Bohol monitors critically endangered helmet orchid in forest reserve

TAGBILARAN CITY, Bohol — The provincial government of Bohol has recorded more than 1,400 individual plants of the critically endangered Bohol Helmet Orchid (Corybas boholensis) during an initial monitoring activity in the Loboc Watershed Forest Reserve in Bilar town.

The Bohol Provincial Environment Management Office (BPEMO), together with partner agencies, conducted the on-site monitoring on Oct. 1 at two sites within the forest reserve to assess the occurrence and distribution of the rare orchid, Corybas boholensis, which is found only in Bohol.

Initial counts recorded 269 orchid individuals at Site 1, including five with buds, and 1,181 at Site 2, including one with a bud.

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However, the team could not conclusively confirm the species during the monitoring because the plants had not bloomed. The orchid is identified through its flowers, and the initial counts will require further validation during the next visit.

The monitoring aims to establish baseline information to guide future conservation efforts for the species and its natural habitat.

Representatives from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources’ Community Environment and Natural Resources Office in Tagbilaran, Bilar Municipal Environment and Natural Resources Office, Bohol Island State University-Bilar Campus, Bohol Provincial Tourism Office and Provincial Information and Media Office participated in the activity.

The Bohol Helmet Orchid is a tiny, ground-dwelling orchid endemic to the province and considered one of Bohol’s priority flagship species.

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Botanist John Rey Callado discovered the orchid in September 2018 during a training exercise in a shady limestone forest in Bohol. It was formally described and published in the botanical journal Phytotaxa in December 2020.

Measuring only about 8.1 to 16.9 millimeters tall, the orchid features a single heart-shaped or rounded leaf and a dark maroon flower with threadlike sepals and petals.

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The species is assessed as critically endangered because of its restricted habitat and small estimated population of about 50 mature individuals. Threats include habitat loss caused by illegal logging, quarrying, slash-and-burn farming, poaching and accidental trampling.

Bohol’s recognition as a United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (Unesco) Global Geopark further highlights the importance of protecting the province’s unique karst landscapes and limestone formations, which support rare and endemic species such as the Bohol Helmet Orchid.