A glimpse to botanical garden: Case study in the environment and ecological niche of molave tree

Abstract

A wood species called molave (Vitex parvifloraJuss.) naturally grows in tropical nations like the Philippines. In themarginal uplands, molave is also a plant that is advised for afforestation. The ecological niche of the molave treeis significant to the balance of the terrestrial ecosystems. The trees serve as producers of the biotic organism andprovide shelter, oxygen and sequester carbon dioxide. The trees also provide support that upholds the land fromerosion and landslides. According to FAO (2004), people in the county continue to unlawfully cut these trees despitethe Philippines’ restriction on doing so, which results in an annual deforestation rate of roughly 2.48%, comparedto 1.4% in the 1990s. Some of the conservation plans of the government includein situconservation, integratedprotected area systems, geographic mapping of species distribution, and education and training activities forconservation planning. Therefore, the molave tree in the Botanical Garden of University of the Philippines LosBanos has a vital role in controlling the balance of the ecosystems together with the living organisms in the areaand must be sustained and protected