine that breathes life into all nature systems on which human life depends
• Biodiversity contributes to three major needs of human beings: health, food, and energy
• In the pharmaceutical industry, some 50% of our medicines today are from natural sources
• Biodiversity contributes to food production and human nutrition
• Biodiversity contributes to industry, timber and energy sources
• Trees absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, helping the earth from overheating
• Killer typhoons


  Brought about by the warming of the planet
• Massive flooding and landslides


  Results of the denudation of forests
• Illegal wildlife trade and forest loss now threaten the world's biodiversity, especially in the Philippines, which is now listed as one of the world's hotspots for biodiversity loss
• Human activities such as illegal logging, irresponsible mining, unsustainable farming, and overfishing have a direct impact on the environment
• The lack of concern with regards to our collective human impact towards the environment, such as neglect to consider alternative renewable sources of energy, disregarding the concept of conservation, failure to reduce our individual consumption, as well as our failure to recycle reusable materials, further strains the already weak ecosystem
• Man may have unknowingly started to dig his own grave with the loss of biodiversity
• The impact of human actions towards the environment is putting a strain on the delicate balance between human demands and long-term sustainability
• If left to continue on its own present destructive path, biodiversity may soon become only a living memory etched in photographs and video clips
• It's not yet too late. Together, we can conserve resources and save our habitat
• Simple actions to reverse environmental destruction

  1. Proper disposal of waste

  2. Repairing leaking faucets

  3. Replacing incandescent bulbs with energy efficient ones
• Not patronizing illegally traded wildlife will ensure the survival of countless species and would go a long way to conserve our biodiversity
• Farming of wild animals and plants rather than extraction from their natural habitat should also be encouraged among Filipinos
• Education through visits and interactions with protected biodiversity sites nationwide, would serve as an eye opener on the richness and diversity of plant and animal life in the country
• Buying products that help advocacies on sustainability ensures that there would be a justifiable and continuous source of the merchandise, and would also assure the grassroots communities in the country of a sustainable livelihood
• Recognizing and respecting the rights of indigenous communities in managing their sacred sites such as forests, rivers, lakes and caves and promoting and supporting sustainable tourism will help sustain biodiversity conservation
• Government programs such as identifying institutions that promote sustainable practices foster long-term awareness of our shared responsibility towards biological diversity conservation
• Let us share the responsibility conserve our biodiversity for our children's children and for future generations