Points from the 6th Talakayan Series:

“Stories of Biodiversity in the Changing Climate”

Dazzle Labapis
Community Advocacy Specialist
23 August 2010
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Talakayan Series is an activity organized by the UPLB Environmental Science Society, in cooperation
with the School of Environmental Science and Management (SESAM), Institute of Biological Sciences,
College of Arts and Sciences, and UPLB itself. The Talakayan 6 th offering was held at the IBS Main Lecture
Hall on the 23 of August 2010.
For its 6th offering, the Talakayan focused on Biodiversity and Climate Change with a theme of “Stories
of Biodiversity in the Changing Climate” Two of the very competitive and hard working Directors from
the UP Academe were invited to share their thoughts and knowledge related to Biodiversity and Climate
Change.
Dr. Damasa M. Macandog, director of the Institute of Biological Science, of UPLB talked about the
“Impacts of Climate Change on Indigenous Plants,” wherein she shared a recently concluded study on
the different indigenous plants in the Cordillera region. Dr. Macandog’s team gathered a total of 305
species of multi purpose plants, all of which from the Cordillera area. 167 of these 305 species were
indigenous in the region and with wide range of uses such as in the industry of food, medicine, organic
fertilizer, and even erosion control. One given much attention was the local’s usage of the wild
sunflower, or locally known as lampaw, used by their native farmers as an organic fertilizer in the tapak-
tapak system.
Focused on indigenous practices and indigenous knowledge, Dr. Macandog's team found out that
majority of them is vital in sustainable resource management. One of which is the muyong-payew
system. Muyong (forest) and Payew (terraced irrigated field) system according to Dr. Macandog, is one
of the most important conservation strategies in the Banaue Rice Terraces. -- An important part of the
agroforestry system which protects the farms in the down slope from erosion and runoff and helps
maintain soil fertility and plant diversity.

With Climate Change entering the system, several problems could possibly happened like water
shortage for the natural irrigation system of the locals in the Cordillera if an aggravated El Nino would
occur, or destruction of terraces if an aggravated La Nina on the other hand will take in to the scenario.
On the other hand, Dr. Perry S. Ong, the director of the Institute of Biology in UP Diliman, gave
comments and inputs to Dr. Macandog’s presentation. He reiterated that Climate Change is not the sole
problem that we should focus on, but there are other far more important problems we should also give
attention too for the world’s biodiversity to preserve. He also added that along side Climate Change,
habitat destruction and increase in population are some of the major reasons why flora and fauna
biodiversity is at risk. “It is not the fossil fuel being depleted the main problem, the manner of extracting
it in our earth surface is the problem.”
I think it is true that we should also address other environment issues and not just focus on Climate
Change alone. But I also do not agree that Climate Change is just an exacerbated natural phenomenon
of El Niño and La Niña. Effects of Climate Change were already felt locally and even globally and the
need to address problems is necessary. Nonetheless, the Talakayan in general served as another
learning experience that supplemented my knowledge on some of the actions being done by the
academe in giving biodiversity in our country importance. PFEC, with raising environmental
consciousness down to the grass roots as one of its initiatives, the Talakayan Series is very timely and
informative for the organization.