An ecological assessment of seven major lakes in the Philippines

Abstract

An ecological assessment was done on the seven major lakes in the Philippines, namely; Laguna de Bay, Taal, Naujan, Lanao, Mainit, Buluan, and Bato. The assessment was based largely on secondary data and some primary data. The ecological parameters considered for each lake were focused on published information as well as those unpublished but were made accessible to the author by researchers and agencies of government. The different lakes are classified into three ecological categories, namely; critically degraded, degraded, threatened, and underdeveloped. Where adequate data on a lake is available, emphasis is also given on the examination of the nature of land use, lake development measures, climatic variations in terms of rainfall, and ecological conditions in the lake as they affect fish production. Finally, lake specific and general recommendations are forwarded for management purposes.