A Preliminary Survey of Beach Forest Species in Guiuan Eastern Samar, Philippines: An Ethnobotanical Study

Joarth B Sabulao

doi:10.17485/ijst/2020/v13i09/149706

Abstract

Objectives/methods: A preliminary ethnobotanical survey of beach forest species was conducted to identify the local names and document the uses of these resources to the locals of Guiuan, Eastern Samar, Philippines. Plants were identified in situ by an informant and samples were collected for herbarium specimen identification. Ethnobotanical data were obtained using a modified focused group (bench conference) and a semi-structured interview with each of the 15 informants, composed of a village leader, a local healer, and mostly elders. Quantitative data on the citation of beach plants per specific use were tabulated for frequency counts and percentage of informant’s citation or agreement. Findings/application: The study documented at least 39 species of beach forests flora present in the community. The common uses of these species by the locals are associated with construction, source of income, food and food processing for humans and domesticated animals, fishing technology, insect repellent, home decors, and furniture, landscaping, and folk medicine. Cocos nucifera L. is evident in many applications in the life of the locals. Together with Atipulo (Artocarpus blancoi), and Bagnaw (Premna odorata), they were reported in diverse applications ranging from folk medicine to infrastructure and food preparation and consumption. Like any other ethnic group and underdeveloped communities in the world, medicinal administration is largely a symptomatic approach utilizing either fresh or dried leaves, fruits, roots, barks or even the whole plant across different preparations. The flexibility of some of these species in terms of utilization by the community can shed light on its abundance in the area and the associated local ecological knowledge. An ethnobotanical survey should be conducted across the Philippine archipelago for more comprehensive documentation of beach forest species, thereby giving cues on its dynamics and conservation efforts. Keywords: Ethnobotany, Beach Forest Species, Descriptive Survey, Eastern Samar Ph.

Highlights

Beach forest is among the green fronts along the extensive 36,300 km long coastline of the Philippine archipelago [1]
This supratidal vegetation dominated by littoral creepers, shrubs, and trees provides a greenbelt that reduces the effect of strong winds, coastal erosion, and wave actions [4]
There were a total of thirty-nine (Table 1) beach forest species with ethnobotanical significance to the locals of Sitio Comverse, Brgy

Summary

Introduction

Beach forest is among the green fronts along the extensive 36,300 km long coastline of the Philippine archipelago [1] It features a plant community growing along the sand dunes and rocks on sandy shores towards the high tidal zones, exposed to salt spray [2], strong wind, and drought [3]. This supratidal vegetation dominated by littoral creepers, shrubs, and trees provides a greenbelt that reduces the effect of strong winds, coastal erosion, and wave actions [4]. The long-term human population sustainability along these areas resulted in centuries of wanton exploitation leading to an alarming degradation that dooms to vanish

Methods

Results

Conclusion