Plant and animal life

Although many of the mountain regions and some of the

lowlands remain heavily forested, the country’s forests have
been shrinking rapidly for decades. Between the mid-20th
century and the early 21st century, the country’s forestland
was reduced by more than half—largely a result of logging,
mining, and farming activities—and now accounts for less
than one-fourth of the country’s total land area. Where forests
remain in northern Luzon, the principal mountain tree is pine.
In other areas, lauan (Philippine mahogany) often
predominates.

Most of the Philippines’ vegetation is indigenous and largely

resembles that of Malaysia; the plants and trees of the coastal
areas, including the mangrove swamps, are practically
identical with those of similar regions throughout the Malay
Archipelago. Himalayan elements occur in the mountains of
northern Luzon, while a few Australian types are found at
various altitudes. The islands are home to thousands of
species of flowering plants and ferns, including hundreds of
species of orchids, some of which are extremely rare. Tall,
coarse grasses such as cogon (genus Imperata) have arisen
in many places where the forests have been burned away.
The Philippines are inhabited by more than 200 species of
mammals, including water buffalo (carabao), goats, horses,
hogs, cats, dogs, monkeys, squirrels, lemurs, mice, pangolins
(scaly anteaters), chevrotains (mouse deer), mongooses,
civet cats, and red and brown deer, among others.
The tamarau (Anoa mindorensis), a species of small water
buffalo, is found only on Mindoro. Of more than 50 species of
bats, many are peculiar to the Philippines. Fossil remains
show that elephants once lived on the islands.