Biodiversity refers to the sum of all life and its own habitat. Biodiversity is the variety of life and the ecological systems which individuals are actively participating in. Biodiversity is important for preserving ecological balance in characteristics. Some advantages of biodiversity include: human benefits, food, industrial and commercial products, drugs etc. Biodiversity hotspot refers to a bio-geographic region that is both a substantial reservoir of biodiversity and it is threatened with devastation. Philippines, one of the world's richest biodiversity on the planet but also one of the very most endangered areas on earth. The country is made up of many endemic types. 6000 plants and animals reside in forests that occupy hardly 7% of the initial hotspot. Today, the forests are removed for farming and development programs for the country's growing people. The major concern is the drop of biodiversity hotspots in the Philippines. By examining the environmental effects, human impacts, politics impacts and the conservation strategies had a need to maintain biodiversity hotspots in the Philippines, this research newspaper will try to develop recognition and knowledge of how the decrease of biodiversity hotspots may be fixed.
Human Impacts
Philippines' population of 80 million people endure using the country's natural resources. With a higher population expansion rate, the demand for timber has increased. Logging activities have dropped because of the deterioration of the forests; however, against the law logging activities are still present. Other risks to the country's forests include mining and land alteration. In 1997, the mining industry occupied more than half of the remaining forests. Roads, misuse, power, energy, slots and harbours are current issues to be resolved.
There have been negative effects upon introducing the following exotic types to Philippines: seafood like the massive catfish and dark bass; toads and frogs like the marine toad, the American bullfrog and leopard frog; and aquatic vegetation like this inflatable water hyacinth and normal water fern. The existence of exotic species becomes a threat to local biodiversity; predator-prey interactions are more competitive, loss of varieties integrity through inter-breeding with exotic varieties, the pass on of disease pathogens along with introduced species and habitat damage for native species.
Only 10% of the sewage in the Philippines is cured in an environmentally friendly manner. With the population rising, there are problems associated with waste materials management and treatment. The poor waste management affects the country's ground water, streams, lakes and coastal areas where in fact the species' habitats are threatened.
Over fishing occurs when the seafood are caught faster than they could reproduce. Overfishing escalates the vulnerability of ocean ecosystems and may contribute to the increased loss of species in the region. The main issue in the Philippines entails cyanide sportfishing where fishermen squirt cyanide into coral holes and crevices, where reef fish seek shelter. Other causes of over fishing include catching mature fish prematurily. and in large numbers therefore the reproduction is impaired. Economic overfishing also occurs when increase in the fish effort lead to earnings levels that are below the desired consumption.
Environmental Impacts
The impact of El Ni±o impacts Philippines' biodiversity hotspots. The country's weather officials identify El Ni±o as a meteorological event that develops in the Pacific Sea and associated with extreme rains, winds, droughts, etc. In the Philippines, El Ni±o has been viewed as drought events. El Ni±o is also the unexpected go up of oceanic temperatures and evaporation of surface drinking water; therefore having an impact on coral expansion and sea life. Algae living inside the tissue of coral help their feeding mechanism and other functions for survival. The distress to the abrupt change of temps causes the coral to bleach. Fish no longer live inside the coral because the coral is uneatable. The drought creates dry conditions for fish ponds. The drought also creates a poor impact on marine biodiversity by shorter seafood production, inhibit fish growth and increase seafood mortality due to stress, poor normal water quality and disease.
Philippines' principal forests are being ruined due to logging and agricultural growth; therefore, lessening the country's natural resources. Two particular kinds of animals are becoming extinct; the tamaraw (the outdoors buffalo) and the Philippines' eagle because their habitats have become ruined. Deforestation in the Philippines occurs because of agricultural extension and illegal logging. Forests provide cooling down insulation to the weather but with deforestation, the local climate shifts from drought into overflow. The tamaraw (outdoors buffalo) escapes into the forest to find limited trees and shrubs to cling onto. Deforestation triggers types to be displaced from their original habitats and loss of top soil leading to erosions affecting the habitat for endemic types. Looking back at the farming industry's use of pesticides, erosions may bring the pesticides in to the rivers and streams. The water is now contaminated with pesticides affecting the endemic species which live in this habitat.
The devastation of costal mangroves is also brought on by deforestation. Mangroves are had a need to protect the coast from hurricanes and other severe weather impacts. Trimming mangroves for fuel hardwood limits and degrades coral duplication. Any endemic types living under water are afflicted by shedding their habitat triggering a negative effect on biodiversity hotspots.
Political Impacts
Inadequate institutional control and poor police in the Philippines have impacted the biodiversity hotspot for endemic varieties. The Fisheries Code was exceeded in 1998 and now serves as the primary legislation for fisheries and coastal management and security in the Philippines. The Fisheries Code does not discover who may access and control municipal waters for angling activities. The Fisheries Code is a weak enforcement system which induces poaching and violation of marine safeguarded area boundaries. Other problems include current property protection under the law, and local power relations to permit local general public officials who own or have indirect business with the fishing industry may affect local coverage and enforcement final results because of their personal gain. Political influence allows many to acquire profitable forest gains, enhancing their political electric power and strengthening their ability to corrupt authorities officials. This school dominates the farmers and interpersonal economic procedures with the results of harming the biodiversity hot places for endemic species. The legislated operational guidelines are often under addressed on the issues that threat environmental happenings such as lost of biodiversity. The Forestry law of PD705 is out dated because regulations will not contain new methods and strategies like biodiversity coverage.
Conservation Plans
The World Wildlife Finance (WWF) has been working as an international business in the Philippines since 1997. The organization's quest in the country involves protecting endemic varieties and biodiversity, retaining sustainability of natural resources and minimizing waste and pollutants in the surroundings. The organization places strong emphasis on sea biodiversity. WWF-Philippines implanted their strategies in 11 provinces with minimum 28 towns.
To ensure that the network of shielded locations is effectively conserving biodiversity by the conservation of Key Biodiversity Areas (KBAs) where endemic or threatened kinds are kept in restricted areas. In the Philippines hotspot, Conservation International-Philippines created a relationship with the Field Museum in Chicago, Haribon Base and other local lovers to identify and identify KBAs throughout the Philippines. With secured regions, there is also a need for field research in order to support conservation activities. Endemic varieties continue being learned and KBAs are had a need to create an idea for their survival.
In the long term, surroundings and sea conservation is necessary to protect the biodiversity hotspots in the Philippines. The Philippine Eagle Alliance has collaborated with other conservation organizations in order to protect the endemic species of the country.
Conclusion
In recent years, there's been a decrease in biodiversity hotspots, particularly in the Philippines. Firstly, human impacts upon endemic species include deforestation, against the law logging, launching new exotic species, poor sewage management and over sportfishing. Secondly, environmental effects such as El Ni±o, ground erosion, pesticides and damage of coastal mangroves all affect biodiversity hotspots. Finally, political effects include inadequate police; specifically for the fisheries and coastal management, and forestation recommendations are not influential in the protection of biodiversity hotspots in the Philippines. The influences develop awareness of the collaboration efforts from WWF, Conservation International-Philippines, the Philippine Eagle Alliance and other conservation organizations which lessen the harm to biodiversity hotspots in the Philippines.
