Author : Sopsop, Lita B.

Summary : Of the 324 vascular plant species in 192 genera and 89 families recorded, 59.9% were rare, 40.1% were abundant; 20% were endemic, 9 of which can only be found in Palawan; 6 were suspected as new to science and 14.5% were threatened in some Red List. The mean number of trees (GBH >= 10 cm) was 2,470/ha (c.1 +- 396, P>= 0.05) of which 49.6% were small (3-40 cm GBH) while 18.3% were big (>=100 cm GBH). Cluster and principal component analyses revealed four forest associations with environmental variables significantly influencing the spatial distribution of tree species. Human impact was inversely proportional with species richness (r2=0.968). The direct users of the forest were poor Indigenous Peoples and migrants. Income, family size, education and size of cultivated farm significantly influenced the harvest frequency of forest products. The model projected that with the present economic condition, population and reforestation program, forest cover declines at 3 ha/year and by 2031, 33% of the species will be lost resulting to PhP 789,912 annual loss.