Revisiting environmental management zones toward conserving globally important species in western Philippines

Abstract

The establishment of environmental management zones is an important strategy for biodiversity conservation. However, identifying and assigning appropriate zones is a challenging task that is critical to the management’s success. The Environmentally Critical Areas Network (ECAN) of the Palawan province is among the management strategies being implemented in the western Philippines. Under this strategy, natural resources needing the highest degree of protection are designated as core zones (CZ). Our study revisited this strategy to assess the current placement of the core zones with respect to species distributions and vegetation types. We conducted a series of field surveys in four municipalities of Palawan to assess the status of biodiversity. Gathered data was used to identify potential critical habitats by generating species distribution models and performing vegetation analysis using land satellite images. The placement of the CZ was evaluated using the identified critical habitats. Our assessments show that many Palawan endemic species persist despite increasing pressures from anthropogenic activities. We also found that a considerable extent of natural forest remains, generally confined in high elevations and steep terrains. The assessment of critical habitats and CZ revealed vital gaps in protection, suggesting that a revision is necessary to accommodate important habitats of threatened and endemic species. Overall, our study highlights the significance of integrating biodiversity data in improving conservation and management strategies, which has been overlooked in the current ECAN zones.