Environment and Biology:

Organisms Gone Wild  - Beware! 

By Abe V Rotor

Progeny of African wild bee with domestic bee poses danger for their aggressive nature and poisonous sting.

Organisms even when domesticated still carry their wild genes. What is the implication of this scientific fact?

I have known pets that bite their masters. There are wild animals even if they were taken cared of the movement they were born, turn out to be killers. The killer instinct is dictated by their genes that enabled them to survive in the wild. That is why it is not advisable to pet cubs of tigers and lions.

Certain plants exhibit wild traits, too. The white bean, bred to become bushy to facilitate cultivation and harvesting, may revert into its viny character to evade ground grazers. Patani or Lima bean when left uncultivated grows wild and fends itself from feeders by producing high tannin.

Here are specific cases to warn us of the dangers of animals becoming out of our control.

• The janitor fish, loved for its ability to clean the aquarium, for which it got its name, is now a pest in Laguna Bay, competing with the edible fish species, such as tilapia and carp.

• Golden kohol or golden snail, imported in the seventies to support the government’s food production program, has turned into a maverick, now the number one pest of rice. More than half of our total riceland (3.5 million hectares) is attacked by this mollusk every planting season.

• The deadly African bees continue to invade and hybridize with domestic bees in the US as well as in other places, transmitting in their genes of high aggressiveness and venom.

• Toad (Bufo marinus), imported for it its predatory habit useful in the biological control of insects has become a pest itself. Because of their poison glands, animals, such as snakes and eagles that feed on them die. They directly compete with other predatory animals. In Australia the toad introduced to control of sugarcane insect pests, has turned into a pest itself.

• Plant lice (Psyla) that wiped out the local ipil-ipil industry was actually introduced into the Philippines with foreign species (Hawaiian and Peruvian ) which we imported in the sixties.

• Erythrina or Dapdap gall wasp has virtually wiped out all over the country this beautiful indigenous tree that bears bright red flowers in summer. The wasp was introduced with the coral tree, a dwarf Erythrina introduced some years ago by local ornamental enthusiasts.

• There are reports of animals escaping from their confines and threatening our safety. At one time when I was accompanying my students on a field trip on Mt. Makiling, a plant nursery technician warned us to keep watch for cobra which allegedly escaped from the laboratory and reproduced with the local species.

• The tree ant, Oecephala smaragdina, allegedly a hybrid of an introduced species with our native hantik (ammimisay Ilk.), has become a nuisance. They build their nests in trees and bite when disturbed, making pruning, harvesting and other farm operations difficult.

. The thorny Opuntia which was introduced in Australia by plant enthusiasts, became a widespread problem of ranchers. It took another insect, a scale insects, to destroy the maverick cactus.

. A species of Caulerpa, similar to our lato or ar-arusip Ilk), has spread extensively on the ocean floor of the Mediterranean. Caulerpa produces caulerpin, for which its genus was named, which causes the death of fish and other marine organisms.

Next time you plan to introduce an animal or plant not native to the place, get the expert's advice. Get in touch with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), the Department of Science and Technology (DOST), and other research institutions.

Poetry - Views from a Helicopter

Photos by Dr Abe V Rotor

Fishponds of Malabon, Bulacan

Irrigated ricefields at sunrise in Laur, Nueva Ecija.

Submerged town of Pantabangan resurfaces during drought, 1981

Folly of Human Art

For once I am on top of the world,
seeing many a stage of life below,
nature in her pristine and injured,
by man's genius, his joy and sorrow.

Endless levees that keep off the sea,
with each facet a living chamber;
levees that keep in the monsoon rain,
where Ceres descends in October.

A dead lake where the faithful come
in pilgrimage of a lost town,
like a peaceful place in ancient Peru -
the lost town of Pantabangan.

Oh, I cannot hold on any longer,
heavy are my thoughts and heart;
now I know what mortal means,
seeing the folly of human art. ~

Poetry - Deciduous

Painting and Poem by Abe V Rotor

You lose your crown that you may gain
Freedom to reach the sky;
For the sun to bathe your whole being,
The lowly at where they lie.

The sky and ground thus become one,
To renew hope in the sunbeam;
As the sun rises, prime mover of all,
To flow through the living stream.

You litter the floor to keep the rain,
Feed the microbes, the brute you tame,
Break carbon to its original form,
And send genie to the next game.

You're obedient as seasons come and go,
And humble are your ways untold;
Loyal to your old gene, indeed you're true
To your kin as you grow old.

x x x

Poetry - Hidden Valley

Dr Abe V Rotor

Let time stand still in these lovely huts
By the gentle streams and rivulets;
Let the breeze comb the green slopes,
And sing with the hills and rocky cliffs;

The birds fly over the meandering brook
And come to rest from across the bay;
Let the wild call the language of the free,
And signal the coming of night and day.

Here Beethoven composed a lovely song ,
And Schumann added a poetic flare;
Rustic would be Amorsolo’s version
Of this hidden valley fair.

Here by the pond Henry Thoreau
wrote a treatise, Man and Nature;
Here Schumacher praised the small,
Small, he said, is beautiful.

Here is respite, here is retreat,
Where the sky and hills ever meet;
Here’s life far, far from the busy lane,
A resort for tired souls and feet.

If life has not been lived well enough
And freedom like a genie chained;
Take it from Milton in his blindness,
He saw a Paradise regained.

And here as in our ancestor’s time
Lies an Eden, lofty yet sublime,
Where there is no need of calendar
To mark the passing of time.

Which one is more famous - the Banaue Rice Terraces or the Great Wall of China?

Which one is more famous - the Banaue Rice Terraces or the Great Wall of China?Banaue Rice Terraces, Philippines

The Great Wall of China

Dr Abe V Rotor

I walked the rice terraces
from Earth to moon and back;
on the moon I saw the Great Wall
gray, with color of crimson spill,
cries of Genghis Khan I heard,
and echoes of moaning chill.
I walked the rice terraces round the Earth
many times the length of the Great Wall,
green on one side, golden on the other;
songs I heard are thanksgiving,
in ritual rhythm rise echoing a past,
a past still living.~

NOTE: Both the Banaue Rice Terrces and the Great Wall of China are among the top wonders of the world and adjudged UNESCO Heritage sites.

Part 1: First National Biodiversity Meeting (BIOME 2010), Catanduanes Island, Philippines

Living with Nature - School on Blog

Dr Abe V Rotor

Save the environment is today's battle cry. It is the theme of the two-day conference.

The organizers believe that Achieving the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) of Environmental Sustainability in the Countryside starts with one small step "towards one leap of mankind" to save Earth, his only home and only ship in the vastness of space.

Catanduanes, the most unlikely island province to hold such a major forum, stood out from the usual metropolis setting of media, shopping and convenience. Here, it is nature that prevails. Nature is the alternative.

Here the air is pure, the forest still original, and the sea though restless after the wake of typhoon Juan had settled into peaceful cooperation with the participants who came from many parts of the country.

It was a period of respite, a break from boredom, the prosaic blossoming into a variety of scenery and folk events topped by the capital's festivities, highlighted by the traditional fiesta thought to have been swallowed up by cinema and telenobela.

Hospitality remains in its roots among the people who openly share it to any guest more than their own comfort. And simplicity to them is pride and contentment.

What is environment then in Catanduanes?

It is its mangrove that braces the shoreline against the forces of wave and tide, nipa palms that trap soil otherwise swept to sea, forest virtually untouched by human hands, coral reefs that make a perfect cradle of marine life, farming though subsistent, assures long term production of food for the family. Here learning is practical, utilitarian and functional more than theory and aristocratic tendencies. Here the standard of living is not measured by riches, but by access to the bounty of nature.

And time - it is within the power of anyone to control it, to choose what to do according to his own priority - or just allowing nature to run its course - and not life to run the course of nature. Here silence is respected, day is work, night is sleep, solitude is unwritten poetry, and the passing wind music.

But more than what our senses perceive, lie the foundation of knowledge - science and philosophy of living, expressing themselves in technology, art, and ultimately wisdom that transcends through the ages and through man's quest for glory.

I cannot imagine how beauty melts down in our midst and before our eyes. Why the Philippine eagle no longer rules the sky, why typhoons are induced more by man than by the vagaries of nature, why monsoon brings floods kill and destroy rather than fill up the lakes and rivers and irrigate the fields. Where have all the fireflies gone?

The participants do not only wonder. They have done more than we have, and are doing. Because they are scientists, they are educators, they are practitioners, they are leaders. They have reached a level of consciousness arising from that gift of sensitivity, which is to feel for others, and for the environment, in selfless virtue . It is only through selflessness that compassion is built. And from compassion comes that great resolve to help, to be of service to fellowmen and country, to Mother Earth - and the Great Maker of all.

Welcome party Virac airport.

Organizers, speakers and local leaders open the conference. Prominent guests are Congressman Cesar V Sarmiento of Catanduanes (3rd from right). Vice-governor Jose J Teves, Catanduanes Srtate Colleges president, Dr Asuncion V Asetre, Dr Josette Biyo and Dr Rotor (right). Representatives of local officials attended the occasion.

Proudly, environmentalists - soldiers of Nature. Prof Manrico Masagca (2nd from left), and Dr. Asuncio Asetre (right) pose with presentors in the two-day conference. At the center is Dr Josette Biyo, keynote speaker

More environmentalists join the crusade - paper presentors and participants.

Dr La Rainne Abad-Sarmiento (2nd from right), Dr. Roger A Tabliza, (2nd from left) Ms Ivy Taroy and Atty Pamela Joy Herrera, and BIOME 2010 coordinator, pose with the author.

Ms Juliet Borlon-Aparicio, Dr Asuncion Asetre, Dr Marie
Christine Merca-Obusan and Mr Fer Ramirez with author

Lighter side of BIOME 2010. Biodiversity on the human
aspect includes preservation of culture and tradition.

Organizers:
Catanduanes State Colleges
Pacific Island Institute of Pedagogy, Technology, Arts and Sciences, Inc (Pacifictech)

with the support from
Hechanova and Co., Makati City
ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity (ACB)

21-22 October 2010
Capiotol Dome and CSC GymnasiumVirac, Catanduanes, Philippines


Continued...

Part 5: BIOME 2010 Biodiversity and Climate Change, and Other Papers

Living with Nature - School on Blog
Dr Abe V Rotor

Dr. Jimmy T Masagca, organizer of BIOME 2010, President and trustee of Pacifictech and consultant of Hechanova & Co., poses with Dr. Marie Merca Obusan (left) of UP Diliman, and Dr Josette T Biyo of Philippine Science High School-West Visayas, keynote speaker in BIOME 2010.

Man behind BIOME 2010 - Pacifictech CEO and Pacifictech Chairman Manrico T Masagca (right), and the author who gave a keynote address on Good Life and Our Changing Environment, a concept-inquiry if pursuit to good life is causing the deterioration of the environment.

I am posting the titles of these research papers presented in BIOIME 2910 to guide those who are looking for researchable problems for their thesis or special problem in college and high school. Modifications can be made on a topic to qualify it as graduate research for a masteral or doctoral degree.

Scientific papers presented in BIOME 2010 include these topics.

Community-based Integrated Environmental Management Program (Lumban, Laguna) by Pareja, M, DLSU-Dasmariñas.

Mangrove in Camotes Islands - a Proposed Management Plan by Tandayun SN Cebu Technological University.

Wildling and Seedling Propagation of Forest Trees on Mts Palaypalay and Mataas na Gulod Cavite. Narvaez-Pareja R et al, DLSU-Dasmariñas

HELP (Hydrology for Environment, Life and Policy) for River Basins, Hearn D et al, UP Davao

Water Quality Assessment of Zapote River, Cavite Cuaresma MLV et al, DLSU-D

Zooplankton Adundance and Distribution and Physico-chemical Factors in Maragondon River, Cavite by Rubio JS and MC Pareja DLSU-D

Social and Environmental Profiling at Gawad Kalinga-Munting Paraiso, Trece Martires, using Geographic Information Systems, Pareja MC DLSU-D

Conflicts Between Human and Tiger in Sundarban Mangrove Forest in Bangladesh by Rana P and F Akhter, University of Eastern Finland, and University of Chittagong, Bangladesh

Hydrometeorological Risk Analysis in CAMANAVA Cities by Bannaguas G, Manila Observatory Ateneo de Manila University QC

Papers on the effects of climate change:

1. Poverty, its Impact on Climate Change in the Philippine Coastal Sector by Lorica DA and G Bannaguas, Ateneo de Manila University
2. Climate Change and Disaster Risk on Poultry in Bulacan, AdeMU
3. Long-term Climate Variability on Maize Production in Porac Pampanga, DLSU Araneta
4. Climate Variability on Rice Production in Cabanatuan, NE, DLSU Araneta
5. Climate Change and Dengue, by Vidal D et al, DLSU Araneta
6. Effect of Climate Change on Lanzones and Rambutan, Diamzon I et al, DLSU Araneta
7. Impact of Climate Change on Seaweeds Production in Cuyo, Dr Española MA et al, Palawan State University

Ethnobotany of Herbolarios in Catanduanes, by Avila TJ and RI Avila, Catanduanes State Colleges

Malunggay (Moringa oleifera) Extract as Food Additive, by Mercado MB and ET Tribiana, CSC

Mimicking Fish Baits and Lures from Market Waste, by Sarmiento MJR et al, CSC

A study on the Diversity of Snakes in San Vicente, Catanduanes, by Gil Jr, Tribiana ET and LF Talan, CSC ~

Local Paper and Posters presented in BIOME 2010 include these local concerns in the island province of Catanduanes.

1. Threatened Endemic Varanids (Monitor Lizard) and Agamids in Catanduanes, by Masagca JT et al, Pacifictech and CSC
2. Ecology of Mangrove Brachuran Crabs from selected Mangals in Luzon, Masagca JT, Pacifictech
3. Marine Bivalves of Catanduanes Mendoza AV et al.CSC
4. Cowries of Catanduanes, Mendoza AV and ET Tribiana
5. Endemic Fungi in Catanduanes, Corra D and ET Tribiana
6. Indigenous Vegetables Commonly Consumed in Catanduanes, Talan LT et al, CSC
7. Medicinal Plants of Virac, Morphosystematics Talan LF, CSC
8. Marine Bivalves in Catanduanes, Mendoza A et al
9. Production of Disease-Resistant Abaca Planting Material Using Corm and Pesticide, Rola SM et al, CSC
10. Biodiversity of Fungi Species in Catanduanes, Mendoza A et al
11. Medicinal Flora of Catanduanes: Morphosystematics , Talan LF et al CSC
12. Mapping of Abaca Disease in Catanduanes, Talan LF et al CSC
13. Integrated Pest Management on Abaca Farms in Catanduanes, Mendoza AV et al, CSC

For particulars contact Pacifictech 09276220903 or 0929565723
e-mail: jmasagca@yahoo.com or manrico.masagca@dlsu.edu.ph
or Catanduanes State Colleges, Virac Catanduanes

Living with Nature 3, AVR