Project Profile

A. Overview

1 PROFILE TITLE Biodiversity Assessment in the Forestlands of Rizal,

Zambaoanga Del Norte for Enhanced Watershed Protection and
Conservation
2 PROJECT SITES A. Barangay Rizalina
B. Barangay La Esperanza
C. Barangay Sebaca
D. Barangay Balubohan
E. Barangay Damasing
F. Barangay Nilabo
3 NATURE AND Facilitate scientific assessment on the flora and fauna of the
PURPOSE OF THE lowland, forests of Rizal, Zamboanga Del Norte
PROJECT
4 PARTICIPATING A. Municipal LGU of Rizal (MENRO)
STAKEHOLDERS B. DENR CENRO-Pinan
C. Local communities of Barangays Rizalina, La Esperanza,
Sebaca, Balubohan, Damasing, Nilabo
5 TENTATIVE 1 month
TIMEFRAME
6 PROJECT Mindanao Wildlife Preservation Foundation
PROPONENTS

B. RATIONALE

Watersheds are areas of land that are drained by a common waterway or body of water, such
as a river, lake, or ocean. They can range in size from a small stream to a large river system, and
they are an essential component of the Earth's water cycle. Rainwater that falls on a watershed area
flows into the waterway, carrying with it sediment, nutrients, and pollutants that can affect the
water quality downstream. Watersheds are important for several reasons. Firstly, they play a
crucial role in providing clean water for drinking, irrigation, and other uses. By filtering and
regulating the flow of water, watersheds help to reduce erosion and sedimentation, which can
negatively impact aquatic ecosystems and human infrastructure. Secondly, watersheds provide
important habitat for a wide range of plant and animal species, including many that are endangered
or threatened. Finally, watersheds are important for their role in maintaining the ecological balance
of the region and helping to mitigate the impacts of climate change. To protect and conserve
watersheds, it is essential to implement sustainable land use practices, such as reducing pollution
and erosion, preserving natural vegetation, and managing water resources in a responsible and
efficient manner.
Zamboanga Peninsula, located in the southern part of the Philippines, has experienced
significant forest loss over the years. This loss of forest cover has been driven by several factors,
including logging, agricultural expansion, and mining: (i) Logging has been a major driver of
deforestation in the region, particularly in the early 20th century when large-scale commercial
logging was permitted. This led to the depletion of old-growth forests and the loss of habitat for
many endemic plant and animal species. Illegal logging has also been a persistent problem in the
region, despite efforts to crack down on the practice; (ii) Agricultural expansion has also
contributed to forest loss in Zamboanga Peninsula. The region has a long history of agriculture,
with crops such as coconut, banana, and corn being grown on both small and large-scale farms.
However, the expansion of agricultural land has led to the clearance of large areas of forest,
resulting in soil erosion, loss of biodiversity, and decreased water availability; (iii) Mining has also
been a significant driver of deforestation in the region, particularly in areas with rich mineral
deposits. Mining activities can result in the clearing of large areas of forest for infrastructure and
access roads, as well as contamination of water sources and soil with toxic chemicals.
Today, only a small portion of the original forest cover remains in the region, including the
forestland of Rizal, Zamboanga Del Norte. This remaining forest is of critical importance for
preserving the biodiversity of the region and ensuring the sustainability of the local ecosystem. It
is essential to implement sustainable land use practices and policies to address the ongoing forest
loss in Zamboanga Peninsula and protect the remaining forest cover. The remaining forest in Rizal,
Zamboanga Del Norte, is incredibly valuable for the unique biodiversity of Zamboanga Peninsula.
The forest is home to a wide range of plant and animal species, including the Zamboanga bulbul
(Hypsipetes rufigularis), Zamboanga Burrowing Snake (Pseudorabdion ater), Alcala's Rough-
scaled Sun Skink (Eutropis alcalai), Luvunga subanense, Macrosolen zamboangensis,
Cryptocoryne paglaterasiana, Begonia beringii, B. gampura, and B. elatostematoides,
Plagiostachys subsessiliflora and Plagiostachys longipetiolata that are found only in the region,
and found nowhere else.
Our general aim for this project is to gather empirical species data to provide us with the much-
needed evidence to justify the immediate protection of the unprotected forests of Rizal and
strengthen its already existing management mechanisms. The results of this project are a critical
step in the updating and on the development of plans which would guide the conservation decisions
of the enhanced watershed protection and conservation of the remaining forest in Rizal,
Zamboanga Del Norte.

The project’s specific objectives are the following:

1) Conduct a reconnaissance survey to identify and map out field transect routes, water
sources and field camp/s;
2) Assess the Enhanced Watershed Protection and Conservation area’s avifaunal,
mammalian, herpetofaunal, and floral diversity;
3) Analyze species diversity, evenness, relative abundance and endemicity
percentage;
4) Identify management indicator species that can be used as tools for monitoring the
general ecosystem health of the watershed areas;
 5) Recommend activities based on the results that contributes to enhanced watershed
protection and conservation; and
6) Present the results to key stakeholders of for the enhanced watershed protection and
conservation of the forestland of Rizal, Zamboanga Del Norte.

General description of survey methods

A. Organization, Planning, and Reconnaissance surveys

A team of biologists, Rizal LGU field staff, DENR CENRO-Pinan, and representatives from
each of the barangays involved will do a field reconnaissance survey and coordination meetings
separately in each of the pre-identified assessment sites. This might take 1or 2 days of fieldwork
at the most. In the site, the field recon team shall identify and do mapping using Global Positioning
Systems (GPS) of the following: (i) watershed area boundaries, (ii) possible transect routes, and
(iii) other topographical features. An output of this activity would be maps and a realistic field
logistic plan
The survey team with the help of the Rizal LGU field staff will work on getting the permission
of the involved Barangay Local Government Unit (BLGU) to conduct the assessment in target
area. If the assessment site is under an Ancestral Domain (AD), the team will seek the approval
and consent from the IP leaders through the Free Prior Informed Consent process. We will make
sure that this is undertaken before any biodiversity assessment is done.

Figure 1. Map of the assessment site

B. Data Gathering

A Rapid Biodiversity Assessment (RBA) approach will be conducted to document local

biodiversity. RBA is an effective approach used to assess or estimate the status of target habitats
for conservation or rapid measurement of stress or impacts on habitats or ecosystems of
biodiversity of planned large-scale development projects. In RBAs, Visual Encounter Surveys
(VES) is also incorporated to determine the presence and absence of particular species or to
estimate species counts for the defined sampling sites.
A team of 12 people (maximum) composed of (a) community representatives (3 pax), (b)
Biologists (5 person), (c) LGU Rep (2 person), and (d) DENR (2 person) will do the survey for a
maximum period of one month to assess the community of birds, reptiles, amphibians, mammals,
and plants.
Establishment of one (1) 2-km transect line per sampling area will be done for the assessment
of the four major taxa (birds, mammals, amphibians and reptiles, and flora). Field methodologies
will include the following:
1. Birds
a. Birds’ assessment will be done at the established 2-km transect line with nine (9)
stations, each station has 250m interval distance.
b. At each station, point-count method will be used for counting individuals. Species
outside the transect line but encountered within the vicinity of the area will be
included on the species account.
c. Bird observation will be done during morning (5-9am) and afternoon (5-7pm)
transect walk.

2. Volant and non-volant Mammals

a. Volant mammals will be assessed through the use of mist nets and will be
established on the possible flyways of bats and other volant mammals within the
sampling area.
b. Non-volant mammals will be assessed through cage trapping.

3. Amphibians and Reptiles

a. Herpetofaunal assessment will be done using opportunistic method along the
established transect line. Species that can be observed outside the transect line will
also be listed as a supplementary data.
b. Assessment will be done during day (8-10am) and night time (6-10pm).

4. Flora Assessment and Habitat Description

a. For the flora and habitat assessment, at least 5% of total area will be the basis of
the number of plots to be stablish considering the land classification of an area
using 50 by 50-meter quadrant along with every 250 meters interval following the
transect routes.
 b. In terms of tree diameter at breast height only 10 cm diameter and above will be
recorded, wildlings will also be counted around every plot for the estimation rate
of regeneration of forest trees other data collected is the tree height, crown
diameter, coordinates and tree sample photos.
c. The collected data will be the basis for the estimation of tree diversity, species
richness, species evenness, basal area, rate of regeneration and also carbon stock
estimation for the future researchers.

These methodologies are standard and safe methods that are used by researchers routinely
across the world. No specimens will be collected as voucher specimens, and the species that will
be captured and observed will be morphologically measured and will be released after necessary
data has been gathered.

C. Data Analysis

Analysis of the gathered data will include, Species Diversity indices such as the (1)
Shannon-Weinner Index (H’) that is determined by adding the proportions of the total number
of individuals, the number of each species, and the sum of those proportions times the natural
log of the proportion for each species; (2) Shannon Evenness Index (SEI) that is calculating
the area’s species composition and richness; (3) Relative Abundance that determines the
relative measure of the size of a population or sub-unit of the population; and (4) Endemicity
Percentage that is calculated by dividing the total number of endemic species by the total
number of species the percentage of Philippine endemic species.
This analysis provides a broad evaluation of the importance of the assessment area in terms
of being a habitat for unique species. These metrics will determine what management
indicator species is best used as monitoring tool to assess the environmental quality of the
watershed area in the municipality of Rizal.

D. Data presentation and Exit Conference

Once the survey and analysis will be done, the project report will be submitted to the (i)
Rizal LGU, (ii) DENR CENRO-Pinan and other partners for verification. Results will be
presented as well to the host community of Barangay Rizalina, Barangay La Esperanza,
Barangay Sebaca, Barangay Balubohan, Barangay Damasing and Barangay Nilabo by way of
a popular, layman power point presentation.

List of participating researchers

Researcher Position/Affiliation Expedition role Taxonomic interest
Rowel L. Taraya Senior Biologist Over-all Birds
expedition
coordinator
Tristan Luap P. Biologist/ Team Leader Birds
Senarillos
Kristian James Suetos Program Officer – Species Team Leader Biodiversity Threats
& Threats Monitoring and
Management/
Mammals
Andrei Von Mariano Biologist Team Leader Reptiles and
C. amphibians
Tirona
Rey Mark Balaod Forester and GIS expert Team Leader Plants