Project Calendar Protected Areas Management Enhancement

International Climate Initiative Projects in the Philippines •

Protected Area Management Enhancement (PAME) in the Philippines

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Support to the implementation of the Tri-national Sulu-Sulawesi Marine Ecoregion (SSME) Comprehensive Action Plan

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Adaptation to Climate Change in Coastal Areas

2015 Calendar

About this Calendar Climate change will affect every country. Its negative impacts include drought, typhoons, coastal inundation and loss of biological diversity. Developing and island countries like the Philippines are likely to suffer most.

The German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMU), through its International Climate Initiative, supports several projects in the country including the Protected Area Management Enhancement (PAME) Project, the Support to the implementation of the Tri-national Sulu-Sulawesi Marine Ecoregion (SSME) Comprehensive Action Plan Project and the Adaptation to Climate Change in Coastal Areas Project. The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), together with GIZ and its other partners, implements these projects to reduce emissions, improve capacity to adapt to climate change impacts and conserve biodiversity.

The Philippines is home to more than 39,000 species of flora and fauna, of which 6,800 are endemic and more than 700 are on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species. This calendar aims to feature the key values of biodiversity in general, and the captivating landscapes, seascapes, animals and plants found nowhere else but here in the Philippines. It also includes some images from the top entries for the DENR-GIZ’s 2014 Photo Competition dubbed “Protecting the Reservoir of Life, Selfie for Biodiversity.”

Biodiversity

includes everything that nature produces, supplies or manages. From the tallest to tiniest forms of plants and animals to muddy, flowy, fresh, coolness, and warmth that natural environments make us experience.

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How many, matters The Apo Reef Natural Park is the largest reef community in the country and second largest in the world. It has an incredible population of 197 different kinds of coral reefs and about 281 kinds of fish in its waters. There are also mangroves, natural trees and plants around the island. A common way to measure biodiversity is to count the total number of species living within a particular area.

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What makes you, you?

Human beings have about 25,000 genes, while rice has more than 56,000. Genetic diversity is another way to measure biodiversity. Some have more genes than others.

Some of these genes are the same for all individuals within a species—they’re what make a banana a banana and a bird a bird. But some genes within a species are different. This genetic variation is why some birds are eagles and some are parrots. It’s why some people have brown eyes and some people have blue eyes.

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Uniqueness counts The Bicol Natural Park is home to a large number of endemic plants and animals including the Northern Luzon Cloud Rat. Endemic animals and plants can exist only in a particular area and nowhere else. Each living thing is unique yet part of the variety found around us– this is a trait of biodiversity.

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Interconnected A single coral reef can shelter 3,000 species of fish and other sea creatures such as clams and sea stars.

All living organisms and their natural environments are interconnected. They depend on one another. Forests and seas provide homes for animals. Animals eat plants. The plants need healthy soil to grow. Fungi help decompose organisms to fertilize the soil. Bees and other insects carry pollen from one plant to another, which enables the plants to reproduce. With less biodiversity, these connections weaken and sometimes break, harming all the plants and animal communities in their natural environments.

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Communities matter The Biri-Larosa Protected Landscape in Northern Samar enjoys a high level of biodiversity. Unique rock formations, called the Biri Rock Formations, on the landscape which were caused by wave action of the Pacific Ocean, are found here.

Such nooks provide a dwelling and rest spots for its bird population. Another natural attraction is the area’s insect bats. They typically roost in rock openings. Biodiversity can also refer to the variety of communities living in a particular area in the environment.

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People benefit People are alive because of biodiversity. Ecosystems with a lot of biodiversity are generally stronger and more able to fight off threats than those with fewer species.

Plants, for instance, help humans by giving off oxygen. They also provide food, shade, construction material, medicines, and fiber for clothing and paper. The root system of plants helps prevent flooding. Plants, fungi, and animals such as worms keep soil fertile and water clean.

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Others fight to stay alive In Palawan, Rasa Island Wildlife Sanctuary’s plant life is diverse, with the Taluto and Ipil as the most dominating in numbers among with vines, shrubs, orchids. The Ipil trees are considered important and environmentally valuable, as it is the nesting tree of the Philippine Cockatoo, whose remaining population is considered to be critically close to extinction. The Island most likely holds the highest population concentration of Philippine Cockatoo in the country.

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Destroy it, and we lose People earn from biodiversity. Hundreds of industries rely on plant biodiversity. Agriculture, construction, medical and pharmaceutical, fashion, tourism, and hospitality all depend on plants for their success.

When the biodiversity of an ecosystem is interrupted or destroyed, the economic impact on the local community could be enormous.

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Biodiversity: Learn and value it The Taal Volcano Protected Landscape is known as the lowest active volcano in the world. It is a rich fishing ground of freshwater fish. The only known freshwater sardines of its kind in the world lives here, known locally as Tawilis.

© Mike Gonzalez

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Biodiversity empowers us to cope with change Global climate change—the latest rise in the average temperature around the globe, linked to human activity—is also a factor that have caused a drop in biodiversity. Warmer ocean temperatures damage fragile ecosystems such as coral reefs.

Land is cleared to plant crops or build houses and factories.

Forests are cut for lumber and firewood. As habitats shrink, fewer individuals can live there. The creatures that survive have fewer breeding partners, so genetic diversity declines.

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Biodiversity: Protects, if protected The Palaui Island Protected Landscape and Seascape in Cagayan is the largest isolated island on the northeastern tip of Luzon. Many different types of forests: beach, molave, mangrove, hardwood and mossy are found here. The Island is also a natural buffer for storms and other natural marine disturbances.

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Deustche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH Registered offices Bonn and Eschborn, Germany GIZ-BMU Office DENR Biodiversity Management Bureau Ninoy Aquino Parks and Wildlife Center North Avenue, Quezon City Telefax: +63 2 441 8440 www.giz.de/philippines