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SPECIES |
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Mt. Isarog, an inactive volcano, rises in the heart of the
province of Camarines Sur, the central part of the Bicol Peninsula about 450
kilometers south of Manila. It is the highest forested peak in Southern
Luzon.
The Park, 10,112 hectares wide, has a rich diversity of
flora and fauna. It is home to at least 143 kinds of birds, 15 of which are
endemic to Luzon including a sub-species of the Velvet-fronted Nuthatch
which is found only in Mt. Isarog.
Other species endemic to the mountain are the Mt. Isarog
Shrew Mouse, Isarog Striped Shrew Rat, the Isarog Shrew Rat and the Isolated
Forest Frog. Rich in diversity, the park harbors 1,300 known species of
plants including hardwood trees, mosses, ferns and orchids. Mammals found in
the area include, among others, the Philippine deer, monkeys, bats, wildcat
and wild pig. Most residents of the 23 barangays encompassing portions of
the Park derive their livelihood directly or indirectly from the mountain
forest which functions like a sponge feeding watercourses leading to the
downhill plains.
Non-timber forest products like ferns, vines, wild fruits,
medicinal plants, honey, fish, cogon grass, rattan, vines, bamboo, nito,
almaciga resin, pandan and anahaw are used by residents to meet their
domestic needs, sold to complement household income or used as raw materials
for handicraft production. Sugarcane, abaca, coconut and rice are the main
agro-industrial crops grown at the foothills of the mountain. Indigenous
Peoples belonging to the Agta-Tabangnon and Agta-Cimarron groups are settled
in some barangays. They depend mainly on subsistence farming of corn,
rootcrops, fruit trees and on providing labor in industrial plantations. |
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FLORA |
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Mt. Isarog is estimated to house some 3,000 species
of flora, which include dipterocarps, epiphytes, rattans, ground ferns,
lianas and herbs. In higher elevations, pitcher plants, palms, oaks, mosses,
liverworts, ferns and lianas are abundant.
The botanical survey conducted by Haribon Foundation (1991) had recorded
a close to 1,300 plant species. A significant number of those collected are
still unidentified and being assessed as to their endemicity |
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Vegetation
Four vegetation types were found to be present in Mt. Isarog:
- parang/grassland, found at elevations up to 900 m. and dominated by
cogon (Imperata cylindrica);
- undisturbed lowland forest found between 400-900 m characterized
either by a three storied canopy or those found along the river banks
where steep slopes prevent the practice of kaingin;
- montane forest, from the upper limits of the lowland forest up to 1500
m, basically of two-storied canopy; trees are straight and mostly covered
by mosses; orchids and other epiphytes are found to be abundant;
- mossy forest, found from 1500 m. up to the summit. Terrain is
described to be rough with very steep slopes. Stunted trees abound with
branches and trunks covered with thick mosses and liverworts.
Land cover data from the JAFTA 1992 shows that the area within the PA is
divided into four land cover types based on vegetation, namely; Agricultural
area, Grassland, Reproduction Brush, and Mossy Forest. |
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| FAUNA |
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Mt. Isarog is regarded as a biodiversity rich area.
Its inclusion in the list of priority areas is backed up by the presence of
endemic rodents (Archboldomys luzonensis, Chrotomys gonzalesi and Rhynchomys
isarogensis), and other endemic mammal and bird species. Around 143 bird
species were already found to be present in Mt. Isarog, of which, 15 were
Luzon endemics and 1, the Sitta frontalis Isarog, is an Isarog endemic
subspecies. Of the 47 mammals recorded, 15 were listed as rare and 1 as
vulnerable.
Five of the nine species of frogs found in the park were Philippine
endemics. Nine spe - cies of lizards were found to belong to the Aganidas,
Gekkonidae, Scincidae and Vara - nidae families. Snakes belonging to 2
families (Elapidae and Phytonidae) were also disco - vered from where a
blind snake, the Typhlops jagorii was recorded as an Isarog endemic (Alcala,
1986). |
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| OTHER RESOURCES |
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Since the 1938 proclamation, no logging concession
has been issued inside the Protected Area. However, this did not prevent
small-scale logging, cutting of salvage trees and harvesting of NTFP within
the Park. No Integrated Social Forestry (ISF) or Community Forestry (CFP)
projects were implemented in the seven municipalities.
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Park for lumber (housing), firewood and charcoal (cooking and heating) and
wood (furniture). (NIPAP, 1998) Fuel wood is gathered mostly near their
homes, which they sell at times. Yearly fuel wood consumption is estimated
at 216 m³ of stacked wood per year. Other NTFPs include the gathering of
rattan, vines, bamboo, leaves leaves, bark and twigs, nito, almaciga resin,
game, ferns, vines, wild fruits, medical plants, honey, fish, abaca,
orchids, cogon grass, pandan, minerals (sulphur) and anahaw (Livistona
rotundifolia). These products go to handicraft industries in nearby urban
centers. |
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| Among the wildlife
being harvested and traded are: bat, deer, monkey, wild pig, civet cat,
cloud rat, palm civet, frogs, lizard, snakes, snails and birds. The demand
for the bird Kalaw (Rufous Hornbill or Buceros hydrocorax) is high. However,
trade has dropped since the bird has become increasingly difficult to find.
The upper barangays appear to depend on the forest for their subsistence. In
baran - gays Consocep and Libod, residents derive supplemental income from
the sale of plants, notably orchids. Game hunting occurs in the
municipalities of Tinambac, Goa and Calabanga. |
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Reforestation activities affect livelihood since
most were contracted out. Vegetation cover is likewise affected, mainly
because cultivated areas, as well as brush land and grasslands were
reforested. Most of the planted species are useable trees and exotic in
origin, which impacts on the existing biodiversity. A reconnaissance survey
of the reforestation areas (NIPAP, 1998) indicated that in some areas,
maintenance was lacking, thus, threatening the health of the trees
concerned. |
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Camarines Sur is rich in minerals, but the only
known mineral within the PA is sulphur. A considerable deposit of sulphur
within the Protected Area may be found in the municipality of Goa,
approximately 300 MT in barangay Hiwacloy. (Goa and CSSAC-DFI, 1998).
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The fabled Yamamoto treasure, supposedly left
behind by the Japanese after WWII, led to excavation activities near and
within the park in Pili, Calabanga, and most notably in Curry, Ocampo.
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| BIODIVERSITY
MONITORING SYSTEM (BMS) |
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The BMS is a mechanism developed to contribute to the
improved conservation and sustainable use of forest, freshwater and marine
wetlands. the backbone of this system is the regular collection of data on
natural biological resources and their utilization and within protected
areas changes in the numbers of wild plants and animals and in the the use
of the park can then be monitored. The data collected will improve the
information available for decision makers to make sure the protected area is
being maintained in accordance with the management objectives.
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The Biodiversity Monitoring System has been
established in four sites. Two in Barangay Panicuason and two in Barangay
Villa Florida. DENR and NIPAP staff are now using a combination of
methodologies in doing BMS, these are the transect method, focused group
discussion, and photo documentation. |
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Two community meetings using the focused group
discussion method was conducted last April 11, 2000 in barangay Del Rosario,
Pili and April 30, 2000 in barangay Panicuason, Naga City. In Barangay
Panicuason, the Barangay Captain has appointed a temporary Community
Monitoring Coordinator and Assistant Coordinator to help in the conduct of
the BMS. |
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COMMON NAME |
LOCAL NAMES |
SCIENTIFIC NAME |
CONSERVATION STATUS |
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| FLORA |
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| FAUNA |
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