Biodiversity Research Laboratory

06/10/2026

The Biodiversity Research Laboratory is grateful to the ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity for the opportunity to share some of our recent work at the recently concluded 2026 Biodiversity Science Forum in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Dr. Mariano Roy Duya represented the Philippine Terrestrial KBA Consortium as we shared our work in revisiting and updating the Key Biodiversity Areas of the Philippines.

Ezireign Joyce Ramos, a researcher for the Philippine KBA Updating Project, shared her work with Bird Window Strike PH on the threats window strikes pose to Philippine birds.

Jay Fidelino talked about the lab's collaboration with the Energy Development Corporation in developing a multimetric index of forest health for geothermal reservations in the country.

We're thrilled to have been able to contribute Philippine perspectives and scientific insights to regional conversations on biodiversity and conservation. Let's do this again next year? 😁

04/09/2026

The Biodiversity Research Laboratory is very excited to share the first camera-trap footage of the Critically Endangered Dinagat Bushy-tailed Cloud Rat (𝘊𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘰𝘮𝘺𝘴 𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘴)!

After almost two years of field surveys and camera trapping across different habitats on Dinagat Island, we finally caught this elusive, island-endemic species out and about in the wild.

The footage were captured by two of our camera traps placed in forest on ultramafic rock — giving us a rare glimpse into the life of one of the Philippines’ least-known mammals.

This is an exciting milestone for our lab and an important step in our work of understanding this rare species, its habitats, and what we can do to help conserve it. We are grateful to the DOST National Research Council of the Philippines, Dinagat Islands LGUs, and the DENR for the continuing support.

After two years of searching, seeing this chunky fella casually crossing a fallen tree trunk was definitely worth the wait!

22/05/2026

18/05/2026

Happy International Museum Day! Check out the UP Diliman Institute of Biology's Biodiversity Hub and our natural history collections at the Museum of Vertebrate Diversity and the Jose Vera Santos Memorial Herbarium.

Contact the Institute of Biology for Biodiversity Hub visits and tours!

17/05/2026

🌳🌿🪻🏵️🌸 𝓕𝓵𝓸𝓻𝓪 𝓲𝓼 𝓛𝓲𝓯𝓮 🌸🏵️🪻🌿🌳

16/05/2026

Because of the nocturnal habit of a lot of amphibians and reptiles, we spend a significant amount of time walking around at night to document their presence in a site.

As important is the collection of a few voucher specimens to be stored in our museum, serving as reference of our identifications and observations.

Come herping with us sometime?

15/05/2026

Do you want the camp tour?

17/12/2025

The Biodiversity Research Laboratory wishes everyone a wonderfully wild holiday season!

May your Christmas trees be as towering as our forests’ majestic dipterocarps, your tables as brimming as our bountiful seas, and your homes as warm as a tarsier's snuggle on a cool night. See you all in the field next year!

30/07/2025

12/07/2025

Scrat is that you? Can't find any acorns there, can you?

This Mindanao Treeshrew (𝑇𝑢𝑝𝑎𝑖𝑎 𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑒𝑡𝑡𝑖), while a real-life lookalike, is a different mammal, but just as cute and full of energy! We caught this cutie darting across the surreal and enchanting bonsai forest atop Mt. Redondo, Dinagat Island's highest peak. Unlike his Ice Age lookalike, though, he won't find a lot of acorns in this one-of-a-kind, high-elevation habitat.

Our lab has just completed the first leg of field surveys documenting the unique mammalian fauna of Dinagat Island, and this clip is just a sneak peek on the fantastic diversity we are now starting to comprehensively document. Learn more about our project in Iloilo City this August, as we showcase some of our findings in the 32nd Philippine Biodiversity Symposium!