The country's possession of the largest eagle in the world, heaviest bat in the world, with the largest wings, smallest edible fish in the world, largest flower in the world, smallest primate among other finds has put the Philippines on the map of tropical countries with an abundant cache of natural treasures.

More than statistics though, the amazing biodiversity of plants and animals life translates to a valuable collection that offers immeasurable benefits to human-kind. to any population.

Biological diversity or biodiversity refers to all species of plants, animals and microorganisms and the ecosystems and ecological processes of which they are part.

Humans derive their food, health, medicine, fiber, and other needs from the environment's diverse collection of plant and animal life.

For instance, about 75% of human nutrition is provided by only seven species: wheat, rice, maize, potato, barley, sweet potato and cassava. Roughly 20% of protein requirements of humans in developing countries is provided by animals, particularly from fish for Filipinos. In the Philippines, at least 68 common plants are being used as medicines.

As the nation marks Biodiversity Week on the third week of May, Haribon , a foundation devoted to the nature conservation for the protection and preservation of the environment, will entreat Filipinos to celebrate the biological diversity of the country.

Apart from its fauna, the Philippines also boasts of 12,000 species of plants, with more than 8,000 flowering plants. The rest are ferns, fern allies, mosses, hepatics, liverworts, fungi and algae. Of this number, 3,500 are endemic to the country and are not found elsewhere. Sadly, most of these endemic plants are also on the brink of extinction.

The same goes for the endemic or native exotic collection of animals, 18 of which are endangered and nearing with extinction. If this happens, the next generation children will no longer have a chance to see the Philippine Eagle, Cebu Flowerpecker, Tamaraw, Visayan Spotted Deer, Dinagat hairy-tailed cloud rat, monitor lizard, and Philippine Crocodile, among others.

Extinction is caused by deforestation due to logging and mining,habitat loss, overexploitation, the introduction of exotic species, pollution, and more recently, global warming.

While government- and private-initiated programs work round-the-clock to ensure the preservation of wildlife, there is still much to be done in terms of completely solving this dilemma.

Biological diversity contributes to the fragility of the tropical rainforest ecosystem, so much so that the loss of a single insect or plant may threaten the existence of an entire network of interdependent species. Biodiversity is declining at a rate unmatched in 65 million years. The United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP) declares that "thousands of species worldwide are under threat from overuse, loss of habitat and environmental pollution."

Due to rapid depletion, Philippine forests now contribute only 1.7% to the gross national product. There are only only 6,986,000 hectares of virgin natural forests left in the country (National Mapping Resource Information Authority, 1988). This is not enough to sustain a stable supply of water, wood, clean air and other ecological requirements of 80 million Filipinos.

Some 8.4 million hectares of land are badly eroded in the Philippines. It is of no surprise therefore why Metro Manila is now suffering from water shortages, intense heat, and frequent flooding.