Philippine Case Study Revised RLM Rev As of 28
Environmental Adjudication in the Philippines: Jurisprudence, Access to Justice, Green Courts and Tribunals, and Judicial Specialization in Environmental and Natural Resources Law Introduction Biodiversity and Environmental Challenges The Philippines is one of the world’s most ecologically rich countries because it possesses an abundance of natural resources and is a renowned biodiversity hotspot.1 The country is host to about 9,253 plant species (65.8% endemic), 167 mammal species (61.1% endemic), 535 bird species (34.8% endemic), 237 reptile species (67.5% endemic), 89 amphibian species (85.4% endemic), and 981 freshwater fish species (23.8% endemic).2 The Philippines is also the epicenter of global marine biodiversity, and lies in an ocean biodiverse hotspot, the Coral Triangle, considered as the global center of marine biodiversity where 76% of the world’s coral species lives,3 and spans six countries – Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Papua New Guinea, Timor Lester, and the Solomon Islands, which lies amidst the border of the Sulu- Sulawesi Seas Marine Ecoregion. Four hundred species of corals, 650 species of reef fishes, including six of the world's eight species of marine turtles, endangered marine mammals, and more than 400 species of marine algae and 16 species of seagrass4 can be found in the Sulu Ecoregion. The Coral Triangle is also home to the greatest extent of mangrove forests in the world, and serves as the spawning and juvenile growth areas for the world’s largest and most valuable tuna fishery.5 However, the marine and coastal resources of the Coral Triangle are at immediate risk from a range of factors, including the impacts of climate change, overfishing, unsustainable fishing methods, and land-based sources of pollution.6 These factors adversely affect food security, employment opportunities, and the standard of living for more than 120 million coastal people dependent on fishing, 1 M.
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