Mt. Hamiguitan Launched As PHL’s 9th ‘ASEAN Heritage Park’

The Mt. Hamiguitan Range Wildlife Sanctuary joined other Southeast Asia’s ASEAN heritage areas which are recognized for biodiversity importance or exceptional uniqueness throughout the Association of Southeast Asian Nation (ASEAN) member states.

Mt. Hamiguitan in Davao Oriental is the ninth declared as ASEAN heritage park in the Philippines after the ASEAN and the 34th in Southeast Asia. The other ASEAN heritage parks in the country are Mt. Apo, Mts. Iglit-Baco Natural Resources, Mt. Kitanglad Range Natural Park’ Mt. Malindang, Mt. Makiling Forest Reserve, Mt. Timpoog Hibok Hibok Natural Park and Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park.

Mt. Hamiguitan was nominated along with Tubbataha Reef. It was during the 15th informal ASEAN Ministerial Meeting on the environment that the nomination was approved.

This is the second recognition for the mountain range. Last year, Mt. Hamiguitain was inscribed to the list of the World Heritage list of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). It is also identified and decaled as one of the sites in the Philippines under a site-based Long Term Ecological Research (LTER by the Philippines LTER, which is one of the country-based networks of International LTER. ILTER, which consists of networks of scientists, aims to improve understanding of global ecosystem.

Mt. Hamiguitan has an elevation range of 170-1,637 meters above sea level and total area of 16,923 hectares. It is home to 1,403 species of flora and fauna, of which 963 are flora 440 are fauna. It has also highly rare and globally threatened species of plants and animals such as the Philippine Eagle, Tarsier, Nannophya pygmea (world’s smallest dragonflies, Philippine Cockatoo, and among others.

So far, there are 38 ASEAN Heritage Parks that have been designated since the last inscription in November 2015. Four sites are designated as UNESCO World Heritage Sites, Kinabalu National Park of Malaysia, Lorentz National Park of Indonesia, Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park of the Philippines, and Mount Hamiguitan Range Wildlife Sanctuary of the Philippines.

“Southeast Asia is a treasure trove of biodiversity containing about 20 percent of global plant, animal and marine species,” Jenelyn Soriano of the ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity (ACB), said during the launching Thursday at the Waterfront Insular Hotel.

ACB, which serves as the secretariat of the ASEAN Heritage Parks Programme, was established in 2005 by 10 ASEAN Member states: Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore and the Philippines.

Soriano said Mt. Hamiguitan is the habitat not only of the world’s famous Philippine Eagle but also the sanctuary of other endemic species of flora and fauna.

“We should therefore be vigilant in protecting not only the Philippine but also the entire protected area,” she said. She added that Mt. Hamiguitan is unquestionably a natural heritage worth sharing and protecting for generations to come.

Soriano said the ASEAN region contains three mega diverse countries – Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines – where four of the world’s biodiversity hotspots are located.

“Its mountain ecosystems are particularly noted for their high diversity of ferns, mosses and orchids,” she said.

However, Soriano said the region’s diverse biological resources are currently threatened by many climatic and human-related factors. This is where we can act as champions of biodiversity,” Soriano stressed.

Ruel Culong, Protected Area Superintendent, however clarified that Mt. Hamiguitan remains close to trekkers until the pre-requisites for reopening are complied by the local government units. Mt. Hamiguitan straddles the municipalities of San Isidro, Governor Generoso and Mati City.

Culong said there are seven-point agenda that must be observed namely: Clean Up driver by respective LGUs; assessment as to the carrying capacity; assessment of trails, development and rehabilitation; development of campsites; identification and development of alternative tourist destination; capability building; and visitor management program to minimize expected negative tourism impacts on Mt. Hamiguitan. (PNA) BNB/LILIAN C. MELLEJOR/LDP