ASSESSMENT AND

MONITORING

OF BIOLOGICAL
DIVERSITY
PASTOR L. MALABRIGO JR.1
1
Department of Forest Biological Sciences, College of Forestry and Natural
Resources,
University of the Philippines Los Baos, College, Laguna
VS. VS.
V
S.
How to measure them?
 Assessment VS
Monitoring
Biodiversity assessment
involves conducting a survey or
inventory of the species of an
area.
How complete a species list
through biodiversity assessment
depends on the skills of the
scientist doing the survey, the
methods used, and the length of
 Assessment VS
Monitoring
Monitoring consists of intermittent (regular or
irregular) surveillance to ascertain the extent of
compliance to a determined standard or degree of
deviation from an expected norm (Hellawell
1991).

Goldsmith (1991) points out that monitoring is

usually goal oriented and designed to reveal
changes in particular parameter or parameters.
 Biodiversity
Monitoring System

Pursuant to NIPAS Act

(RA 7586) and consistent
With Wildlife Resources
Conservation and Protection
Act (RA 9147), all PAs should
implement Biodiversity
Monitoring System
Questions Monitoring
can Answer
Are habitats and ecosystems being
degraded?
Are the populations of threatened species of
plants and animals declining?
What are the causes?

Has management intervention had the

intended

impact on the ecosystem?

Are there increased benefits to local
 Biodiversity
Monitoring System
Plant Blindness

"the inability to see the plants in one's own environment"

Plant Science Bulletin 47:2-9 (2001)

http://www.botany.org/bsa/psb/2001/psb47-1.pdf
Biodiversity
Assessment
 Learning
Objectives
Characterize forest types, dominant species,
importance value of each species, and diversity
indices of an area;
Create a taxonomic list of all species in an area,
including endemism, conservation status, and
economic importance of each
Determine the different kinds of threats to the
forest ecosystems and the biodiversity; and
Make recommendations on what species to
monitor, and how the species can be conserved.
 Why Assess
Biodiversity?
Philippines is one of the 17 mega-diversity
countries
23rd most plant rich country in the world, 7th in
Asia
2nd hottest spot in the world
3rd most threatened forest ecosystem with only
7% of the natural forests remaining
our knowledge of the diversity and variability of
organisms is incomplete
 Biodiversity Crisis
1.7 million described species of 5-10 million
total
250,000 vascular plants described of
320,000 total
At current rate of taxonomic description, it
will take at least 150 years to document all
species
Efforts are underway to increase the number
of taxonomists worldwide
 Biodiversity Crisis
Bad taxonomy, of which there has been
plenty, persists. Unlike bad chemistry or bad
physiology, it cannot be ignored; it must be
undone and redone. Poor taxonomy is not
only an ill unto itself; it is contagious, often
with very long incubation period
D.K. McE. Kevan (1973)
 Biodiversity
Assessment
Accuracy of assessment is heavily
dependent on the skills of the
scientists doing the survey, sampling
design and intensity or the proportion
of area subjected to inventory

It is impossible to inventory or
measure the whole protected area

A good sampling strategy is necessary

 Biodiversity
Assessment
Sampling Method
What is a sample?
A portion, piece, or segment that is
representative of a whole
Why do we sample?
it is usually impossible to measure the
whole
 Biodiversity
Assessment
One big assumption
That the sample is
representative of the whole
It is necessary to take enough samples so
that an accurate representation is obtained
It is important to avoid bias when sampling
 Biodiversity
Assessment
Sampling site stratification
different vegetation and forest
formation should be represented
stratification doesnt always need to
have proportionate sampling efforts for
each vegetation type
a more important consideration is the
ecosystems diversity and complexity.
 Biodiversity
Assessment
1. Determination of the
different land cover
types in the area

With the aid of the existing maps

and other secondary information, a
land-use map and vegetation map
can be extracted to serve as the
basis for the lay outing of sampling
 LandCoverType Characterization/Description DominantPlant
Species
Barren land Land not covered byvegetation i.e. None
rockyareas, lahar laden areas
Built-up area Land intensivelyuse for the None
establishment of structuresi.e.
settlement, transportation and
communication facilities
Grassland Land areaheavilydominated bygrasses Cogon (Imperata
(Poaceae) and sedges (Cyperaceae) cylindrica), Talahib
without anytree species growingi.e. (Saccharum
cogonal land spontaneum)
Crop land Land areadevoted for rearingof Agricultural crops
livestock and production crops i.e. corn (corn, rice, coconut,
or rice plantation vegetable crops)
Scrubland Land areadominated bygrassbut with Cogon, Talahib for
few scattered shrubsand/or small trees grasses; Akleng
i.e. Parangvegetation, Buyo-buyo stand parang, Lanete,
Binayuyu, Batino,
Paguringon, Bagna,
Binunga, Figs, Buyo-
buyo for trees
Forest land Large track of land (>0.5 ha) dominated Dependson the kind
bytrees and other woodyvegetation of forest formation
(see Table 3)
 Sampling Techniques

the land cover of an area

determines the appropriate
sampling technique to be used
for floral assessment or whether
the zone needs to be surveyed.
 a. Barren land and built-up
area

these land cover types

will not be subjected to
floral assessment but
t is necessary that
their location and area
of coverage be noted.
 b. Scrubland,
grassland, and
agricultural land
contain less diversity,
sampling in these areas
can be minimal (less
number of samples) if
not forgone

most widely recommended

sampling technique for
areas dominated by
grasses is the line intercept
technique (LIT)
 Procedure in using Line
Intercept Techniques

i. Determination of the number and

length of transect
The number and length of transect
will depend on the extent and
heterogeneity of the area.
 Procedure in using Line
Intercept Techniques

ii. Laying out of transect lines

To make the sampling unbiased,
transect lines must be laid out
systematically.
A baseline should be established
strategically then transect lines
perpendicular to the baseline will be
laid out at certain interval distance
 Procedure in using Line
Intercept Techniques
Transect lines should be spaced far enough
apart to avoid sampling overlap.
 Procedure in using Line
Intercept Techniques

iii. Measurement of intercepts

Measuring the intercept for each

plant prior to computation of percent
 LINEINTERCEPTFIELDDATASHEET
Line No: SurveyTeam: Date:

Vegetation type: Location:

Startingpoint: N Endpoint: N Length:
E E

TreeNo: Species B(dm) E(dm) Intercept(E-B) Remarks

1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9a
9b
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
Procedure in using Line Intercept
Techniques

iv. Cover Assessment

% Species cover = Total intercept length of

species x 100
Length of transect
lines

% Site cover = Total intercept length of all species x

100 Length of transect
lines
 C. Forest land

Forestland is always the focus of many

biodiversity studies as it presumably
contains high diversity and
more ecologically important
species i.e. native, endemic, and
threatened species.
After Philippines National Forest Inventory Field Manual
Plants
Nested plots
10x10 m (trees)
5x5 m (vines and shrubs)
1x1 m (weeds)
50 m interval between plots along 500 m line

www.fao.org;
www.sciwebhop.net
ter B+Wiser Biodiversity Assessment Field Tachniques Training Manual
 Modified Belt
Transect

The transect method for

biodiversity assessment
developed by B+Wiser (2014) was
modified for the assessment of
forestlands.
 Modified Belt
Transect

Transect line design, a 2-km transect where

black squares represent the stations every
250m and the blue dots represent the
 Modified Belt
Transect
i. Establishment of transect line
.use a meter tape to layout the
transect line along the slope of the
mountain to cover different
elevation gradient
.while setting-up the 2-km transect,
mark every 50m section with highly
visible flagging tape.
 Modified Belt
Transect
A different color flagging tape should be
used for every 250m stations to readily
distinguish sections from stations.
Sections should be labeled continuously
as 0a, 0b, 0c, 0d7d while stations
should be labeled as 0, 1, 2, 3, up to 8.
 Diversity Assessment
1. Ecosystem level assessment
.Ecosystem level assessment will be done in
every 50m section (0a, 0b, 0c, 0d.. 7d) of the
transect line.
.Each section can be classified following the 12 forest
formations developed by Fernando et al. (2008)
.Sections can be further classified based on the
maturity of the stand i.e. early second growth,
advanced second growth, and old growth
.Pictures of the site should be taken from all cardinal
directions (N, E, S, W, T) and reference number of
the photos should be noted.
 Diversity Assessment
1.Ecosystem level assessment

1. Forest formation
2. Maturity of stand
3. Photos (N, E, S, W)
4. Observed
disturbance
 Different Forest
Formations
Elevatio Localitie Dominant
Forest formation Soil Soil Water
n s Species
Tropical lowland Lowlands to Zonal soils Inland Dry land Dipterocarps
evergreen rain 1,200 m
forest
Tropical lower (750) 1200- Zonal soils Inland Dry land Benguet Pine,
montane rain 1500m Mindoro pine,
Tanguile, Oaks, Tree
forest
fern

Tropical upper (600) 1500- Zonal soils Inland Dry land Tree ferns,
montane rain 3000m Medinillas,
Rhododendrons
forest

Tropical sub- (2400) Zonal soils Inland Dry land Tinikaran,

alpine forest 3,000m Podocarpus spp.,
tree line Rhododendrons,
Medinillas

(modified from Fernando et al. 2008)

 Different Forest
Formations
Forest over Mostly Limestone Inland Dry land Molave, Philippine
limestone lowlands teak, Bogo, Tindalo,
Dipterocarps

Forest over Mostly Ultramafic Inland Dry land Mangkono, Nickel

ultramafic rocks lowlands rocks tree, Scaevola spp.
Dillenia spp.

Beach forest Mostly Sandy Coastal Dry land Coconut, Talisai,

lowlands Bani, Dapdap,
Malubago, Bitaog,
Agoho

Mangrove forest Just above Muddy clay/silt Estuarine Water table Rhizophora spp.,
sea level high at least Avicennia spp.,
periodically Sonneratia spp.

(modified from Fernando et al. 2008)

 Different Forest
Formations
Peat swamp Mostly Oligotrophic Fresh- Water table Calophyllum sp.,
forest lowlands peats water high at least Tristaniopsis sp.
periodically

Freshwater Mostly Eutrophic soil Fresh-water Water table Sagu, Lanipau, Buri
swamp forest lowlands (rich in high at least
minerals) periodically

Tropical semi- Mostly Zonal soils Inland Moderate Dipterocarps

evergreen rain lowlands annual
shortage
forest

Tropical moist Mostly Zonal soils Inland Marked annual Dipterocarps

deciduous forest lowlands shortage

(modified from Fernando et al. 2008)

 Diversity Assessment
1.Ecosystem level assessment

1. Forest formation
2. Maturity of stand
3. Photos (N, E, S, W)
4. Observed
disturbance
 Diversity Assessment
1.Ecosystem level assessment

Early second growth forest

 Diversity Assessment
1.Ecosystem level assessment

Advanced second growth

 Diversity Assessment
1.Ecosystem level assessment

Old growth forest

 FieldDataSheetforEcosystemLevel Assessment
Observer: Date:
GPSunit: Camera unit:
Transect No. Location :
Photo
Section Forestformation Standmaturity Numbers Remarks
0 0a
0a 0b
0b 0c
0c 0d
0d 1
1 1a
1a 1b
1b 1c
1c 1d
1d 2
2 2a
2a 2b
2b 2c
2c 2d
2d 3
3 3a
3a 3b
3b 3c
3c 3d
3d 4
4 4a
 Diversity Assessment
2. Species Level
Species diversity assessment will be conducted at
every 250m station using nested quadrat technique

1. Species diversity
2. Tree measurement (DBH,
Ht)
3. Abundance and frequency
Diversity Assessment

Nested quadrat sampling design for species diversity assessment

 Diversity Assessment
2. Species Level

Quadrats layout along the 2-km transect line.

 FieldDataSheetforUpperCanopyAssessment
Observer: Date:
GPSunit: Camera unit:
Transect No. Location:
Quadrat No. Elevation:

TreeNo. Species DBH MH TH Remarks

1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
 FieldDataSheet forUnderstoreyAssessment
Observer: Date:
GPSunit: Cameraunit:
Transect No. Location:
Quadrat No. Elevation:

TreeNo. Species Count Epiphytes Remarks

1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
 FieldDataSheetforGroundCoverAssessment
Observer: Date:
GPSunit: Cameraunit:
Transect No. Location:
Quadrat No. Elevation:

No. Species %Cover Remarks

1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
 Mangrove Diversity
Assessment
Mangrove Forest
unique ecosystem with community of trees
occurring in a very define zonation pattern
Unlike the terrestrial forestlands, the diversity
in mangrove forest is significantly lower.
a particular zone can be dominated by a
single species as in the case of Rhizophora
zone
 Mangrove Diversity
Assessment
Mangrove Forest Zonation

The three zones typical of mangrove habitats in the tropical Pacific, showing the differences
in mangrove species typical of each zone. (Image source: http://www. spc.int/climate-
 Mangrove Diversity
Assessment
Belt transect Method
the most applicable sampling
technique.
Transect lines should be established
perpendicular to the baseline at
every 100 meter interval.
A nested 10x10m quadrat will be
established at every 100-meter
Belt transect Method
for Mangrove
 Random Meander
Survey
a non-systematic general collection method
to account for other species occurring
outside the survey plots.
With this method, there is a higher chance
of encountering more species occurring in
the area. However, except for the number
of species, it will not give other quantitative
data to determine the dominance or
importance value of each species.
 Collection of
Specimens
The Sweinfurths method involves the
soaking of properly labelled
specimens in ethyl alcohol to avoid
rapid wilting and crumpled drying.
 Identification of
Specimens
All specimens collected during the survey
period should be dried for long-term
storage and systematically processed
Relevant literature should be consulted
for the initial identification of the dried
plant materials. Specimens will then be
compared with the image database on
type materials of the Philippines for final
identification.
Most Important Information

CORRECT
IDENTIFICATION
OF THE SPECIES