Abstract
A survey of an upland village in the Philippines was conducted to assess local knowledge (LK) on tree utilization and conservation through personal interview of 40 local residents. The survey data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and simple preferential ranking. Respondents identified and classified 66 tree species according to their uses. Yakal, tugas, toog, narra and lauan were among the highly durable timber species identified. Several species for fuelwood, boat keel, furniture, post and fence, shade trees, food sources and medicine were also identified. In view of their utility, local people are inclined to conserve these species. However, illegal logging and kaingin farming are still threats to conservation and sustainable utilization of trees in the area.
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Notes
Premium species is a classification used by the Philippine Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) for indigenous species warranting special protection.
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Acknowledgment
We are indebted to the local people of Butigan for their help and to Forester Anatolio Polinar of the Visayas State University for the scientific names of plant species.
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Goliat, J., Pasa, A. Local Knowledge on Tree Utilization and Conservation: The Case in Butigan, Baybay, Leyte, Philippines. Small-scale Forestry 8, 399–410 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11842-009-9091-5
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11842-009-9091-5