A biodiversity resource assessment conducted in Southern Leyte Province in November 2011, resulted in the discovery of at least two new species of frogs and a total of 229 recorded flora species, 31 of which are unique to the country.

Despite its infamous reputation of having highly fragmented and degraded forests, this impressive list of fauna and flora demonstrates the under appreciated biodiversity of the Philippines.

Whilst the highlight of the assessment is the discovery of the new frog species, it also generated a detailed documentation of new and important information on the ecology and natural history of many species of vertebrates that are endemic to Leyte.

The two new species of frogs from Southern Leyte will be unveiled at the Marble Hall of the Museum of the Filipino People on April 17, 2012, 1:30 to 3:30 pm. Secretary Ramon J.P. Paje of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources; Mr. Ralph Timmermann, Deputy Head of Mission Federal Republic of Germany Embassy, Dr. Bernd-Markus Liss, Principal Advisor of the International Climate Change projects in the Philippines of the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), Mr. Jeremy Barns, Director of the National Museum of the Philippines are among the distinguished guests for the event.

The biodiversity assessments were conducted by Fauna & FIora International, the National Museum of the Philippines, the Protected Areas and Wildlife Bureau of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), and DENR Region 8 on behalf of two projects, namely the Climate relevant modernization of forest policy and Piloting of Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and forest Degradation (REDD) in the Philippines Project by DENR-Forest Management Bureau and the German Development Cooperation – Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH, and the New Conservation Areas in the Philippines Project (NewCAPP) of the DENR-PAWB, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Global Environment Facility (GEF). The study was aimed at generating species inventories and practical information on key species-habitat associations as sound bases for forest and biodiversity management planning.

The month-long ground surveys in Southern Leyte Province (covering the municipalities of Silago, Hinunangan, Sogod, Maasin, Tomas Oppus and Malitbog) recorded a total of 229 floral species (31 of which are unique to the Philippines) and 212 terrestrial vertebrates species, comprising 112 species of birds (41 species are unique to Philippines; 11 of which are threatened to extinction), 36 species of mammals (17 species are unique to the Philippines) and 64 species of amphibians and reptiles (more than half of which are found only in the Philippines). It is anticipated that a significant number of species will be recorded from Southern Leyte with continued field sampling, especially if the surveys are conducted during the drier months of the year and if a wide range of habitat and elevation zones, from lowland Dipterocarp to mossy forests, are sampled in detail.

The two newly-discovered forest-obligate species of frogs belong to the genus Platymantis. These species inhabit the montane and mossy forests of the Nacolod Mountain Range in Southern Leyte Province. Both species differ markedly from other known species of Philippine Platymantis frogs by their body size, coloration patterns, and advertisement calls. The two species are allied to two different species groups, the Platymantis guentheri Group and Platymantis hazelae Group. This is the first time that a Platymantis species belonging to the hazelae group has been discovered in Mindanao faunal region, of which the island of Leyte belongs to. Herpetologists from the Philippines and the United States are now working on the formal taxonomic description of the species.

The Assessment indicated the general preference of Southern Leyte’s fauna to forest and riverine environments. The information generated, now provides a baseline that can be used to predict impacts of habitat change on species and to design measures to protect forest biodiversity. For local government units in Southern Leyte, the findings provide the scientific basis in designing appropriate management systems and monitoring protocols useful in protecting forest ecosystems, establishing local forest and biodiversity areas as well as to steer the rehabilitation of forests towards an efficient and more ecologically sound path. For the national Government it will spur forest protection and rehabilitation efforts under the Philippine National REDD-Plus Strategy as part of the National Climate Change Action Plan (NCCAPP), and the National Greening Program.

It is anticipated that a significant number of species will be recorded from Southern Leyte with continued field sampling, especially if the surveys are conducted during the drier months of the year and if a wide range of habitat and elevation zones (from lowland Dipterocarp to mossy forests) are sampled.

The discovery of the new species on the fragmented forests of Mt. Nacolod intensifies the potential of REDD-Plus for effective protection and rehabilitation of natural forests and conservation of biodiversity, while benefiting local communities. Greater involvement of LGUs in conserving the biodiversity of Nacolod is expected. The DENR-GIZ REDD Project assists these efforts as part of the International Climate Initiative (ICI) of the German Government. The German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMU) supports this initiative on the basis of a decision adopted by the German Bundestag. The UNDP-GEF NewCAPP on the other hand, is part of the United Nations Development Assistance Framework (UNDAF) to increase the capacity of the stakeholders to protect/ enhance the quality of the environment and sustainably manage the natural resources through expanding and strengthening the terrestrial PA system in the Philippine by developing new conservation models and building capacity for effective management of the system supported by improved systemic and institutional capacities.