1) The Philippines has a rich diversity of plant life, with over 15,000 species, many of which are endemic. However, rapid deforestation and other threats have endangered many plant species. 2) While some publications have documented threatened Philippine plants, the information is outdated or incomplete. A comprehensive national assessment is needed. 3) Luzonica Garden Master Corporation was formed to protect the environment through horticulture. It aims to involve local growers and establish plant cooperatives to propagate native and rare species for local and international markets. This will help conserve biodiversity while providing economic opportunities.

1. INTRODUCTION<br /> The Philippines is one of the centers of mega-diversity in the world with a rich flora numbering to more than 15,000 species (about 8,000+ vascular plants, and 7,000+ composed of algae, mosses, fungi, ferns, and fern allies). Between 30-40% of the flowering plant species of the Philippines are endemic and some are narrowly confined to a limited geographical range. At present, many are threatened with extinction for various reasons. Some species are poorly known and are based on single collections that they are thought to be now critically endangered, extinct in the wild, or extinct. <br /> While several publications on threatened plants of the Philippines are available, these are not comprehensive, or the information contained are either incomplete or outdated. The IUCN’s Red Data Book on Plants and List of Threatened Trees of the World, although covering Philippine plants, treat species at the global level. A regional or national listing is desired to serve national needs as well as to provide an accurate accounting and classification. This will require concerted effort from plant specialists and other stakeholders knowledgeable about the species. Rapid deforestation in the Philippines can be directly attributed to poor governance and enforcement of existing laws coupled with widespread poverty that engulfs the majority of the Philippine population. <br />The Horticulture business has grown by leaps and bounds in this decade. It is a multi-million dollar industry that is very suitable to our climate and geography notwithstanding our hidden wealth of flora. Recognizing these facts, Luzonica Garden Master Corporation was formed to contribute to the national and global effort of protecting the environment while symbiotically opening the door of opportunities in the horticulture business to our poor countryman. It is the mission of Luzonica Garden Master Corporation to spearhead community development by farming out its market to backyard growers and establishing plant cooperatives while concentrating in the mass propagation of quality plants and rare species to cater for its local and foreign buyers. Through this mission, Luzonica Garden Master Corporation envisions of transforming the Philippines into a center of research on tropical plants. Moreover, it plans to spearhead in the creation of a new Philippine Botanical Garden exhibiting indigenous plants and new species or varieties of plants found only in the ASEAN tropics. <br />