Assessment of Ecosystem Services and the Impacts of Land Use and Land Cover Change in a Masterplanned City: the Case of Filinvest City in Alabang, Muntinlupa

Abstract

Land in the Philippines has been subject to scarcity and overexploitation for the past years due to two of the many societal trends – population growth and continuous land degradation. In order to contribute to livable, safe, and sustainable communities, green spaces are recognized as a key element to navigate a variety of physical activities for the general public. Filinvest City in Muntinlupa was assessed to study its spatio-temporal changes, its impacts on ecosystem services, and the strategies in support for nature-based solutions. Data analysis was conducted through (1) QGIS and remote sensing to examine LULC change and landscape metrics, (2) reports synthesis on eco-profiling for biodiversity conservation assessment, and (3) ecosystem services assessment through survey. The results generated from remote sensing show integral data on the decrease of open land and rise of built-up areas between 2009 to 2015. On the other hand, Filinvest City showed high value on biodiversity preservation through maintenance and protection of its fauna (59% are resident breeder non-endemic bird species) and flora (47% are trees species). There is also significant correlation on the importance of ecosystem services functions with urban parks, recreational spaces, and biodiversity conservation. To further evaluate Filinvest City apart from study on ecosystem services and its impacts, it is recommended to conduct a (1) more up-to-date rapid biodiversity assessment and (2) analysis on urban heat island effect caused by green infrastructures replacing the natural land cover.