BIODIVERSITY THREATS

DEFORESTATION

Deforestation is the process whereby natural forests are cleared through logging and/or burning, either to use the timber or to replace the area for alternative uses.

The effects of deforestation are:

• Reduced biodiversity
• Release of greenhouse gas emissions
• Disrupted water cycles
• Increased soil erosion
• Disrupted livelihoods

STATUS OF MARINE BIODIVERSITY

Marine biodiversity refers to a variety of life forms including plants, animals and microorganisms , the genes that they contain and the ecosystems that they form.

                                           

The threats of marine biodiversity are:

• Over exploitation
• Pollution
• Habitat destruction and fragmentation
• Non-native species invasion
• Global climate change

                             MINING IN THE PHILIPPINES

                                            

Mining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the earth from an orebody, lode, vein, seam, or reef, which forms the mineralized package of economic interest to the miner. 

TOURIST SPOTS IN JOLO AND BASILAN

Jolo, Sulu: Behind its insurgencies

Pearl Farm at Marungas Island is locatednear the province of Jolo, Sulu. Pearl Farm at Marungas Island can be reached in a 30-minute pumpboat ride from the mainland of Jolo. 

Dubbed as the “Mother of Pearls”, Sulu pearls were considered as the finest in the world, found in high-bred shells in deep, clear, and rapid tidal waters. The Pearl Farm at Marungas Island, Sulu Sea, is dotted with coral reefs and can provide probably some of the world's best dive spots for those seeking the ultimate underwater beauty and adventure.

So what are you waiting for? Go and see the hidden beauty of the archipelago. It’s now or never!

Basilan: Behind Its Insurgencies

Bulingan Falls, Lamitan, Basilana a mere 15 minutes ride from Lamitan town, will bring you to the natural wonder that is Bulingan Falls, where one can enjoy the magical waterfalls during the day picnicswith family and friends.  

A beautiful clear stream of water cascading 21 feet high into its unusual rectangular block rocks formation through the rock pool surrounded by pristine forest where colorful flora and fauna dwells. Its cold and clear water provides a refreshing summer splash for bathers and picnickers. For the more adventurous, it is to grapple down the waterfall. Untouched by human hands and an experience that will indelibly be printed into ones memory. Located some 9.5 kms southwest of Lamitan and bounded by Barangays boheyakan and Lo-ok.

CAPTIVE BREEDING PROGRAMME: A SAD STORY FOR JOLO AND BASILAN

Military activity, political instability and insurgency continue to present a serious obstacle to general conservation activity in the region. It’s true that this region has so many things to offer but because of these factors, everything is limited – information, activities, and even control. Unfortunately, Basilan and Jolo, actually the ARMM have no declared protected areas. The implication of this is that, when a certain place has no protected area declared by the government, the community people will abuse the resources, have no control in their actions thus leading to the devastation of the wildlife and their habitat. The same principle is applied why these faunal regions has no records of captive breeding programmes.

Sulu bleeding-heart (Gallicolumba menagei)

Sulu bleeding-heart (Gallicolumba menagei)

 However, there’s a species of bird, the Sulu bleeding-heart (Gallicolumba menagei), under the Critically Endangered (CR) category of IUCN, which is endemic to the Sulu archipelago in the Philippines, (Tawi-Tawi, Jolo, and neighboring islets in Tandubas, was under the Bleeding-Heart Pigeon Conservation Programme. This institution aims to breed the species of which are declared threatened, endangered, critically endangered and extinct in the wild in order to restore the number of the said species. But, Sulu bleeding-heart are very rare and hard to find, so its relatives, G. keayi and G. luzonica are the ones subjected to captive breeding programme.

G. keayi

G. luzonica

Four aviaries intended for development of a properly structured conservation breeding programme for G. keayi were constructed at the NFEFI Biodiversity Conservation Center in 1998, where highly successful breeding trials with G. luzonica have been underway in preparation for the desired future management of the Negros species. In 2007, the first successful captive breeding of the Negros Bleeding-heart was done in Centrop, and later also in NFEFI, where G. luzonica was already breeding actively (Lastica 2012). As of 2013, there are 18 Negros Bleeding-heart pigeons at NFEFI-BCC, of which 14 have been captive-bred (Justo 2013).

This captive breeding programme wouldn’t be made possible without the help of the following institutions and conservation centers:

Ø  Australian Avicultural Federation (Australia)

Ø  Birds International (Philippines)

Ø  Bristol, Clifton and West of England Zoological Society (UK)

Ø  Department of Environment and Natural Resources (Philippines)

Ø   German Avicultural Society (Germany)

Ø  Mari-it Wildlife Conservation Park (Philippines)

Ø  Memphis Zoo (USA)

Ø   Negros Forests and Ecological Foundation, Inc. (Philippines)

Ø   Ruhr Universität Bochum (Germany)

Ø   Zoological Society for the Conservation of Species and Populations (Germany)