Special Issue 2013
Vol 142 No. 3
Leonardo L. Co’s Botanical Root: It All Began at the PUH, University of the Philippines at Diliman
Perry S. Ong
Institute of Biology, College of Science
University of the Philippines, Diliman, Quezon City
“Leonard Co had a problem…” where the famous opening lines of an article written by Tom Abate for Bioscience in 1992 (see Abate 1992). This was about Leonardo’s exploration of the Palanan Forests in which he was part of an international team of botanists. The results of this expedition led to the recognition of the Palanan Forest as the core of the Northern Sierra Madre Natural Park (NSMNP) which eventually led to its creation by congressional action as a Natural Park in April 2001 (Republic Act 9125).
The Palanan expedition was a baptism of fire for Leonardo that led to his recognition as one of the foremost Filipino botanists of recent times. He was responsible for bringing out plant specimens from Palanan, Isabela, so the rest of the world can study these specimens. He did this with very little resources and in perilous circumstances, including hitching rides with log smugglers on truck and in boat, just to get out of Palanan. His experiences and the expedition led to the recognition of Palanan’s global importance. The NSMNP had been recommended as a UNESCO World Heritage Site and had been under review since 2006. . . . . . read more
