Plant Diversity and Status in the Northern Landscape of Mt. Malindang Range and Environs, Misamis Occidental, Philippines

The forest/vegetation types present were: (1) mossy forests, (2) montane forests, (3) almaciga forests, (4) submontane dipterocarp forests, (5) lowland dipterocarp forests, (7) lowland mixed dipterocarp forests, (8) plantation forests and (9) agroecosystems. Each vegetation type was characterized by a dominant and distinct floral species, which was used in naming each community.

Inventory of flora in two 1-ha plots and 220 nested plots of 20 x 20 m revealed a total of 1,284 species distributed among 472 genera and 187 families. Of these, 873 were angiosperms, 20 were gymnosperms, 280 were pteridophytes, 85 were bryophytes and 26 species were lichens.

Of the nine barangays studied, Lake Duminagat and Sebucal showed the highest species richness with 623 and 488 species each, respectively. In terms of vegetation type, very high to extremely high biodiversity values were obtained in almaciga, mossy, montane and submontane dipterocarp forests.; but low to moderate biodiversity values were recorded plantation and lowland mixed dipterocarp forests.

Assessment of floral resources revealed 56 threatened species. Of these, 36 were nationality threatened and 18 were locally threatened due to overutilization and land conversion. Seven species were locally abundant: Cinnamomum mercadoi, Shorea contorta, S. polita, S. palosapis, Hopea acuminata, Salacca clemensiana, and Diplodiscus paniculatus.

Percent endemism of the park ranged from 11% to 27%. There were 107 endemic species of angiosperms, 3 species of gymnosperms, and 28 endemic species of pteridophytes. Some of these endemic species were also threatened species.

The agroecosystem had four communities. These included the vegetable communities which dominated the barangays of Don Victoriano; cereal communities in barangays of Oroquieta; Lopez Jaena and Calamba, Misamis Occidental; agroforestry communities still in Oroquieta, Lopez Jaena and Calamba, and grass-dominated fallowed areas that developed after a long fallow period of the Subanon farmers across the Malindang landscape.

A total of 73 cultivated species had been documented in the agroecosystem. Of these, 24 species were vegetable crops, 23 species were fruits crops, 7 species were plantation crops, 5 species were cereal and grains, 8 species were ornamental plants, and 6 species were industrial tree crops.

Among the vegetables, sweet potato exhibited the most number (26) of local varieties. Most of these variables were dominantly found in Don Victoriano but could not be found growing in the lower barangays of Mt. Malindang. In addition, among other root crops, kanaka (Colocasia sp.) served as the cash crop, particularly in Barangay Sebucal areas.

The similarities in the varieties planted by the Subanos were found to be influenced by the market demand. The proximity of farms to the market centers also greatly influenced the species being planted. Because of the high cost of production and transport, high yield and profitability were topmost considerations in the choice of crop species planted.

The vegetation of Mt. Malindang Natural Park was a combination of nine different vegetation/forests types. The difference in forest physiognomy was attributed to the inherent effects of soil types, variations in altitude, temperature, and amount of rainfall.

Among the habitats for conservation, the most important were the montane forest in Barangay Lake Duminagat, almaciga and the dipterocarp forests in Barangay Sebucal. Due to the presence of 14 endangered species, very high percent endemism and prevalence of destructive farming activities, these habitats should be given utmost priority.

The forests of Mt. Malindang Natural Park, important resources for both in situ and ex situ conservation, were still rich in biodiversity. In particular, the almaciga, montane, mossy and submontane dipterocarp forests had high species richness, diversity values and endemism. However, the number of threatened species was likewise high due to the fast rate of land conversion and resource utilization.

As the altitude increased from 1,400 to 2,185 m asl, the number of tree species decreased. However, in the case of pteridophytes, there was increased species richness as altitude increased.

Recommendations

Capacity Building

A sustainable approach is to build the capacity of the preparation of individual household farm plans. This incorporates schemes of increasing and sustaining crop production in their current occupancy by way of correct site-crops matching, establishment of small woodlots within fallowed areas to address the needs of firewood, house construction materials and rattan for alternative livelihood and alternative ways for conserving and ameliorating soil productivity. This scheme would retain people in their present occupancy on the natural resource base.

Using seedlings from the BRP Nursery, planting of trees in forests of denuded mountains should be conducted to replenish diminishing forest resources. In the line with this, forest nurseries in other barangays surrounding Mt. Malindang should be established to ensure the continued availability of materials for reforestation. Potential funding donors are LGUs, DENR, and NGOs concerned with the conservation of biodiversity resources of Mt. Malindang.

BIOME activities should be continued with funding from the LGU to build the capabilities of the communities in determining changes and trend in biological diversity, and to formulate appropriate conservation management interventions. The recognition by the PAMB of the CMT in Mansawan- New Liboron and Gandawan- Lake Duminagat is highly recommended.

Except for the barangays practicing agroforestry, only Barangay Lake Duminagat had shown initial evidence of soil conservation by using the balabag system. Most of the farmers still practiced the kaingin system, a farming method that strips the forest soil of nutrients for a long period of time, leaving big portions of lands unproductive for long periods of time. More appropriate soil conservation measures should therefore be introduced to the local farmers to achieve sustainable production.

A temporary but immediate course action is to regulate cutting down and harvesting of trees for firewood and house construction. Harvesting of favored species should be restricted according to its abundance and location of mature individuals, as well as its rate of regeneration. Harvesting in areas with very few stands per hectare should be prohibited. This includes regulations to control the harvest of rattan, especially the immature plants, and the tapping of almaciga exudates in Barangays Sebucal and Lake Duminagat.

The absence of site crop matching has been noted where farmers failed to evaluate their soil characteristics and climate to fit the crop requirements. In effect, crop yield was not maximized. With the help of the Philippine Department of Agriculture, trainings on soil and climatic requirements of crops can be conducted to help farmers maximized production.

To avert the status of almaciga and to make almaciga extraction a potential livelihood opportunity, there is a need to inform and train the community on the right and sustainable tapping procedure.

To increase awareness level among the people among the people on critical flora resources and plant diversity, there is a need to produce and distribute IEC materials, like flyers, leaflets and the like, written in the local dialects.

To expand knowledge of ecosystems, further exploration and establishment of more sampling plots in the other parts of the Mt. Malindang Natural Park should be conducted to support the preliminary results.

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