Leticia E. Afuang

• PhD Environmental Science and Management
• Professor at University of the Philippines Los Baños

The flat-headed frog, Barbourula busuangensis , is a poorly known, riverine species, endemic to the province of Palawan in the Philippines. We applied capture-mark-recapture (CMR) methods to follow individuals at two sites (Malbato and San Rafael) in the island of Busuanga over 10 months in 2022–2023. We used passive internal transponders (PITs) to...

The biology of the poorly known Philippine frog Barbourula busuangensis has been a challenging mystery since the discovery of the species one hundred years ago. Based on extensive fieldwork and examination of scientific collections , we present novel information on its reproductive biology, including the discovery and morphological description of t...

The Asian leaf turtle (Cyclemys dentata) is a freshwater turtle species found in select Southeast Asian countries, including the Philippines. Our understanding of C. dentata's ecology in the Philippines is not yet fully understood and documented, and this is derived only from a few studies. In this paper, we present our single-event observation of...

We describe the call of Barbourula busuangensis, a peculiar and elusive fully aquatic frog endemic to the Palawan archipelago of western Philippines. This species is so poorly known that most of its basic natural history characteristics (re-productive mode and seasonality, diet, age structure, lifespan) remain to be discovered. Contrary to the call...

The Mindoro Biodiversity Conservation Foundation Inc. teachers' training was devised to help teachers integrate biodiversity conservation into their daily lessons. In 2012, selected Mindoro teachers were trained by the University of the Philippines Los Baños faculty. Teacher-trainers conducted a training series in Mindoro for 5 years. This survey w...

The Mindoro endemic Tamaraw (Bubalus mindorensis), the largest Philippine native land mammal, is critically endangered as its population has declined severely over the last century due to hunting and habitat loss. For more than two decades, Tamaraws were thought to occur in only three sites of Occidental Mindoro. New field surveys were conducted to...

Parrots (Order Psittaciformes) hold the trophy as the most threatened bird group globally. Both direct (e.g., poaching) and indirect threats (e.g., habitat loss and degradation, human population encroachment into their natural range) cause a higher risk of extinction for them than for other bird groups. This study identifies the ecological factors...

Almost half of Philippine bat fauna (35 species) are known to use caves as roosting sites. Caves in the Philippines are significant livelihood source, from extractive utilization to ecotourism ventures, and as a result, bat populations have been adversely affected and are probably declining. We contributed to a nationwide initiative to assess the s...

Montane amphibians are vulnerable to environmental and climatic changes. Species response to these changes can be better understood by analyzing how amphibian communities differ along environmental gradients. We utilized both taxonomic and functional approaches to determine patterns of distribution in montane amphibians in the southern Philippines....

The book is a teaching reference guide for both science and non-science teachers who handle primary and secondary education. It provides quick data information on Philippine and Mindoro biodiversity. It is designed as a special information and inspiration source adapted to the new K-12 Curriculum and focused on Mindoro’s biodiversity and its conser...

The herpetological knowledge of southern Mindanao is one of the largest gaps in Philippine herpetology. To augment this, we generated a comprehensive list of amphibians and reptiles found along the southern slope of Mount Busa in Sarangani Province, Philippines between June 2018 and August 2020 using opportunistic sampling in various microhabitats...

Distribution mapping surveys of the endangered endemic Philippine teak (Tectona philippinensis Benth. & Hook.f.) was conducted on Ilin and Ambulong Islands, Occidental Mindoro, Philippines from 2017–2019. It aimed to provide critical and updated information for the management and conservation of the species. A total of 2,140 Philippine teak individ...

The recent extensive survey conducted in the Pantabangan-Carranglan Watershed, located in the Caraballo Mountain Range during the rainy season (October to November) resulted in the recording of fifty-nine (59) species of amphibians and reptiles (17 frogs, 14 skinks, 3 agamids, 6 gekkonid lizards, 2 varanids and 17 snakes). Out of 59 species, 42 spe...

it explains the implications and possible impacts of the domestic cats on the Calayan Rail population in the Calayan Forest Sanctuary

We present detailed species accounts for fifty-nine (59) species of amphibians and reptiles (17 frogs, 14 skinks, 3 agamids, 6 gekkonid lizards, 2 varanids, and 17 snakes) from Pantabangan-Carranglan Watershed, which lies within the Caraballo Mountain Range, whose biota is poorly-known. This was also the first extensive survey of herpetofauna withi...

In 2004, the Philippines' Department of Environment and Natural Resources issued the National List of Threatened Fauna Species. Between 2015 and 2017, this was reviewed by assessing 1994 taxa, including 57 mammals, 683 birds, 355 reptiles, 115 amphibians, and 784 invertebrates, using the threatened categories specified in the 2001 Wildlife Reso...

Our recent survey in the Caraballo Mountain Range contributed knowledge about the distribution of herpetofauna of Luzon Island, and allowed comparison of species composition among Luzon’s biogeographic regions. Data collection was done using intensive herpetofaunal survey in the sampling area in Pantabangan-Carranglan Watershed in Carranglan, Nueva...

A survey of the ecosystems and herpetofauna of Balesin Island in the Polillo group of islands was conducted on 19-22 July 2015. The survey was part of a bigger biodiversity study of the whole island for a conservation management program planning for Balesin Island Resort. Several standard survey techniques were used to assess the island's herpetofa...

The herpetological fauna of the Philippine Islands is high in diversity and endemism (Brown and Diesmos 2009; Brown et al. 2013; Diesmos et al. 2014), yet faces threats such as habitat mod- ification and loss, natural catastrophes (i.e., Typhoon Haiyan), invasive species, hunting for food or the pet trade, and the spread of chytrid fungus (Sodhi et...

A comprehensive study of amphibians and reptiles (herpetofauna) using a variety of standard methods was completed at selected study sites on the islands of Itbayat, Batan, Sabtang, and Ivuhos in Batanes Province, Philippines. This paper reports a total of 19 species representing one frog (Family Rhacophoridae) and 18 species of reptiles for Batanes...

Effective and targeted conservation action requires detailed information about species, their distribution, systematics and ecology as well as the distribution of threat processes which affect them. Knowledge of reptilian diversity remains surprisingly disparate, and innovative means of gaining rapid insight into the status of reptiles are needed i...

A total of 32 species of herpetofauna, including 15 endemic species, were recorded in different habitat types on Mount Malasimbo, Puerto Galera, Oriental Mindoro. Standard transect methods were used in conducting the survey. The amphibians accounted for 11 species representing five families, while the 21 species of reptiles from nine families i...

This study examined the environmental changes in Mt. Data watershed, Northern Philippines over the last 50 years and how such changes affected sustainable management. The site is a protected area and forms part of the Kabatangan Ancestral Domain, home of the Kankana-eys. Using an exploratory case study approach, the researcher conducted key informa...