Climate change influences on watershed landscape patterns and water quality: Project 3.2 of enhancing food security through synergistic climate change adaptation program in biodiversity and agriculture

Date

2023

Abstract

The Mounts of Banahaw-San Cristobal Protected Area is considered as one of the remaining forested areas in Southern Luzon. It supports a range of floral and faunal diversity and endemicity. However, this rich biodiversity is threatened by changes in climate that can result in significant alterations in the variables and processes that effect water quality and freshwater biodiversity. Watershed management emphasizes the interrelationships of landscape structure and functions that would serve to rehabilitate and preserve landscape services, particularly for the agricultural sector and for biodiversity conservation. As such, this project looked into the land use changes of the Tayabas subwatershed in Quezon Province and assessed the water quality, fish and macrobenthos diversity. Six observation stations were established. Of these, 5 stations are of Class C water quality and 1 of Class AA quality. This very pristine site is located within the Mt. Banahaw protected area. Fish and macrobenthos samplings were conducted at these sites and results from dry and wet seasons were compared. A total of 72 (wet season) and 404 (dry season) individuals belonging to 12 species and 7 families were collected for freshwater fish. Out of 12 species, 7 are introduced and 5 are native species predominated by Gobiidae family. For macrobenthos, pollution tolerant organisms are evident at only 2 downstream stations. Not statistically significant differences in fish and macrobenthos diversities were observed from each period of sampling. This together with the water quality information, is taken to indicate the relatively healthy condition of the waterways in the study area. On the other hand, landcover change between 2006 and 2014 indicate a gradual increase in built-up areas with urbanization expanding into the Iyam watershed and agro-industrial zones increasing into the Dumacaa subwatershed. In order to preserve the relatively good quality of the waterways in Tayabas City, regulatory recommendations that can be implemented at the local government unit level are put forward towards the end of this report. These recommendations focus more on preventive approaches over restorative actions and the simplicity of these recommendations hopefully increase the probability of their implementation at the grassroots level.

Language

English

Document Type

Article

Pages /Collation

44 leaves

En – AGROVOC descriptors

WATERSHEDS; WATERSHED MANAGEMENT; LAND USE; LANDSCAPE; WATER QUALITY; CLIMATIC CHANGE; BIODIVERSITY; AGRICULTURE; PHILIPPINES

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