TACLOBAN CITY — University of the Philippines (UP) Tacloban marked the United Nations’ International Day for Biological Diversity with the inauguration of its Natural History Museum and Herbarium in its new permanent location.

The museum and herbarium feature around 3,000 biological, botanical, zoological, geological, and other scientific specimens collected by the Division of Natural Sciences and Mathematics since the college opened in 1974.

The opening of the Natural History Museum and Herbarium at the Leyte Samar Heritage Center forms part of the celebration of UP Tacloban’s 53rd founding anniversary. It is considered one of the few organized and accessioned natural history museums in Eastern Visayas.

UP Tacloban Dean Patricia B. Arinto said the facilities are well-suited to their current location, noting that the center serves as the university’s principal platform for culture and heritage studies in Eastern Visayas.

“Locating the museum here affirms an important insight: that culture and ecology are deeply interconnected, and that understanding our region requires us to study not only its histories and traditions, but also its landscapes, biodiversity, and environmental realities,” Arinto said.

“In this way, the Leyte Samar Heritage Center becomes a space where scientific research, cultural memory, public humanities, and environmental stewardship can meaningfully converge,” she added.

Most of the specimens in the museum and herbarium came from student projects submitted over the years. Among the oldest specimens is Elephantopus mollis (Turutabako in Waray), an herbaceous perennial plant commonly found in tropical climates, collected on 3 September 1976 in Tanauan, Leyte, by Rosalina Pacheco, a member of the pioneering class of the then newly established UP College Tacloban.

The centerpiece of the exhibit is a specimen of the critically endangered Philippine Eagle (Pithecophaga jefferyi) donated by the Philippine Eagle Foundation in May 2025.

Museum exhibits are organized into major animal groups, including Mollusca, Arthropoda, Chondrichthyes, Osteichthyes, Amphibia, Reptilia, Aves, and Mammalia.

The museum also features endemic and threatened species such as the Philippine Duck (Anas luzonica), Philippine Sailfin Lizard (Hydrosaurus pustulatus), Samar Water Monitor (Varanus samarensis), Philippine Deer (Rusa marianna), Visayan Warty Pig (Sus philippensis), and the endangered Philippine Giant Clam (Tridacna gigas).

Assistant Professor Jay Torrefiel, faculty-in-charge of the facility, said the UP Tacloban Natural History Museum and Herbarium addresses the need for an institutional repository dedicated to preserving, studying, and exhibiting Eastern Visayas’ natural heritage.

The facility supports students, educators, researchers, and partner institutions by providing reference materials for instruction, taxonomy, biodiversity assessment, ecological research, environmental monitoring, and conservation planning.

Torrefiel said the museum also plays a vital role in documenting endemic, native, rare, and threatened species, contributing to regional conservation initiatives.

“By preserving plants, animals, rocks, and other records of life, the museum and herbarium help us understand and protect the region’s remarkable biodiversity. It also reminds us that conservation begins with knowing what we have, valuing it, and keeping it for the next generation,” he said.