Floral diversity assessment of the buffer zones and vicinity of the Mt. Hamiguitan Range Wildlife Sanctuary (MHRWS), Davao Oriental: basis for inclusion to protected area zone

In 2016, municipal ordinances to expand the protected area of the MHRWS were issued with the aim of protecting and preserving the remaining biodiversity of the buffer zones and to strengthen the core zone. The municipal ordinances however, have limitations and do not guarantee legal promulgation. Hence, this study is on the gathering of complete and concrete floral data so that these expansion sites will become part of the protected area and encompassed in legal promulgations. Botanical fieldworks conducted from Oct to Dec 2017 were carried out in five study sites of the MHRWS expansion sites using 40 20 x 20 m sampling plot with a distance of 20 m between plots and opportunistic transect walk techniques. The study disclosed 228 taxa of plants, of these, 74 species were ferns and lycophytes, 6 species of gymnosperms, 30 species of herbs and vines and 118 species were trees and shrubs. There were three new records of ferns and lycophytes increasing the number of species to 155. There are 13 (5.7%) threatened species, 22 (9.6%) and endemic species. Findings suggest that species in each site are unique and maybe attributed to the vegetation present, elevation variations of the different sampling sites and anthropogenic activities. The proposed expansion sites harbor diverse threatened and plants deserving protection and conservation efforts. Results of this study support the contention that the expansion sites, which are included in the municipal ordinances, be part of the official protected area.