Philippines: Key Biodiversity Areas

Key Biodiversity Areas published by Biodiversity Management Bureau together with Wildlife Conservation Society of the Philippines and other NGOs. For more information please visit: bit.ly/PhilippineKBAs

First defined in 1988 by scientist Norman Myers, biodiversity hotspots are areas characterized by high levels of endemic plants coupled with significant habitat loss. Specifically, a region must meet the following criteria to achieve Conservation International’s hotspot classification: - At least 1,500 species of vascular plants (>0.5% of the world’s total) are endemic - At least 70% of the original natural vegetation has been lost When Myers first defined the term, he identified 10 tropical forest hotspots. The need to pinpoint priority conservation regions led Conservation International (CI) to adopt the term and reassess the hotspot concept. In this process, CI introduced quantitative thresholds (see above) and added additional regions. At that time, there were 25 hotspots. Because of the constant change in environmental threats and the improved understanding of biodiversity, CI has since revisited the hotspots to refine boundaries, update information, and add new regions. This process produced an additional 10 hotspots, bringing the total to 35. Displays Conservation International’s biodiversity hotspots—defined regions around the world where biodiversity conservation is most urgent because of high levels of endemism and human threat

Terrestrial protected areas are totally or partially protected areas of at least 1,000 hectares that are designated by national authorities as scientific reserves with limited public access, national parks, natural monuments, nature reserves or wildlife sanctuaries, protected landscapes, and areas managed mainly for sustainable use. Marine areas, unclassified areas, littoral (intertidal) areas, and sites protected under local or provincial law are excluded.

Marine protected areas are areas of intertidal or subtidal terrain--and overlying water and associated flora and fauna and historical and cultural features--that have been reserved by law or other effective means to protect part or all of the enclosed environment.

Points of interest: public-facing amenities, shops, tourist attractions, and landmarks tagged via `amenity`, `shop`, `tourism`, or `man_made`. Useful for general POI reference, urban analysis, and basemap detail. Coverage reflects where volunteer mappers have been active. Urban areas are usually well represented, remote areas may be sparse. Cross-check critical decisions with local field knowledge. - Source: OpenStreetMap, a free, collaborative world map - Tags: amenity, shop, tourism, man_made - Part of the country exports on HDX by HOT

OECMs complement protected areas through sustained, positive conservation outcomes, even though they may be managed primarily for other reasons. In 2018, the governments of the world adopted the following definition of an OECM: _“A geographically defined area other than a Protected Area, which is governed and managed in ways that achieve positive and sustained long-term outcomes for the insitu conservation of biodiversity, with associated ecosystem functions and services and where applicable, cultural, spiritual, socio–economic, and other locally relevant values” (CBD, 2018)_ Because this definition was only recently adopted, most countries have not yet provided data to the World Database on OECMs. Importantly, this does not mean that no OECMs exist in those countries. OECMs will often be pre-existing measures that have not historically been recognised for their conservation values, ranging from Sacred Natural Sites to some military zones. The challenge for governments and other stakeholders will be in identifying OECMs, and supporting them to maintain their conservation benefits in the long term. IUCN's World Commission on Protected Areas (WCPA) has provided guidance on recognising OECMs. **Supplemental Information:** Users should note the following points before using the WD-OECM: * The WD-OECM can be combined with the World Database on Protected Areas (WDPA) to provide a more comprehensive picture of the world’s conservation network; * The WDPAID is the unique identifier for both the WD-OECM and WDPA. It remains unique even when the two databases are combined; * When the two databases are combined, the PA_DEF field can be used to distinguish protected areas (1) from OECMs (0); * The WD-OECM has two fields not present in the WDPA: - CONS_OBJ (conservation objectives): this field refers to the primacy of conservation objectives. The field provides an indication of whether an OECM is managed with biodiversity conservation as a primary objective, secondary objective, or without conservation as an explicit objective. It should not be considered binding, and the primacy of conservation objectives may change over time without affecting an OECM’s status. A move to conservation as a primary objective may, however, coincide with an OECM being reclassified as a protected area, with the consent of the governance authority. - SUPP_INFO (supplementary info): link or reference to information supporting the categorization of the site as an OECM. **Citation:** UNEP-WCMC (2026). Protected Area Profile for Philippines from the World Database on Protected Areas, September 2026. Available at: [www.protectedplanet.net](www.protectedplanet.net) **Contact points:** Resource Contact: [UNEP](mailto:oecm@unep-wcmc.org) **Resource constraints:** This work is made available under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International licence (CC-BY-4.0) **Online resources:**