Sibalom Natural Park

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Sibalom Natural Park
Philippines relief location map (square).svg
Red pog.svg
Location in the Philippines
Location Antique, Philippines
Nearest city Sibalom, Antique
Coordinates 10°45′46″N122°8′22″E / 10.76278°N 122.13944°E / 10.76278; 122.13944 Coordinates: 10°45′46″N122°8′22″E / 10.76278°N 122.13944°E / 10.76278; 122.13944
Area5,511.47 ha (13,619.1 acres)
EstablishedJune 28, 1990 (Watershed forest reserve)
April 23, 2000 (Natural park)
Governing body Department of Environment and Natural Resources

Sibalom Natural Park is a 5,511.47-hectare (13,619.1-acre) protected area in the Philippines on the island of Panay in the municipality of Sibalom, Antique. It was proclaimed a natural park on 23 April 2000. [1] It is considered as one of the last remaining lowland rainforests on Panay. [2]

Contents

The park was first established on 28 June 1990 as the Tipulu-an Mau-it Rivers Watershed Forest Reserve covering 7,737 hectares (19,120 acres) of an important watershed. [3] [4]

Geography

Sibalom Natural Park extends over sixteen barangays (village) in Sibalom. [5] It is located 36 kilometres (22 mi) east from Antique's provincial capital, San Jose de Buenavista, and some 140 kilometres (87 mi) west from Iloilo City. The park is organized around the watershed area of the Tipulu-an River and Mao-it River which are tributaries of the Sibalom River. It has seven other tributaries which provide drinking water for five municipalities and irrigate some 5,500 hectares (14,000 acres) of riceland in four municipalities of Antique. [2] Mount Porras at 800 feet (240 m) is the highest peak in the area and is located at the park's center. [5]

Forest

The park has a mild montane forest, a lowland forest, some bushland and open cogon or grassland. [2] Its riverbeds contain semi-precious gemstones such as agate, jasper and onyx. [5]

About 5,000 hectares of forest in Sibalom from Mount Porras extending to Mount Igmatindog, covers Sibalom River and its tributaries. Of this forest, 672 hectares are undisturbed by any human activity while about 4,223 hectares constitutes the 50-year-old reforestation site. [6]

Wildlife

The park serves as a corridor between two important bird areas on the island, the Northwest Panay Peninsula Natural Park and the Central Panay Mountain Range. [5] It supports 76 bird species, 28 of which are endemic to the Philippines including the Negros bleeding-heart, Walden's hornbill, Visayan hornbill, brahminy kite, blue-naped parrot, white-winged cuckooshrike and eastern grass owl. [2] [5] Other endemic fauna known to inhabit the park include the Visayan spotted deer, Visayan warty pig, and some herpetofaunal species such as the giant Visayan frog, Negros truncated-toed chorus frog, collared monitor lizard and Philippine sailfin lizard. [2]

Flora

One of the main highlights is the large flower Rafflesia speciosa , discovered in Mount Porras and surrounding barangays in 2002 [6]

The Philippine dipterocarp trees such as white lauan and apitong, and fruit trees such as antipolo and malapaho are found in the forests of Sibalom. The globally endangered giant flower, the Rafflesia speciosa, also blooms in the park. [5]

See also

Related Research Articles

Antique (province) Province in Western Visayas, Philippines

Antique, officially the Province of Antique, is a province in the Philippines located in the Western Visayas region. Its capital is San Jose de Buenavista, the most populous town in Antique. The province is situated in the western section of Panay Island and borders Aklan, Capiz and Iloilo to the east, while facing the Sulu Sea to the west.

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<i>Rafflesia speciosa</i> Species of flowering plant

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Northwest Panay Peninsula Natural Park

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Casecnan Protected Landscape

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Mount Timolan Protected Landscape

The Mount Timolan Protected Landscape is a protected area covering Mount Timolan and its surrounding forested landscape in the region of Zamboanga Peninsula on Mindanao in the Philippines. The park encompasses an area of 1,994.79 hectares and a buffer zone of 695.39 hectares in the municipalities of San Miguel, Guipos and Tigbao in the province of Zamboanga del Sur. It was established on 14 August 2000 through Proclamation Order No. 354 issued by President Joseph Estrada. The park was also earlier established by the provincial government of Zamboanga del Sur as a provincial park and wildlife sanctuary known as the Zamboanga del Sur Provincial Park through Provincial Ordinance No. 3 in 1992.

Aliwagwag Protected Landscape

The Aliwagwag Protected Landscape is a protected area that preserves a major drainage catchment in the southern Philippine island of Mindanao in the Davao Region. It contains the headwaters of the Cateel River in the southern Diuata Mountain Range which provides the water source and irrigation for surrounding rice fields and communities in Davao de Oro and Davao Oriental provinces. It was named after the remote rural village in the municipality of Cateel where Aliwagwag Falls, the country's highest waterfall, is located.

Pasonanca Natural Park

The Pasonanca Natural Park is a protected area that preserves a major watershed in the southern Philippine island of Mindanao in the Zamboanga Peninsula. It contains the headwaters of the Tumaga River in the southern Zamboanga Cordillera mountain range that serves the water requirements of some 800,000 residents in Zamboanga City. It was named after the village of Pasonanca located in the city's northern fringes where the Pasonanca Park, a public eco-park, and the Abong-Abong Park, a pilgrimage site, can also be found.

Maulawin Spring Protected Landscape

The Maulawin Spring Protected Landscape is a protected landscape area of forested hills and several rivers and streams located in the province of Quezon on southern Luzon island in the Philippines. It was originally created in 1939 to protect the watershed in the municipality of Guinayangan known as the Maulawin Spring Watershed Forest Reserve declared through Proclamation No. 365 by President Manuel Luis Quezon. It had an initial area of 60 hectares. In 2000, the forest reserve was enlarged and was redesignated as a protected landscape under the National Integrated Protected Areas System by virtue of Proclamation No. 295 issued by President Joseph Estrada. It is the only source of potable water for domestic consumption of the more than 40,000 residents of Guinayangan.

Balinsasayao Twin Lakes Natural Park

Balinsasayao Twin Lakes Natural Park is a natural park in the Philippines surrounding Lake Balinsasayao and Lake Danao in the province of Negros Oriental, 14.5 kilometres (9.0 mi) west of Dumaguete. It covers an area of 8,016.05 hectares, with heights ranging from 830 to 846 metres. The park is located in the Mount Talinis range, also known as Cuernos de Negros, in the southern portion of Negros Island, and spans across the municipalities of Valencia, Sibulan and San Jose. It was declared a protected area in 2000.

Sibalom River

Sibalom River is the longest river in the province of Antique in Panay island Philippines. With a total length of 72 kilometres (45 mi) and a drainage basin covering 682 square kilometres (263 sq mi), it is the largest river system in Antique and fourth longest in Panay after Panay River, Jalaur River, and Aklan River. It is located in Sibalom and San Remigio. Along with its main tributaries Mao-it River and Tipulu-an River, it forms the 5,511.47-hectare (13,619.1-acre) Tipulu-an and Mao-it River Watershed Forest Reserve which was proclaimed a natural park on 23 April 2000.

Mount Porras

Mount Porras is a 1,378 feet mountain peak in the 5,511.47-hectare (13,619.1-acre) Tipulu-an Mau-it Rivers Watershed Forest Reserve, now known as Sibalom Natural Park. Sibalom Natural Park is located in the municipality of Sibalom, Antique, Panay Island, which was proclaimed a natural park on 23 April 2000.

Mount Igmatindog

Mount Igmatindog is a 3,281 feet mountain peak in the 5,511.47-hectare (13,619.1-acre) Tipulu-an Mau-it Rivers Watershed Forest Reserve, now known as Sibalom Natural Park. Sibalom Natural Park is located in the municipality of Sibalom, Antique, Panay island, which was proclaimed a natural park on 23 April 2000.

Angat Watershed Forest Reserve

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Pantabangan–Carranglan Watershed Forest Reserve

The Pantabangan–Carranglan Watershed Forest Reserve is a conservation area located in the upper reaches of the Pampanga River in Nueva Ecija, Philippines, and borders the Sierra Madre and Caraballo Mountains in Aurora and Nueva Vizcaya. It encompasses 84,500 hectares of the drainage basin surrounding the Pantabangan Lake, an impoundment of the Pampanga River by the Pantabangan Dam. The multi-purpose dam is situated at the confluence of Pampanga River's two headwaters, namely the Pantabangan and Carranglan Rivers in the municipality of Pantabangan. It stretches above the dam site for 21 kilometres (13 mi) to where Carranglan River originates in the Caraballo on the north, and for 18 kilometres (11 mi) to where Pantabangan River originates in the Sierra Madre on the east. It is considered a critical watershed for the agricultural economy and hydroelectric power generation in the region of Central Luzon.

Samar Island Natural Park

The Samar Island Natural Park, in Samar, is the largest contiguous tract of old-growth forest in the Philippines. It is the country's largest terrestrial protected area, with an area of 333,300 hectares. The buffer is spread north to south over the island's three provinces and totals 458,700 hectares, about a third of the entire island of Samar.

References

  1. "Region 6 - Protected Areas". Department of Environment and Natural Resources Biodiversity Management Bureau. Archived from the original on 15 October 2014. Retrieved 11 October 2014.CS1 maint: discouraged parameter (link)
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 Salas, Jessica. Common Land, Common Waters, the Island Perspective in Watershed Management: The Case of Panay Island (PDF). Foundation for the Philippine Environment. Retrieved 11 October 2014.
  3. "Proclamation No. 605, s. 1990". Official Gazette of the Republic of the Philippines. Retrieved 11 October 2014.
  4. "Proclamation No. 282, s. 2000". Official Gazette of the Republic of the Philippines. 23 April 2000. Retrieved 30 April 2021.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Guarding Mt. Porras in Sibalom, Antique". The News Today. Retrieved 11 October 2014.
  6. 1 2 Barcelona, J.F.; Pelser, P.B.; Balete, D.S.; Co, L.L. (30 October 2009). "Taxonomy, ecology, and conservation status of Philippine Rafflesia (Rafflesiaceae)". Blumea - Biodiversity, Evolution and Biogeography of Plants. 54 (1): 77–93. doi:10.3767/000651909X474122.