International Symposium on Integrated Coastal Management for Marine Biodiversity in Asia Jan 14-15, 2010

IMPACT OF EXOTIC SPECIES INTRODUCTION ON BIODIVERSITY IN WATER DEPENDENT ECOSYSTEMS IN MINDANAO, PHILIPPINES

BUENAFLOR D. JIMENEZ
Department of Biological Sciences
Mindanao State University-Iligan Institute of Technology
Iligan City, Philippines
Email: bdjimenez7@gmail.com

Philippines have been exposed to a number of alien or introduced species in the past 100years, however, data on their impact on native biota are scarce, and limited to a number of anecdotal reports indicating that native species may be adversely affected through competition, predation, habitat alteration, and parasitism.
Mindanao Island, the second largest and easternmost island in the Philippines includes the Asia’s largest marshland, and lakes of great limnological interest because of its special species flock of cyprinids, internationally recognized RAMSAR sites and Important Bird Area Centers.
Introduction of exotic species in these water areas have gone unreported and if there are documented reports, there are no updates of its establishment or impact. Research and information gaps are widening. The absence of incidence is not evidence of absence: there may be inaccessible published reports or unpublished document in various institutions which need to be included in the data base.
This study is an attempt to review the introduction of exotic species in these areas and its possible impact with the hope that this could provide some information to the existing data bases in the Philippine IAS. Two methodologies were employed in this study: review of existing information, published literature, technical reports, gray literature and popular reports on invasion biology, marine and freshwater ecosystems, development projects, fisheries and aquaculture and searches of the data bases for projects that may have led to the introduction of IAS. The findings reported in here is hoped to serve as catalyst for further research on IAS in freshwater systems as well as development and adoption of best management practices for minimizing impacts of IAS .on water dependent ecosystems in Mindanao.