Sagip Sarihay Series features critically endangered species in the Philippines, with weekly posts of alternating plant and animal species, and with the primary aims of awareness and call to action. This series is a project of the SciTech and the VA sections of UST-CSJ. (Note: Weekly order of posting does not reflect actual order of intensity of endangerment. Database reference for selection of species is the IUCN Red List.)

SAGIP SARIHAY #19

Syzygium malagsam (Malagsam)

Words by Maria Francesca Ortega
Artwork by Cristine Magtanong

A visual representation of Malagsam.

Description

Malagsam is a eudicot canopy tree that reaches about 5–10 m in height (Didham & Fagan, 2004). It is typically found covered in moss and epiphytes and serves as the food and habitat of various endemic plant and animal species in Mindanao (Didham & Fagan, 2004; Lewis, 1988). Moreover, as a canopy tree, it also accounts for at least 50% of global CO2 exchange and helps mitigate increasing atmospheric CO2 concentration (Didham & Fagan, 2004).

Locality

Mt. Apo, Davao del Sur, Mindanao (GBIF, 2019; Lewis, 1988)

Threats

In 1984, the Mt. Apo National Park where Malagsam is found was declared to be one of the world’s most threatened protected natural areas. Human settlement was determined to be one of the biggest threats to different plant and animal species found in the park. In particular, illegal logging and the slash-and-burn (kaingin) system prominently cleared the park’s forest of its trees — functioning to provide logging roads and space for settlement, all the while damaging the home of various endemic species (Lewis, 1988).

How can we help this endangered species?

The implementation of new policies and the reinforcement of old policies on zonation and conservation of wildlife and protected areas are recommended in order to legally address the endangerment of this species. Efforts on forest restoration and planting of endangered tree species should also be made. In addition, forest guards and park rangers should be assigned to patrol the park against illegal loggers. Regular ground surveys should also be conducted in order to assess the number and nature of settlements. With this, education on rainforest and wildlife conservation should be given to the settlers as well as other parties that may be involved in the park’s restoration ((Lewis, 1988; Didham & Fagan, 2004).

References

Didham, R.K. & Fagan, L.L. (2004). “Ecology — Forest Canopies”. In J. Burley, Encyclopedia of Forest Sciences, pp. 68–80. Academic Press. https://doi.org/10.1016/B0-12-145160-7/00013-2

Energy Development Corporation (EDC) . 2020. Syzygium malagsam. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2020: e.T154370714A157179051. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2020-3.RLTS.T154370714A157179051.en.

Lewis, R.E. (1988). Mt. Apo and other national parks in the Philippines. Oryx 22(2): 100–109. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0030605300027575

Syzygium malagsam (Elmer) Merr. in GBIF Secretariat (2019). GBIF Backbone Taxonomy. Checklist dataset https://doi.org/10.15468/39omei accessed via GBIF.org on 2021–01–20.