Philippines

Discover the magical Philippines and the Visayas region where we conduct our research!

Kahibalo » Philippines and Visayas Region

Philippines and their extraordinary nature!

The Philippines is an extremely beautiful country of South-East Asia spread across 7,641 islands. Such location determines great diversity, both natural and cultural, within the archipelago. A few people know that the Philippines is a global biodiversity hotspot that is now being increasingly threatened.

Linguistic diversity

The country is extremely diverse in terms of culture and is divided into three main regions – Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao, where, in total, over 120 languages ​​are spoken! Of course, this diversity was also influenced by the history of these regions. The official language is Filipino or Tagalog along with English. One of the main language groups in the country is Bisaya – a group of languages ​​spoken mainly in the Central and East Visayas as well as Mindanao. The most popular language in this group is Cebuano, which is the main language in the area where we operate. If you follow us on Facebook or Instagram, you will surely learn a few words in Cebuano.

Climate of the Philippines

Because of the country spread over thousands of islands, the Philippines has as many as five different types of climate. However, they have some common features – high temperature exceeding 30 degrees during the day, high humidity reaching over 70% and rainfall amounting to an average of 2350 mm per year. The entire archipelago has two seasons – wet and dry, differing in the amount of rainfall. In Central Visayas, where we work, the dry season is from February to May. What shapes the reality of the Philippines is the fact that they are located in the typhoon belt. These dangerous downpours, winds and storms occur from June to December. The last catastrophic Typhoon Odette, which wreaked havoc in December 2022, killed 407 people. In addition, 78 people have gone missing and another 1,150 people have been injured, not to mention thousands displaced and left homeless. It is estimated that the Philippines is hit by an average of 19 typhoons each year.

The Philippines – “Biodiversity Hotspot”

Despite the enormous number of islands, the area of ​​the Philippines is slightly smaller than Poland. Nevertheless, the population is three times larger than in Poland and amounts to almost 114 million people. The location of the country has a huge impact on the Philippine nature, which is not only beautiful, but also extremely rich. For this reason, the Philippines was included in the list of 17 megadiverse countries. It includes countries with an extremely rich biodiversity of plants and animals. It is also one of the “biodiversity hotspots”, i.e., places with very rich biodiversity. Unfortunately, it is rapidly disappearing due to habitat loss. In the 16th century, the Philippines was almost completely forested, with forests covering 92% of the country’s land area, or 27.5 million hectares.

Threats to biodiversity

Unfortunately, over the centuries, forests have been disappearing and it is estimated that they currently cover about 7 million hectares or 23% of the country’s land area. Although the government has introduced several laws and bans on logging, their implementation has not been very effective as deforestation is progressing at an alarming rate. Conversion of forests to agricultural land or infrastructure, illegal logging and forest fires are to be blamed for this situation. It is good to know that there were reforestation programs such as the National Greening Program. However, despite huge efforts, they did not help to exceed the forest cover of more than 7 million hectares. This is partly due to the low seedling survival rate of only 61%. To illustrate the catastrophic loss of forests in the country, it is worth looking at the data from the satellite survey in 2020. According to this study, the Philippines lost 20 basketball courts every hour in 2020! It is an extremely bleak picture, especially considering that the Philippines has at least 13,500 species of plants. They account for 5% of the world’s plant species, which gives the country the 5th place in the world. Any further losses reduce the country’s biodiversity.

But it’s not just the number of species at stake here. Healthy forests help minimize the effects of natural disasters to which the country is prone to. The latter role is mainly attributed to mangrove forests, which are unique habitats found where freshwater meets saltwater. They cover an area of ​​227,808 hectares, which places the Philippines in 6th place in Asia in terms of countries richest in mangroves.

Biodiversity

For life to truly thrive on this planet, there must be immense biodiversity. Only when billions of different individual organisms make the most of every resource and opportunity they encounter, and millions of species lead lives that interlock so that they sustain each other, can the planet run efficiently. The greater the biodiversity, the more secure will be all life on Earth, including ourselves. Yet the way we humans are now living on Earth is sending biodiversity into a decline.
(Sir David Attenborough, “A Life on Our Planet: My Witness Statement and a Vision for the Future”)

Mangrove forests of the Philippines

There are 46 species of mangroves in the Philippines. This represents almost 66% of the world’s species in these habitats, with an estimated number of 70. Another very important forest habitat in the Philippines is limestone forest. It is a habitat with razor-sharp hills and caves composed of calcium carbonate and formed by millennia of erosion. These habitats and the forests that grow on them are home to a unique set of species of insects, reptiles, amphibians and mammals found nowhere else. In the Philippines, these forests cover an area of ​​30,000 km2, but they are also one of the least known habitats. Both of these types of forests are found in Central Visayas, including the island of Bohol, where we operate!

The unique fauna of the Philippines

The terrestrial fauna of the Philippines is also remarkable. The country is home to over 1,200 species of birds, mammals, reptiles and amphibians. The insularity and isolation of the Philippines places it among the top countries with the highest endemism (i.e., species occurring only in a specific area, nowhere else). As much as 49% of the land fauna and flora of the Philippines are endemic. In fact, the country ranks 4th in the world in terms of endemic bird species. One of the most characteristic birds in the Philippines is the Philippine eagle (Pithecophaga jefferyi). It is considered as the largest extant eagle in the world in terms of length and wing area. The Philippine eagle is native to only to four Philippine islands: Luzon, Mindanao, Leyte and Samar. It plays a very important ecological role as the main predator, feeding on, among others, monkeys, colugos, but also bats, deers and reptiles.

The Visayas region

In the region we focus on – Central Visayas – one of the endemic species is the not well known Aethopyga decorosa. It is a small 8-10 cm bird that is endemic to Bohol island and its status has not yet been assessed.

Another bird found in the Visayas region is the Everett’s Owl (Otus everetti), which nests in tree hollows in the lowland forests of the Philippines. This owl is persecuted in some areas of the country because of superstitious beliefs, however, it is important to the ecosystem as one of the predators that regulate the populations of snakes, rodents, lizards, as well as other smaller birds.

The Philippines also has very emblematic mammal species that our Kahibalo Foundation focuses on.

Philippine tarsier

One of the most famous mammals is the Philippine tarsier (Carlito syrichta). It is one of the least studied tarsiers – primates that lead a nocturnal lifestyle and feed exclusively on live animals, mainly invertebrates. Tarsiers occur only the islands of Southeast Asia. The Philippine tarsier is endemic to several Philippine islands in the Visayan and Mindanao regions. It can be found, among others, in Bohol, Leyte, Samar, Dinagat and Siargao. This species is extremely difficult to observe due to its small body size, solitary lifestyle and difficult habitats it occupies.

It has also been almost impossible to study this species in captivity, as all attempts to create a population of it outside the Philippines have not been successful. We only know of one successful case, and that happened here in the Philippines. Therefore, they cannot be seen in zoos. Still, it is one of the most popular tourist attractions on Bohol island, even if we know little about its behavior, ecology, and life history. Without this knowledge, it is impossible to determine the right conservation strategy for this species.

Colugo

The same islands where the Philippine tarsier occurs are also home to the Philippine colugo (Cynocephalus volans). It is one of the most interesting but understudied animals in the Philippines. It is also one of only two species of the Dermoptera order that is closely related to primates. Colugos are best known for their large eyes and small, folded ears with fleshy skin connecting their limbs, serving as a “wing”. Its activity is crepuscular. The older common English name “flying lemur” is a misleading because this animal does not fly, but glides (unlike flying, gliding is only downside) between trees to feed on flowers, fruits, and leaves. Only a few studies have been conducted on this species and our scientific knowledge of it is very limited. At the same time, it is sometimes viewed in a bad light by local residents as a mythical creature, leading to its needless killing.

Let’s protect the biodiversity of the Philippines!

Unfortunately, even though the Philippines is home to some very interesting and important wildlife, nearly 420 animal species are threatened with extinction. Among them there is the aforementioned national bird – the Philippine eagle. Its number in the wild is estimated at just over 600 individuals. This alarming state of biodiversity in the Philippines is caused by overexploitation, deforestation, land degradation, climate change and pollution, among others. This does not exclude the species which Kahibalo Foundation focuses on – Philippine tarsiers and colugos. The former is threatened with extinction due to habitat loss and poaching for tourism or as an exotic pet. The other is eaten by the local people or killed because of unfavorable attitudes. Conservation of these species, as well as a number of others found in the Philippines is of great importance.

Ecological role of species

Apart from the aesthetic value of these animals and their undeniable importance for tourism, they play key ecological roles. These are predation and regulation of the population of other animals, including by the Philippine eagle and Philippine tarsier, but also pollination and seed dispersal by colugos. This, in turn, plays a paramount role in maintaining Philippine forests, which, as we have seen, are shrinking. Ensuring the survival of these species means maintaining the forests and other vegetation so badly needed not only to provide basic subsistence for Filipinos, but also to provide natural protection from natural disasters. Therefore, the overall goal of Kahibalo Foundation is to study the mammal species in the Philippines and spread knowledge about them and their importance to Filipinos.