Sightings of blooming rafflesia, a rare endemic parasitic plant in the wilderness of Apayao province, have continued to inspire officials and residents here to protect and preserve the last nature frontier of Cordillera Region.<\/p>\n
\u201cNature really glows differently when protected,\u201d Dorothy Joy Cayaba, officer-in-charge of the Community Environment and Natural Resources Office-Calanasan (CENRO-Calanasan), said as she confirmed to the Philippine News Agency the presence of this exotic beauty on Wednesday.<\/p>\n
According to Cayaba, the parasitic plant, also known as corpse flower, was sighted on May 21 during a delineation and ground validation activities of the CENRO-Calanasan and the Community Environment and the Provincial Government of Apayao.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur team documented this while mapping out the management zones within the Biosphere Reserve of the yApayaos (BRyA) in Calanasan, Apayao,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Identified as Rafflesia cf.leonardi, this species is known for its fleshy, saucer-sized bloom and distinct odor.<\/p>\n
It is classified as endangered and endemic to Luzon, adding to the growing list of significant biodiversity records found in Apayao forest in recent years.<\/p>\n
Among those found in Apayao are a cluster of Rafflesia lagascae sighted in Barangay Eva, Calanasan town last year, and the discovery of two other endemic plant species identified as Medinilla calanasan, a new plant species, and Vaccinium kilangensis, a wild shrub discovered in the highlands of Mount Kilang Pass along the border of Apayao and Ilocos Norte.<\/p>\n
Eagles have also been spotted in the area in past years.<\/p>\n
“As we uncover the hidden natural treasures of this region, our resolve to protect them only grows. Every discovery reinforces our goal to establish Apayao as a premier center for biodiversity conservation, fostering a better understanding of the broad relationship of the communities thereat with these life support systems they gain from protecting their local environment,\u201d Department of Environment and Natural Resources-Cordillera Administrative Region regional executive director Engineer Paquito Moreno Jr. said in a statement. (PNA)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Authorities continue to encourage conservation efforts to protect the province\u2019s rich biodiversity and forest ecosystems.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":71,"featured_media":264551,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[15011],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-264550","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-greeninc"],"zyndk8_nxtgen_metadata":{"nxtgen_comments":[{"9206":"sana mas dumami pa ang research sa apayao forests \ud83d\udd0e\r","9207":"halaman\r"}]},"yoast_head":"\n