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Researchers from the University of Southern Mindanao (USM) — Prof. Krizler Tanalgo, Kier Dela Cruz, Angelo Agduma, Asraf Lidasan, Janine Edradan, Ryza Dumayas, Jeanrose Alagdon, Berfelyn Daniela Villaruz, and Glydel Kaye Gatoc, made headlines after their study on wildlife extinction risks in the Philippines was featured by Philstar.com on October 8, 2025, in an article written by Dominique Nicole Flores.
Their study, titled “Drivers of extinction risks and shortfalls across terrestrial vertebrates in the Philippine global biodiversity hotspot,” was published in the journal Science of the Total Environment, which has an impact factor of 8.0.
The recognition highlights the researchers’ alarming findings that 15% to 30% of the country’s land-dwelling vertebrates face extinction, with amphibians and mammals at the highest risk. The paper underscores how habitat loss, overexploitation, and lack of research attention endanger the country’s unique biodiversity.
Their work analyzed life-history traits of 1,294 terrestrial vertebrate species in the Philippines using data from the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List and the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF).
Their study revealed that amphibians and mammals are particularly vulnerable to extinction due to deforestation, habitat fragmentation, and illegal wildlife trade. It also highlighted that reptiles remain underrepresented in research, leaving their true conservation status underestimated. The researchers emphasized the urgent need to address data gaps through expanded monitoring, citizen science, and stronger environmental enforcement.
This recognition, underscores USM’s growing contribution to global biodiversity research and conservation science. The study is accessible through this DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2025.180274
