MAPPING INDICATORS OF EXPOSURE AND VULNERABILITY: ECOLOGICAL FACTORSCenter for Environmental GeomaticsClimate Studies DivisionManila ObservatoryDissemination Workshop for Mapping Philippine Vulnerability to Environmental DisastersKlima Climate Change Center8 July 2005

OUTLINE OF PRESENTATIONECOLOGICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF THE PHILIPPINESTHE COUNTRYS BIODIVERSITY/ ECOSYSTEM AND SPECIES DIVERSITYBIODIVERSITY AND HAZARDSBIODIVERSITY AND POPULATIONSYNTHESIS

ECOLOGICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF THE PHILIPPINESW/in the Ring of Fire (Volcanoes and fault lines)Along typhoon belts7,100 islandsEach island with unique biotic assemblage30 M (million) land area220 M hectares (archipelagic water)22,450 km coastline

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ECOLOGICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF THE PHILIPPINES ContdDistinct bioregions Based on the geological history of the countryEach has distinct ecosystem & species diversityBiodiversity corridors Palawan, Sierra Madre, Eastern Visayas Map of ecoregions(pls follow update Fig. 1* Include biodiversity corridors)

COUNTRYS BIODIVERSITY/ ECOSYSTEM AND SPECIES DIVERSITYBiodiversity is the foundation of healthy & functioning ecosystems

COUNTRYS BIODIVERSITY/ ECOSYSTEM AND SPECIES DIVERSITY ContdTerrestrial resources Mangrove forestBeach forestDipterocarp forestMolave forestPine forest Mossy forestGrassland

COUNTRYS BIODIVERSITY/ ECOSYSTEM AND SPECIES DIVERSITY ContdFreshwater lakesVolcanic lakes landlocked - endemic speciesIntroduction of invasive alien speciesMarshlandRiver systems

COUNTRYS BIODIVERSITY/ ECOSYSTEM AND SPECIES DIVERSITY ContdMarineCorals Coral fauna richest in the world (430 species)Seaweed bedsSea grass bedsEpicenter for marine biodiversity

COUNTRYS BIODIVERSITY/ ECOSYSTEM AND SPECIES DIVERSITY ContdPlant Group14,000 species9,000 species of vasculars45% - 60% endemism227 species in the IUCN Red List of Threatened SpeciesPhil. forest is the heart of biodiversity

Fig. 1 (p.3)

COUNTRYS BIODIVERSITY/ ECOSYSTEM AND SPECIES DIVERSITY ContdAnimal Group 78% endemicity level for amphibians32 threatened species of amphibians & reptiles195 out of 576 endemic species of birdsgreatest concentration of mammalian diversitynew species found in high elevations & small oceanic islands

COUNTRYS BIODIVERSITY/ ECOSYSTEM AND SPECIES DIVERSITY ContdAnimal group2,500 fish speciesLargest living fish (whale shark)Irrawady dolphin found (in the Philippines) only in Malampaya soundSeacows (dugong) eat seagrasshttp://www.wdcs.org/dan/imagelib.nsf/graphics/website2003/$file/botban.jpg

BIODIVERSITY AND HAZARDSTyphoonsEarthquakes &TsunamisLandslidesVolcanic eruptionsLightningNatural forest fires

BIODIVERSITY AND POPULATION86 M population2% growth rateConcentration of populationDirect pressures on biodiversityExtractive industries Infrastructure developmentLand conversionPoverty & migration

BIODIVERSITY AND POPULATION ContdIncreasing water demand yet limited/ threatened supplyWater-related hazards

SYNTHESISGIS help to assess ecological conditionsthat are both threatened and are threats (an ecological hazard) Rich Philippine biodiversity and the socio-economic pressures threatening it heightens the urgent need to preserve these resources that the human community relies on. Pressures of human population expansion and activity must be checked and regulated to prevent irreversible losses in terms of resources.Resource benefits (economic and otherwise) are not sufficiently quantified, as new species and uses/ value are continuously being discovered.