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Mt.
Halcon-Sablayan areas to the central western coast of Mindoro
| General Information |
| Province |
Oriental and Occidental Mindoro |
| Municipality |
San Teodoro, Baco, Calapan,
Naujan, Victoria, Socorro, Pinamalayan, Gloria and Bansud in Mindoro
Oriental and Sablayan and Sta. Cruz, Mindoro Occidental. |
| Area (ha) |
Siburan: 25,000; Mt. Halcon:
60,000 |
| Altitude |
Siburan: 50-400 masl; Mt.
Halcon: 2,580 masl |
| Climate / Rainfall |
The western slopes of the mountains have a
seasonal climate with wet and dry seasons, whereas the eastern slopes
have an evenly distributed rainfall. |
| Coordinates |
Siburan: 12°48'N, 120°55'E
Mt. Halcon: 13°15'N, 120°59'E
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| Other Information |
Mt. Halcon is the third highest mountain in
the Philippines. |
| Biological Diversity |
| Forest / Land Cover |
Mt Halcon forest is
naturally stunted (only c.10-12 m tall, with a highly uneven canopy
and many needle-leaved trees, for example around Ilong Ridge. Only
above 850m did a natural primary forest of the lowland / lower montane
transition type exist, extending up to 1,000 m with a canopy around 15
m tall. The forests of Mt. Halcon are the watersheds of
important riverine systems on the island flowing to the South China
Sea. Siburan is the largest tract of lowland forest
known on Mindoro. This forest is contiguous with the patchy forests on
the limestone ridge running north from Malpalon. In 1991, it was
estimated that about 1,500 ha of lowland forest remain, with a similar
area of unvisited montane forest further east. The lowland forest is
generally a closed canopy with trees of up to 25 m or more and a
relatively open forest floor. |
| Species Diversity |
The forest of Siburan
provides a unique opportunity to see at least four species that are
almost impossible to find anywhere else in the world. Insects: Euploea
tobleri mangyan Amphibians:
Philautus schmackeri Reptiles:
Crocodylus mindorensis Most
threatened and restricted- range lowland forest birds of the Mindoro
Endemic Bird Area were recorded recently at Siburan: Zoothera
cinerea, Centropus steerii, Gallicolumba platenae, Penelopides
mindorensis, Ducula mindorensis, Ducula mindorensis, Otus mindorensis,
Lanius validirostris, Cacatua haematuropygia, Spizaetus philippensis,
Dicaeum retrocinctum, Ducula carola
Mammals: Apomys gracilirostris, anonymomys
mindorensis, Maxomys nov. sp., Bubalus mindorensis |
|
Socio-economic |
| Human Activities |
These mountains are a
tribal territory of the both the Iraya Mangyan and Alangan tribes, who
have ancestral claims on the area.
Mt. Halcon is already a regular mountaineering
destination in the dry season.
|
| Threat |
| Intrinsic Source of Change |
Regeneration of forest in
Mt. Halcon may not be possible in many areas, as the catchments here
appear extremely vulnerable to erosion, judging from the number of
visible landslides. |
| External Source of Change |
Illegal pit-saw logging in Mt. Halcon has
severely damaged the forest below 850 m on Mt. Ilong, and extensive
logging was underway at up to 700 m on the north slopes of Mt. Baco in
1992. Kaingin encroachment was following close behind this logging,
and rattan canes and vines were being harvested.
The future of Siburan is not secure, although
there is presumably some degree of protection afforded by the
proximity of the penal colony. The prisoners have impact on the
forest, as they use it for the collection of firewood, rattan and
bamboo. A serious threat is posed to Siburan by encroaching
slash-and-burn cultivation by local people and refugees. |
|
Intervention |
| Conservation Status |
The forest of Siburan had been proposed as
new protected area. |
| Development Project |
The Sablayan forest is
under the jurisdiction of the Department of Justice, and an integrated
social forestry project is running in the region. |
| Source of information |
Philippines National Report on Wetlands |
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