The Ultramafic and Limestone Karst Forests Gallery features the two unique forest types in the Philippines. This gallery expounds how the country’s unique geological formation shapes the exceptional flora and fauna of the Philippines. Shown in this gallery are the metallophytes and carnivorous plants that are well adapted to the iron-rich, nutrient-deficient ultramafic soil such as the “bonsai” or other small trees that form a pygmy forest. The exceptional faunal diversity of the ultramafic and limestone karst forests is also displayed.
Gallery IX highlights the different types of coastal ecosystems such as beach forest, intertidal zone, mud flat, sandy beach, seagrass bed and mangrove forest. This exhibition features diverse marine as well as terrestrial organisms that are commonly found in the vast coastal ecosystems of the Philippines. The significant floral diversity of the intertidal zones such as seagrass and identified mangrove species are showcased in this gallery with emphasis on its conservation campaigns.