Philippines Program

Our program uncovers unique plants and lichens threatened by habitat loss. Through field expeditions, research, and local partnerships, we aim to document, preserve, and celebrate this precious ecosystem before it’s too late.

Vision & Purpose

Discover the incredible biodiversity of the southern Philippines! Our project focuses on uncovering and documenting the unique plants and lichens found in this richly diverse region. With high levels of endemism under threat from habitat loss, we’re working to preserve and understand this natural treasure before it’s too late. Join us in celebrating and protecting this extraordinary ecosystem!

Program/Area Summary

The Philippines has over 7,500 islands divided into three regions: Luzon (north), Visayas (central), and Mindanao (south). Our program documents plant and lichen diversity in the southern region through field expeditions from 2019 to 2023.

Each trip includes international and Filipino experts, students, and local community members.

Short-Term Goals

  • Collect, document, and identify plants and lichens through expeditions  
  • Explore new areas in the southern Philippines  
  • Digitize and share botanical data  
  • Build a plant image bank  
  • Sequence lichen DNA  
  • Mentor a master’s student (plants) at TCU/BRIT and a postdoc (lichens) at BRIT  
  • Add thousands of new specimens to the BRIT herbarium 

Long-Term Goals & Aspirations

  • Describe all new species discovered and report new records 
  • Produce monographs of focal groups 
  • Investigate relationships of Philippine species within broad phylogenetic frameworks 
  • Create a silica-dried leaf material bank of thousands of samples 
  • Create a DNA bank of Philippines lichens with at least 500 species 
  • Characterize patterns of species richness and endemism across the region 
  • Test the effect of Pleistocene land conformations on the Philippine flora and fungi 
  • Explore the option of bringing into cultivation under glass at FWBG living plants collected from the Philippines for public display, education, and conservationÂ