Many wildlife species, with a number of them now threatened
elsewhere, still teem in Mt. Malindang, the highest mountain in the Zamboanga
peninsula in Western Mindanao.
Attesting to this are the results of a scientific research
titled "Biodiversity Research Program for Development in Mindanao: Focus on Mt.
Malindang and Environs" undertaken by Filipino and Dutch scientists.
The BRP was funded by the Netherlands Ministry for
Development Cooperation through the Philippine government-hosted, Los Baños,
Laguna-based Southeast Asian regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in
Agriculture (SEARCA).
Located in the University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB)
campus, SEARCA, presently headed by UP Diliman professor in Economics Dr.
Arsenio M. Balisacan, is one of the 15 "centers of excellence" of the Southeast
Asian Ministers of Education Organization (SEAMEO).
Among the program’s outputs are a booklet titled "Vertebrate
Fauna of Mt. Malindang." The 87-page volume, complete with colored photographs
of fauna, presents the wealth and diversity of wildlife in the 2,175-meter high
mountain.
Reporting on Mt. Malindang’s rich wildlife, the program team
noted: "Our two-year study 2003-2005) recorded 257 species of vertebrates (26
amphibians, 33 reptiles, 162 birds, 19 volant mammals, and 17 non-volant
mammals)." Volant means winged or capable of flying.
Twenty-five threatened species were recorded, comprising nine
amphibians, nine birds, four non-volant mammals, and three volant mammals.
Of the 26 species of amphibians found in Mt. Malindang, nine
are now regarded as "threatened species." Of these, six are Mindanao-endemic and
one is Philippine-endemic.
The Philippine amphibian fauna consists of caecilians and
frogs, according to scientific literature.
Caecilian is a gray worm-like burrowing amphibian without any
indication of having limbs. It is found in Palawan and in parts of Mindanao,
particularly in Mt. Malindang, Zamboanga Peninsula, and Davao, as documented by
noted Filipino scientist Dr. Angelo C. Alcala.
Frogs and toads constitute the majority of Philippine
amphibians.
"The latest tally of birds in the country stand at 576
species, 395 of which are resident breeders (meaning they nest and incubate
their eggs in the country), in contrast to non-resident breeders, which are
wintering migratory birds or vagrants," the program team further reported.
A total of 162 species of birds are found in Mt. Malindang,
with 66 endemic (16 of which are Mindanao-endemic). Moreover, nine threatened
species are recorded endemic.
Philippine reptilian fauna is composed of terrestrial lizards
(124 species), terrestrial snakes (106 species), marine snakes (15), terrestrial
turtles (6), marine turtles (5), and crocodiles (2).
Thirty-three species were recorded in Mt. Malindang, with 16
endemic.
The most recent inventory of mammals in the Philippines
includes 179 terrestrial species (111 endemic) and 25 marine mammals – for a
total of 204 species.
Thirty-six species of malls are recorded in Mt. Malindang, 21
of which are endemic. Only seven species, all endemic to the country, are
recorded to be threatened.
The biodiversity research program also involved academic and research
institutions (mostly in Mindanao), local government units, people’s
organizations, and communities around Mt. Malindang.
