UP Newsletter October 2011

Page 6

6 U.P. Newsletter

OCTOBER 2011

PHL faces serious `fish kill’ problem

Botanists need to produce Flora of the Philippines book

KIM Quilinguing

“We may be seeing more fish kills and in more areas of the country.” Dr. Gil Jacinto of the UP Marine Science Institute (MSI) made this warning at the Fish Kill Forum last August 5 at the National Institute Physics auditorium, UP Diliman. Jacinto said fish kills are a result of the lack of accountability in the fishing communities and areas of the country. Tracing the fish kills in the country since

communities. Jacinto said that if government agencies, communities and advocacy groups want to end fish kills, it is important to address environmental issues related to mariculture. Citing her experience in Anda, Pangasinan, UP MSI Director Maria Lourdes San Diego-McGlone said that there was lack of regulation in the construction of fish cages, as well as in the amount of Photo by Misael Bacani

Prof. Gil Jacinto of the UP Marine Science Institute speaks at the Fish Kill Forum at the National Institute of Physics Auditorium.

the early 2000s up to the present, Jacinto said that mariculture should be monitored closely by government agencies and the local

feeds used for the fish in the cages. The unregulated cages resulted in the congestion of the waterways while the high amount of

feeds decreased the flow of water in the areas where the cages were constructed. McGlone said that it is important to monitor the compliance of members of the aquaculture industry in the country. She recommended the regulation of the construction of fish cages, the dispersion of feeds in the cages and other practices essential to the production of fish in the areas. If these are left unhampered, the result would not only be fish kills but also environmental degradation. Center for Integrative and Development Studies (CIDS) Director Malou Nicolas said that the increase in the country’s population has also resulted in the increased demand for food sources, including aquatic resources. UP, Nicolas said, can be venue to study such catastrophic events and come up with possible solutions. Dr. Joebert Toledo of the Southeast Asian Fisheries Development Center (SEAFDEC)-Aquaculture Department said that a concerted effort by different stakeholders in mariculture would be very much essential. Toledo said that the studies of MSI, CIDS and SEAFDEC must be shared with policy-makers. In making the legislators and law-enforcers understand the gravity of fish kills, research and academic institutions can ensure that the government agencies will fully implement laws on the country’s aquatic resources.

KIM Quilinguing

CIDS to create PHL biodiversity information system KIM Quilinguing

possibility of the subject being exploited by enterprising individuals, corporations and even states. While they have tried to convince researchers and scientists from around Southeast Asia to share their studies with the rest of the ASEAN community, they cannot force them to provide all the details required by the documentation. Vergara said that they understand the fear of the researchers and scientists. The fear of scientists in Southeast Asia is shared by some of the country’s research institutions and universities. In presentations made by representatives from UP Los Baños, Ateneo de Naga University and the Marine Science Institute of UP Diliman, the need for limited availability and confidentiality is highlighted over the desire to share knowledge. In the interest of not repeating studies already conducted by previous researchers and institutions and in ensuring the proper identification of species collected, Dr. Eduardo Mendoza of CIDS recommended that a Philippine Biodiversity Information Platform be conceptualized and adopted by

the research institutions in the country. The creation of a singular platform which will link all existing databases of the research institutions could make studies on Philippine biodiversity available not only to Filipinos but also those abroad who are interested in the country’s flora and fauna. Given the concerns of researchers and scientists in the country, Mendoza suggested that the platform have a state-of-the-art security system. The feasibility of the network will be studied further by Mendoza and CIDS. Mendoza is a Balik Scientist who codesigned the EUCLOCK Information System (EUCLIS) which is a system designed to allow European scientists greater interaction and collaboration, as well as an efficient and well-managed exchange of information and ideas. Mendoza graduated magna cum laude in Mathematics at the University of Heidelberg. He later earned his master’s and doctoral degrees from the University of Bonn. He is currently an adjunct professor at UP Diliman and UP Los Baños, while at the same time undertaking studies for the CIDS. Photo by Bong Arboleda

“We have so many species, so little forests and so little time.” These were the words of slain UP botanist Leonard Co, said field biologist Ulysses Ferreras at the 1st Philippine Biodiversity Informatics Workshop last July 19 at the Center for Integrative and Development Studies (CIDS), Ang Bahay ng Alumni, UP Diliman. Wo r k i n g w i t h t h e C e n t e r f o r BioMolecular Science Foundation, Ferreras was among those who attended the event. The workshop’s objective is to create and use information systems to document the studied flora and fauna of the country. According to Assistant Vice-President for Academic Affairs and CIDS Director Malou Nicolas, there is a need to create an infor mation system which would allow researchers, academics and even students to access studies on the country’s biodiversity. UP Diliman Institute of Biology Director Perry Ong said that there have been various studies by both Filipinos and foreigners on the country’s plants and wildlife. The problem lies in not having these studies easily available to other scientists and researchers who are also conducting their own studies on the same species of plants and animals. Dr. Jim La Frankie said that researchers and scientists should have an information database which would allow them to easily input their findings and publish them on the Internet. La Frankie said that that with easily available database software and webpublishing applications, it is not difficult for researchers to share their studies on the Internet. He suggested that those studied and documented by researchers dating back to the American period be among the records filed and published. Dr. Sheila Vergara of the ASEAN Center for Biodiversity said that while some scientists are willing to publish what they have studied, there are those who are hesitant due to fears of their work being stolen or copied. She also raised the

Foreground: Prof. Perry Ong of the Institute of Biology monitors the discussion of the workshop as field botanist Ulysses Ferreras looks on. Background: Dr. Sheila Vergara of the ASEAN Center for Biodiversity answers a question from the audience as Prof. Josefa Pante of the Marine Science Institute and Diosmedado Cocal of the DENR-Protected Areas and Wildlife Bureau listen.

Why should there be a book about Philippine flora? Speaking at the Flora of the Philippines Workshop last August 17, Dr. Edwino Fernando of UP Los Baños said that much of the country’s biodiversity remains undocumented and unstudied. The workshop was held at the U P C e n t e r f o r I n t e g r a t ive a n d Developmental Studies, Ang Bahay ng Alumni, UP Diliman. Fe r n a n d o s a i d t h a t t h e l a s t comprehensive studies on the country’s flora were done by Elmer Drew Merrill during the American colonial period. Merill tried to publish a Flora of the Philippines compilation but was only able to come up with the Flora of Manila in 1912. According to Fernando, a project to document the country’s flora was conceived later on by Merrill’s successor, Eduardo Quisumbing. The project gained more ground with Domingo Madulid establishing the Flora of the Philippines Project. However, it was later shelved. Fernando stressed that it is time to organize a new Flora of the Philippines Project and come up with the long-held dream of publishing a book on the country’s floral biodiversity. Speaking from experience in publishing the Flora in Mindanao, Dr. Victor Amoroso of the Central Mindanao University said that any attempt to document the country’s biodiversity necessitates more botanists. He said that these botanists must not be mere scientists. They must be good writers and familiar with other fields in science and technology, as well as different forms of media. Amoroso said that it is important for a botanist to share his or her knowledge of the country’s flora. According to him, mentoring between senior botanists and junior botanists are encouraged. He also stressed the need to also document the knowledge of local communities of the flora found in their areas. This indigenous knowledge will be essential in identifying the different species of plants found in the country. Considering that there are more than 12,000 species of plants in the Philippines with only a handful of botanists who can study them, Amoroso said that there is a real need to study, document and finally publish a Flora of the Philippines book. For his part, Agham Partylist Rep. Angelo Palmones recognized the efforts of selected botanists during the workshop. Among those given recognition by the House of Representatives through Palmones were slain UP botanist Leonard Co and his departed friend and colleague Dan Lagunzad. The efforts of Co and Lagunzad to promote and enhance the study of the country’s flora are considered essential to the preservation of the country’s remaining forests and plants. Their studies on indigenous trees have also been essential to the restoration of the near extinct forests in several parts of the country. The families of Co and Lagunzad were present to receive the Congressional

(Continued on page 7)


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UP Newsletter October 2011 by University of the Philippines - Issuu