From the wild to the market: Ornamental plant trade in Metro Cebu urban markets
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.48017/dj.v11iSpecial_1.3636Keywords:
biodiversity, ecosystem, urbanization, IUCN statusAbstract
The unrestricted trade of ornamental plants in Cebu City disrupts native species' abundance, richness, and diversity. This study was conducted to: (1) determine the ornamental plant trade in urban markets of Metro Cebu, Philippines; (2) provide details of the distribution and diversity of native ornamental plants (NOPs) and exotic ornamental plants (NOPs) and (4) tabulate the ecosystem services across three selected urban markets in Metro Cebu: Taboan Market (S1), T. Padilla Market (S2), and Parkmall (S3). Field surveys and interviews were conducted to determine the biological and socioeconomic dimensions of ornamental plant trade in S1, S2, and S3. Abundance, richness, Pielous' evenness, Shannon diversity, and Simpson's diversity indices were measured. A total of 917 NOP and EOP individuals were documented across the markets. For species richness, 138 plant species across 48 families were identified (S1=70, S2=31, and S3=50). About 76.16% were EOPs, 21.85% were NOPs, and 1.99% were undocumented. S1 was the most diverse with Shannon and Simpson's indices of (H'=3.82) and (S=0.48), respectively. S2 had the lowest Shannon index (H'=3.13), and S3 had the lowest Simpson's index (H'=0.24). All markets showed low Pielous' evenness. Ecosystem service analysis revealed cultural services as the most prevalent in all sites. The study underscores the tough economic conditions for plant traders in Cebu City, as many earn below the family living wage despite their experience. The widespread sale of EOPs, neglect of NOPs, lack of regulations, and traders' significant knowledge gaps regarding the ecological impacts of EOPs raise concerns about the overexploitation of these species in Cebu.
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