A Whole New World:

Reimagining Biology Perspectives

and Science Learning from Local to
Global
Harold O. Buenvenida, PhD.
Great advances have been made in the
field of biology in recent decades that
will continue to have a major impact on
our lives.
The Context of Local to Global

#goGREENCAPIZ
Global Goals
• Across the globe, national governments are
increasingly pursuing policies to secure
biodiversity and natural ecosystems while
ensuring economic prosperity and other aspects
of human well-being including health, social
relations and cultural values. In September 2015,
the United Nations launched a set of 17 new
Sustainable Development Goals to shape the
international development agenda for the next
15 years
Nature & Human Health
• To achieve stated political
and institutions goals, and to
be able to monitor progress
towards them, empirical
data, relevant metrics, and
monitoring systems are
needed to quantify the
linkages between specific
conservation efforts and
different aspects of human
well-being
Conservation &
Economy
While greater emphasis on
the human dimensions of
conservation efforts has
undoubtedly occurred,
evidence on the resulting
socioeconomic outcomes is so
far inconclusive. Over the
years, conservation has been
portrayed as both a win–win
solution for poverty
alleviation and sustainable
development, and as a
constraint on economic
growth.
Science-based Sustainability
Community-based natural
resource management is
commonly linked to increased
economic and material well-
being, generated by commercial
enterprises (e.g., eco-tourism)
that rely on the presence of
charismatic species. Education
and awareness interventions
(e.g., informational campaigns)
are assumed to improve
knowledge and skills that
encourage more sustainable
practices and behavior
Case Exemplar

Capiz Biodiversity
Conservation Program
Notes on President Roxas
& Pilar Ecosystems
Rationale
Panay is part of the West Visayas
(Negros-Panay) faunal region,
which comprises the islands of
Masbate, Ticao, Guimaras, Negros
and Cebu. It is considered the most
threatened and critically important
faunal region with the least forest
cover and the most threatened
wildlife species.
Rationale
The lack of information and lack on
knowledge on the biodiversity not only on
the small islands has become a problem. It
has created a wrong notion that our wildlife
is the same with the rest of world and worst,
will be it will be published in the internet
with a wider audience reading the wrong
information. It is therefore important to
inform the public with the correct
information and the importance of
biodiversity. Hence, an assessment of Capiz
is proposed.
Rationale
CURRENT GAPS:

1. There are no current data base for

Capiz Biodiversity.
2. No existing conservation plan for
critical habitats / key conservation
areas.
3. No declared Protected Area as per
NIPAS.
4. No existing RAMSAR site.
5. No endemic species described.
objectives
PROGRAM GENERAL OBJECTIVE
Generate important ecological data on Capiz
ecosystems in order to determine the conservation
priorities in the province and produce policy-building
outputs for conservation initiatives and environmental
education.
 
Capiz Flora and Fauna Survey

Specific Objectives:
1. To identify the species of plants and animals in the area
2. To determine presence of threatened species of plants and
animals
3. To determine the conservation status of the ecosystems in the
province and
4. To map out the different habitat types found in the area.
 11°23'41.2"N 123°01'33.3"E
Study Site
Results

There are about 44 species of plants belonging to 8 families that were recorded
in Pres. Roxas & Pilar. These includes species of trees, herbs, vines and lianas,
shrubs, grasses, ferns and lycophytes. The most common plant families
recorded were: Apocynaceae, Begoniaceae, Cucurbitaceae, Ebenaceae,
Gesneriaceae, Lamiaceae, Meliaceae, Moraceae, Orchidaceae, Rubiaceae,
Rutaceae, Sapotaceae, Sterculiaceae, Urticaceae and Vitaceae
Results

Syzygium panayense ( Myrtaceae)

Results
Birds

Total no. of individuals 259

TOTAL no. of species 68

Endemic 34

Restricted-range 10
Results

Visayan hornbill Rufous-headed hornbill

Penelopides panini**EN Rhabdotorrhinus waldeni**CR
Results

Olive-backed pipit Orange-bellied flowerpecker

Anthus hodgsoni (IM) Dicaeum trigonostigma
Results
Bats
Little Golden mantled flying fox
Greater Musky fruit bat
Common Short-nosed fruit bat
Dagger-toothed flower bat
Common Nectar bat
Common Rousette
Pteropus pumilus
Ptenochirus jagori
Cynopterus brachyotis
Macroglossus minimus
Eonycteris spelea
Rousettus amplexicaudatus
Results

Reptiles status
Monitor lizard Varanus nuchalis
Skink 1
Flying dragon Draco spilopterus end
Bow-fingered gecko Cyrtodactylus annulatus
Philippine gecko Gecko gecko
Philippine rat snake Coelognatus erythrurus end
Reticulated python Malayopython reticculatus
Philippine pit viper Tropidolaemus flavomacculatus end
Worm Snake Calamaria gervaisii
Mock viper Psammodynastes pulvulentus
Amphibians
Common puddle frog Occidozyga laevis
Common forest frog Platymantis dorsalis
Giant visayan frog Limnonectes visayanus end
Common tree frog Polypedates leucomystax end
Wrinkled ground frog Platymantis corrugatus end
Panay forest frog Platymantis panayensis Panay end.
Results Non-Volant Mammals
Long tailed macaque Macaca fascicularis
Common palm civet Paradoxurus hermaphroditus
Visayan leopard cat Prianolorus bengalensis
Asian house shrew Suncus murinus
Final notes
Mt Radar in Agodo and the Hinulugan-Tabun-acan in the Pilar Mountain
range remains to be the last remaining forest in the whole province that
has fairly little disturbance. Although it is also one of the eco tourism
sites in the province, the area harbors many endemic species of plants
and animals. This critical habitat is also one of the last remaining
watersheds in the province that gushes forth potable clean water for the
surrounding areas. Due to the committed roles of safeguarding the
watershed, the forest remains to be intact with little disturbance caused
by locals also. It is therefore imperative that conservation efforts should
be done to preserve protect and enhance the area.
Small Acts
with Global
Impacts
Citizen Science
Community Based Conservation
Biology Education
Global Reach
Global Connections
 Madamo
nga Salamat!

Thank you
so much!