Bicol Natural Park
| Bicol Natural Park | |
|---|---|
 The natural park along the Bitukang Manok portion of the Pan-Philippine Highway | |
.svg)  Location in the Philippines .svg) Bicol Natural Park (Luzon)  Bicol Natural Park (Camarines Norte) | |
| Location | Camarines Norte and Camarines Sur, Philippines |
| Nearest city | Naga |
| Coordinates | 13°55′32″N 122°58′17″E / 13.92556°N 122.97139°E |
| Area | 5,201 hectares (12,850 acres) |
| Established | February 13, 1934 (National park) December 29, 2000 (Natural park) |
| Governing body | Department of Environment and Natural Resources |
The Bicol Natural Park is a
Geography
The Bicol Natural Park spreads across the Camarines Norte municipalities of
The park is crossed by five rivers and eleven creeks which empty into the Bicol River.[1] It contains natural swimming pools, picnic areas, park and camping areas, natural trails, back country shelters, and botanical and zoological gardens.[1] A few settlements also exist within the park's boundary with a population total of 9,802 in 1991, the largest being Tuaca and San Pascual in Basud, Tible, Aldezar & Banban in Sipocot, and Sooc, San Jose & Napolidan in Lupi.[1]
Biodiversity
The park covers more than thirty percent of the total lowland rainforest area remaining in the Philippines. It is composed of 741 hectares (1,830 acres) of virgin forest, 1,321 hectares (3,260 acres) of residual forest and 412 hectares (1,020 acres) of planted forest.
The
Threats
The Bicol Natural Park faces threats from illegal logging, firewood collection, charcoal production and human encroachment.[1] In 1992, with the passage of the National Integrated Protected Areas System Act (NIPAS), a total of 738 families were evicted from the park and were transferred to resettlement sites in Labo and Camarines Sur. Their houses, located mostly along the highway, were demolished and their agricultural crops and farms abandoned. However, according to a 2009 report from the Department of International Development of the United Kingdom, illegal practices and settlement still exist and only 7.6 square kilometres (2.9 sq mi) of the park's forest cover remains.[4] In 2013, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources for the Bicol Region ordered the park's closure to human activities with a total log ban and anti-illegal logging task force set up as part of the government's National Greening Program. The program also aims to plant 1.5 billion trees from 2011 to 2016.[4]
Accessibility
The park is easily accessible from the Pan-Philippine Highway (AH26) that runs through the middle of the park. Before Andaya Highway was opened in 2003, this was the main highway that connected Manila to Naga and Legazpi as well as the Visayas and Mindanao passing through Daet and other coastal Camarines Norte municipalities. The park is 46 kilometres (29 mi) north from the Naga Airport and some 18 kilometres (11 mi) south from Daet and Bagasbas Airport.
See also
- Luzon rainforest
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Nepal, Sanjay K. & Weber, Karl E. "Managing Protected Areas Under Conditions of Conflict: Selected Case Studies from China, Myanmar, Nepal, Philippines and Thailand" (PDF). Asian Institute of Technology: Bangkok. Archived from the original (PDF) on 15 October 2014. Retrieved 10 October 2014.
- ^ "G.R. No. L-16667". Arellano Law Foundation. Retrieved 10 October 2014.
- ^ "Region 5 - Protected Areas". Department of Environment and Natural Resources Biodiversity Management Bureau. Archived from the original on 14 October 2014. Retrieved 10 October 2014.
- ^ a b "DENR mulls park closure to human activities for forest defense". Bayanihan.org. Retrieved 10 October 2014.