Unlike many other countries, the land of the Philippines is dominated by one biome, the tropical rainforest. However, the diverse and rich plant and animal life is unlike any other rainforest found in the world and they serve as an important part of the Philippines. Despite this, the Philippines rainforests are suffering from countless threats that put it in an intimidating situation, in the past, rainforests covered majority of the Philippines whilst today they can only be found in patches around the Philippines.
Climate Due to its position near the equator and the fact that it is surrounded by large bodies of water, the climate of the rainforests remains the same year round, this being hot, wet and humid. However, the temperature slightly varies depending on the time of year. In the cooler month of January the temperature is usually 25.5°C whilst in May it can reach temperatures of 28°C. Precipitation is an important element of the Philippines rainforest as, annually, they receive anywhere between 965 and 4,064 millimetres of it. Flora and Fauna Depending on the area, all rainforests of the Philippines have species of fauna that are native to only that particular rainforest. For example, the largest island Luzon has thirty one different species that are native to that island whilst one of the smallest islands Camiguin Island has two different species. This makes each of the rainforests in the Philippines unique and overall, all of the rainforests together are very diverse and different compared to rainforests anywhere else in the world. As well as this, sixteen new species of mammals have been discovered in the Philippines in only the past ten years, giving the Philippines a high rate of endemism. There are hundreds of native fauna species that call the Philippines rainforest home, including 185 birds, 100 mammals, 160 reptiles, 76 amphibians and over 65 freshwater fish species. One of the most well-known native Philippine animals is the Philippine Eagle. This is the second largest eagle in the world and faces endangerment, with less than 700 individuals left in the wild. The Tamaraw, a dwarf water buffalo, Philippine Crocodile and the Philippine Tarsier are other well-known native animal that live in the rainforest. Like the fauna found in the rainforest, the flora is also very diverse and can only be found in certain places in the Philippines. The many native plant species that make up the Philippines rainforest include gingers, begonias, orchids, palms, dipterocarps, gesneriads and pandans. In particular, orchards and palms make up a lot of the area of rainforests. Out of about 150 different species of pals, two thirds are found nowhere else in the world whilst 70percent of the 1,000 orchard species are native to the Philippines rainforest. Foods Not only does the Philippines rainforest provide a home for many diverse and native flora and fauna species but it is also a source of many of the Philippines main foods, these mostly being fruit. Some of these different types of food include coconuts, bananas, pineapples, and mangoes. The tropical rainforest is a good place to grow these fruits as they require a warmer climate and constant rainfall. Out of all fruits grown in tropical rainforests, mangoes are considered the most popular, even though they are ranked third when it comes to the most important fruit (based on export volume and value). The reason why it is so popular is because of its sweet taste and quality that does not compare to any other mangoes grown outside of the Philippines. Filipinos eat this fruit regularly and mostly have it with their dessert or they eat it whilst it is still green and has not finished ripening. Not only is it important to Filipinos due to its taste, but also because of its value in accordance to exporting. Philippine mangoes are exported to 48 countries around the world and the less than 10% of total mango production that is sent overseas has a value of US$61,000,000. In the Philippines, mangoes are sold more in January to February and are marketed at ₱37 to ₱46 ($0.9 - $1.12). Another fruit that is important to Filipinos and is grown in tropical rainforests is coconuts. In total, there are 340 million coconut trees found in the rainforests and an average of 15.2 billion coconuts is produced. Out of all these, about 1.5 million coconuts are exported to many countries overseas and because of this, are valued at $965 million. Not only are coconuts valued for their value, but also for its history with the country. Trading with other countries in Asia since 1840, the coconut was used initially for its oil and fibres, it didn’t start trading overseas until 1926. This history shows that the coconut has always been an important crop produced in tropical rainforests in the Philippines. |
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