Setting Localized Conservation Priorities of the Useful Plant Species of the Alangan Mangyan of Mt. Ilong, Halcon Range, Mindoro Island, Philippines

Abstract

Conservation priority setting has been a useful tool in conservation strategy; however, this has not been applied in the Philippine setting, particularly in the local level. This study is a first attempt for a localized conservation priority setting of plants in the Philippines, integrating both ecological and socio-cultural dimensions of biodiversity. This study aimed to set conservation priorities of plant species that are useful to the Alangan people of Mindoro Island, Philippines. A localized conservation priority index was created for conservation priority setting of the plant species in the forest zones of Mt. Ilong, East Halcon Range. Using a point scoring procedure, seven criteria of the index (Conservation Priority Index) were applied to the plant species for conservation priority setting. This index utilized available bibliographic information, field surveys, and vegetation surveys. A multivariate analysis using non-linear principal component analysis was also performed. Among the 71 species, 17 species were categorized as medium priority plants at the local level, and these were classified into three groups identified from the nonlinear PCA. The management recommendations need to be implemented in the local level, as this is crucial in preserving the plant biodiversity as well as the Alangan culture.