Abstract. Pototan BL, Capin NC, Delima AG, Novero AU. 2021. Assessment of mangrove species diversity in Banaybanay, Davao Oriental, Philippines. Biodiversitas 22: 144-153. This study determined mangrove species diversity and community structure in Banaybanay, Davao Oriental, Philippines. Ten 150m long transects plots were laid out perpendicular through the mangrove forests yielding 30 plots and total sampled area of 3, 000 m2. Individual trees within plots were counted, identified and measured for diameter at breast height (dbh) and tree height. For diversity analysis, Shannon-Weiner Index of Diversity (H’), Pielou’s Index of Evenness (J), Simpson’s Index of Dominance (C), and Effective Number of Species (ENS) were used. Results showed a total of 33 species belonging to 14 families, 31 of which are true mangroves and two associates. Two threatened species, the endangered Camptostemon philippinensis and vulnerable Avicennia rumphiana, and three near-threatened species were recorded. Diversity analysis showed a high diversity index (H’=3.145; ENS=23) and high species evenness (J=0.85) but low dominance (C=0.05). Sonneratia alba attained the greatest importance value (IV=59.79%) due to high relative density, relative frequency, and relative dominance. Also, Rhizophoraceae is the most represented among 14 families. Hence, Banaybanay being highly diverse with the presence of threatened and near-threatened mangrove species calls for immediate protection and conservation measures because of increasing anthropogenic activities and environmental problems observed in the area.

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Highlights • Five bacterial species were isolated and identified from coconut tissues. • Morphological, biochemical and molecular analyses revealed that four of the isolates were different strains of Bacillus subtillis. • The fifth isolate was identified as Pantoea dispersa.

Field experiments were conducted to evaluate and compare the yield and agronomic characteristics of anther-culture-derived (AC) lines in rice and the parents under saline and nonsaline soil conditions. The yield stability of two entries was also evaluated by comparing their performance under two distinct nonsaline soil environments. The test entries were planted in randomized complete block design with four replications at each test location. Data were collected on grain yield, yield components, and agronomic characteristics. This study demonstrates that through anther culture, it is possible to produce homozygous diploid lines in a short time. The possibility of regenerating recombinants with desirable characteristics such as good plant type and salinity tolerance, higher yield, and increased resistance to pests and diseases from both the parents is high.

Commission VI, WG VI/6 KEY WORDS: LiDAR, natural resources, agricultural, forest, coastal, hydrological, renewable energy ABSTRACT:The Philippines has embarked on a detailed nationwide natural resource inventory using LiDAR through the Phil-LiDAR 2 Program. This 3-year program has developed and has been implementing mapping methodologies and protocols to produce high-resolution maps of agricultural, forest, coastal marine, hydrological features, and renewable energy resources. The Program has adopted strategies on system and process development, capacity building and enhancement, and expanding the network of collaborations. These strategies include training programs (on point cloud and image processing, GIS, and field surveys), workshops, forums, and colloquiums (program-wide, cluster-based, and project-based), and collaboration with partner national government agencies and other organizations. In place is a cycle of training, implementation, and feedback in order to continually improve the system and processes. To date, the Program has achieved progress in the development of workflows and in rolling out products such as resource maps and GIS data layers, which are indispensable in planning and decision-making. Challenges remains in speeding up output production (including quality checks) and in ensuring sustainability considering the short duration of the program. Enhancements in the workflows and protocols have been incorporated to address data quality and data availability issues. More trainings have been conducted for project staff hired to address human resource gaps. Collaborative arrangements with more partners are being established. To attain sustainability, the Program is developing and instituting a system of training, data updating and sharing, information utilization, and feedback. This requires collaboration and cooperation of the government agencies, LGUs, universities, other organizations, and the communities.