Soil and litter insect diversity in rehabilitated nickel mine areas in Caraga, Region, Philippines

Issue Date

10-2014

Abstract

The continuous expansion of mining areas to extract nickel in Caraga Region resulted in the creation of discontinuous patches of vegetation. The patchiness is due to strip mining to extract nickel which divested the mountain slopes of topsoil and the associated vegetation. Since nickel mining started in the region, significant hectarage of mined out areas have been rehabilitated. Most of the rehabilitation was done through planting of agoho (Casuarina equisetifolia J.R. and G. Forster) during the earlier period when mining companies started giving ecological restoration, identification of indicators is important. Among the indicators of ecological restoration, diversity of soil and litter insects is regarded as crucial in the determination of soil quality that supports vegetation. During the initial assessment of the diversity of soil- and litter-inhabiting insects, only 3 species of beetles and 1 species of ants were found in 4-year old Agoho litter; while only 4 species of beetles and 1 species of ants were recorded in 10-year-old Agoho litter. Microscopic insects from soil samples collected from mined lands rehabilitated 4 and 10 years ago are still to be sorted out and identified. In 1-year old Agoho plantings, there are no insects yet found since the litter fall is still very thin and the soil is not yet favorable to host soil-inhabiting insects.

Source or Periodical Title

The Philippine Entomologist

ISSN

0048-3753

Volume

28

Issue

2

Page

205-206

Document Type

Article

Frequency

semi-annually

Language

English

En – AGROVOC descriptors

CASUARINA EQUISETIFOLIA; INDICATOR ORGANISMS; NATURE CONSERVATION; LAND RESOURCES; PHILIPPINESRECLAMATION

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