Researchers recently discovered a new plant species in Wao, Lanao del Sur that was named the ‘Begonia Bangsamoro,’ after the residents of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM).
It was discovered by Dave P. Buenavista, Yu Pin Ang, Mc Andrew K. Pranada, Daryl S. Salas, Eefke Mollee, and Morag Mcdonald. An account of its discovery was published in the scientific journal Phytotaxa.
Pranada posted on his Twitter account about their new discovery: “We are happy to announce the publication of [a] new Philippine species from Mindanao. Begonia bangsamoro becomes the 2,002nd species of the world’s sixth-largest plant genus. The plant was discovered in the province of Lanao del Sur and named after the Bangsamoro people of BARMM.”
The new begonia is found in the forest and riverbanks of the Ginapukan river in Sitio Trese, Barangay Banga, Lanao del Sur. The researchers identified the plant as an endangered species in accordance with the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species, because of a possible decrease in its population due to “expanding plantation of cash crops and continuous clearing of the forests.”
Ministry of Environment, Natural Resources, and Energy (MENRE) Minister Abdulraof A. Macacua assured that through Republic Act No. 11054 or the Bangsamoro Organic Law, the BARMM government will prioritize the “management of the region’s biodiversity to ensure the protection of any rare, threatened, or endangered species and habitat critical to their survival.” (BIO/NGS-jlo)
