The Philippines is admittedly one of the richest countries in the world in terms of biodiversity. Biodiversity is an important characteristic of ecosystem that is related to the number of different species they contain. It is the wealth of all living things on Earth today that is the product of millions of years of evolutionary period and history.
Despite Philippines as one of the richest country in terms of biodiversity, there are still a number of plants and animals who are endangered, like the Philippine Eagle also known as the monkey-eating eagle. Though like a king of the forest this eagle is among the most powerful of birds. Our very own national bird of the Philippines has become one of the rarest. Foremost cause for this populations decimation is habitat loss. Another endangered animals in the Philippines are the Visayan Warty Pig, tamaraw, Philippine Naked-backed Fruit bat, Philippine forest turtle, the Red-vented cockatoo, the hawksbill sea turtle and many more.
Plants are an important part of the biodiversity of the world. They are a vital part of the ecosystem as
well as an essential resource for the world. According to http://www.ehow.com, the Philippines possesses incredible plant diversity, with between 10,000 and 14,000 species of plants. The Philippines is home to around 5% of the world’s species of plants and ranks fifth in the world in the number of plant species it contains. Some of the endangered plant species in the Philippines include Mangifera ordata, also known as the huani or Kuwini mango. Also endangered is Kibatalia puberula, a small evergreen tree found only in Samar Island in the Philippines, and Phalaenopsis lindenii, a white-petaled orchid tinged with pale pink or lavender.
Why is it important to Protect Endangered Plants and Animals?
Based on http://infiniteknowledge.expertscolumn.com, There are three major reasons why these species of living things are important to us:
- Species diversity serves as valuable biological resources that we depend on to provide our food, industrial and medical needs.
- Greater diversity of species provide more ecological services as well as aesthetic and cultural values of natural ecosystems and
- Species of living organisms, especially those that are endemic to the Philippines, constitute not only national heritage but global patrimony as well.
Every plant and animal is part of the ecosystem of the particular place where its habitat is. It is also part of the food chain. So destroying plant or animal beyond natural causes of their death destroys the ecosystem that creates imbalance in nature in the long run. It is then when some plants and animals become endangered. So in simple words endangered species actually indicate environmental imbalance, food scarcity, environmental (air, water, soil) pollution, climate change or man-made disasters. When we come forward to protect these endangered species, we actually try to restore our nature and environment for our welfare. So its important to protect endangered species to keep this world livable for human too.
Below is a link measures to conserve endangered species
http://www.wikihow.com/Help-Endangered-Animals
I believe that Philippines is trying its best to achieve ecological sustainability by conserving, preserving, and protecting these species at a broader level.
References:
http://greenbuzzz.com/animals/most-endangered-species-in-the-philippinehttp://infiniteknowledge.expertscolumn.com/article/how-rich-philippine-biodiversity
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_threatened_species_of_the_Philippineshttps://www.google.com.ph/search?q=philippine+eagle&biw=656&bih=574&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=S6CqVLmOHMHr8AWwtIKYBg&sqi=2&ved=0CAYQ_AUoAQ
EcoStreet by Williemae 