Floristic diversity assessment of Caramoan National Park, Camarines Sur, Philippines

Jonel Hernandez; Arthur Glenn Umali; Pastor Malabrigo

Jonel O. Hernandez Forest Extension Officer, Conservation Development Section, Community Environment and Natural Resources Office – Iriga City, DENR V, Philippines
Arthur Glenn A. Umali Department of Forest Biological Sciences, College of Forestry and Natural Resources, University of the Philippines Los Baños, College, Laguna, Philippines
Pastor L. Malabrigo, Jr. Department of Forest Biological Sciences, College of Forestry and Natural Resources, University of the Philippines Los Baños, College, Laguna, Philippines

Keywords: floral assessment, forest over limestone, protected area

Abstract

Biodiversity degradation primarily due to continuous deforestation makes every floristic diversity assessment even more important. Despite being proclaimed as a protected area and amidst various scientific tools for diversity studies, not a single comprehensive floristic study has been conducted in Caramoan National Park (CNP) to determine the ecologically important species needing conservation prioritization. For a floristic inventory, two 2-km transects were established inside the park following the methodology stipulated in the Biodiversity Management Bureau Technical Bulletin 2016-05. Results revealed that the park is home to 91 species of plants. Pterocymbium tinctorium, Macaranga bicolor, and Mallotus philippensis dominate the park’s forested area. The most speciose family were Moraceae, Malvaceae, and Euphorbiaceae. The tree with the largest recorded diameter is Ceodes umbellifera, with 95.5 cm. Further, analysis showed that CNP has a very high biodiversity value of 3.761. Despite the small forest area, the study proved that CNP harbors a significant number of threatened, endemic, and indigenous plant species that could contribute to the ecosystem's overall health.