LOCAL ECOLOGICAL KNOWLEDGE ON LAND SNAIL DIVERSITY IN MOUNT BANAHAW, PHILIPPINES

Local ecological knowledge (LEK) is a community-based conservation effort that promotes sustainable management of natural resources. However, studies on LEK are very limited in the Philippines. To address this information gap, LEK on land snails in Mount Banahaw, Luzon Island, Philippines was investigated. Key informant interviews and focus group discussions were conducted in the four communities (Dolores, Lucban, Tayabas and Majayjay) along the slope of the mountain. A snail calendar was used as a tool for identifying the hunting season and practices of these communities on land snails. The results showed that the communities were knowledgeable on macro land snails (>5 mm shell size) such as the introduced species, Lissachatina fulica and the endemic and edible, Ryssota otaheitana, but were unaware of micro land snails ( 5 mm shell size). Locals also demonstrated an awareness of the snails’ ecosystem functions as a food source for other animals and agents of nutrient cycling. Additionally, sustainable hunting of R. otaheitana in communities was observed. Only adult R. otaheitana were harvested, leaving the juveniles to grow and reproduce. In Lucban, the people hunted while they were waiting for the harvest season of their crops. In Tayabas, the community observed that the snail was abundant during wet and moist soil conditions when leaf litter, its primary food, decomposed easily. In Majayjay, hunting was associated with the blooming of the flowering plant, Erythrina variegata. In Dolores, hunting was practiced after clearing farmland. This research underscores the importance of determining LEK in developing policies and regulations on sustainable utilization and conservation of land snails in a tropical forest setting.