The mangal flora diversity of Del Carmen Forest on Siargao Island, Philippines

Abstract

The municipality of Del Carmen, Siargao Island, hosts one of the Philippines’ most important contiguous mangrove stands. However, there is limited knowledge about the area’s floral assemblages and communities. Hence, we provide a comprehensive species list through exhaustive botanical explorations within its 11 barangays. We report 166 species in 145 genera and 73 families, of which 20 are true mangrove species. Twenty species are Philippine endemics, and seven are threatened based on the IUCN listing. The most dominant families in the area in terms of density are Rhizophoraceae and Rubiaceae, and the dominating species include Rhizophora mucronata Lam. and R. apiculata Blume. Our results exhibit a very high diversity for the entire municipality, with barangays Del Carmen and Katipunan demonstrating the highest diversity among the 11 barangays. We emphasize the value of floristic surveys as essential baseline information in formulating effective conservation and management strategies for these vital wetland ecosystems.