Flora of Mt. Mantalingahan Range, Palawan Island, Philippines: Basis for Prioritizing Protected Areas

In Palawan Island, Philippines, Mt. Mantalingahan is given high conservation value because its varied habitats harbor different organisms including important wildlife, but little is known about its floristic composition. Using the Variable Transect Method for Rapid Assessment of Tropical Plant Communities, its peripheral forest flora in four surrounding municipalities was surveyed to describe the community structure and assess the priority areas for protection. The mountain’s peripheral forest is rich in diversified flora having at least 351 species in 214 genera and 92 families. Endemism is remarkably high having at least 50 species of which nine are only found in Palawan, higher than the six species found in Puerto Princesa City Underground River National Park. It contains numerous plant species that are rare with narrow habitat range, economically important, and 13 vulnerable, four endangered and five critically endangered. From the criteria in prioritizing areas for protection, Rizal municipality ranked first, followed by Bataraza, Sofrono Española, and Brooke’s Point municipalities. Results from rapid floral assessment demonstrate that Mt. Mantalingahan Range is one of the most important sites in Palawan Corridor for biodiversity conservation. The best and strictest measures should be applied to prevent any degradation of such a rich genetic resource. Keywords - Plant Ecology, flora, threatened species, ecological design, Palawan, Philippines