Luzon montane rain forests
| Luzon montane rain forests | |
|---|---|
Mount Cagua | |
 Ecoregion territory (in purple) | |
| Ecology | |
| Realm | Indomalayan |
| Biome | tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests |
| Borders | |
| Geography | |
| Area | 8,273 km2 (3,194 sq mi) |
| Country | Philippines |
| Conservation | |
| Conservation status | Critical/endangered |
| Protected | 3,813 km2 (46%)[1] |
The Luzon montane rain forests is a
mountains of the island. Luzon is the largest and northernmost major island of the Philippines, located in the western Pacific Ocean.[2]
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Geography
The ecoregion includes several
Bulusan Volcano.[2] Also within the ecoregion are the Northern and Southern Sierra Madre, Mt. Sapacoy, Mt. Magnas, and Mt. Agnamala in the northern Cordillera Central highlands and the Zambales Mountains in the west.[3]
Luzon has never been connected to mainland
tectonic plates and volcanic activity created parts of the Luzon highlands, which over the next 10 million years morphed into their modern form.[2] This long period of isolation and complex internal geography is a primary cause for the great biodiversity and high degree of endemism found on the island of Luzon.[4]
Climate
In some areas, annual
seasons, with a slight dry period between December and April. The Zambales Mountains and northern Central Cordillera highlands are more strongly seasonal with a longer dry period and slightly less rainfall generally.[3]
Flora
The
oak and laurel forest species with increasing altitude.[3] The forests generally have less undergrowth and become shorter in stature as altitude increases.[3] With the decreasing temperature from increasing altitude, decomposition is slowed and results in a forest floor thick with humus.[3]
In the montane forests,
endemic animal species reside in the thick, matty soil of the upper montane forests.[3]
In fact,
Bicol Peninsula.[4]
Fauna
There are at least 31
mammals on the island of Luzon.[5] Sixty-eight percent of all known native non-flying mammals are endemic to the area (23 of 34).[4]
The
deforested, and the Philippine eagle needs this area to breed, as well as nesting in large trees and hunting within the trees.[5][6] The eagle is restricted to the islands of Luzon, Samar, Leyte, and Mindanao.[6] Attempts for captive breeding have been unsuccessful and it is estimated that less than 700 individuals remain.[5]
Often called Myer's snake in honor of Dr. George S. Myers, the genus Myersophis represented only by the species alpestris is a snake found only in the northern highlands of Luzon.[7]
About sixty-eight percent of all
Negros, and Luzon.[8] Wild populations in 1982 totaled somewhere between 500 and 1000 individuals.[5] In 1995, this number decreased to a mere 100 individuals.[5] The discovery of a population of this crocodile in the Northern Sierra Madre on Luzon gives hope for its conservation.[8] Active in the conservation of Crocodylus mindorensis is the Crocodile Rehabilitation Observance and Conservation (CROC) Project of the Mabuwaya Foundation.[5]
Conservation
A 2017 assessment found that 3,813 km2, or 46%, of the ecoregion is in protected areas.[1] Protected areas in the Luzon montane rain forests include:[9]
- Casecnan Protected Landscape (888.47 km2), established 2000.
- Northern Sierra Madre Natural Park (3594.86 km2), established 2001. Also in the Luzon rain forests.
- Peñablanca Protected Landscape(1187.82 km2), established 2003. Also in the Luzon rain forests.
- Quirino Protected Landscape (1643.64 km2), established 2005.[5]
External links
- "Luzon montane rain forests". Terrestrial Ecoregions. World Wildlife Fund.
- Conservation International.
References
- ^ a b Eric Dinerstein, David Olson, et al. (2017). An Ecoregion-Based Approach to Protecting Half the Terrestrial Realm, BioScience, Volume 67, Issue 6, June 2017, Pages 534–545; Supplemental material 2 table S1b. [1]
- ^ a b c d "Luzon montane rain forests". World Wildlife Fund.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i McGinley, Mark. "Luzon Montane Rain Forests". The Encyclopedia of Earth. World Wildlife Fund, 30 May 2007. 24 May 2013.
- ^ .
- ^ a b c d e f g h i "Philippines". Conservation International (24 May 2013)
- ^ .
- JSTOR 1441364.
- ^ a b Ploeg; Weerd (2003). "A New Future for the Philippine Crocodile, Crocodylus mindorensis" (PDF). The Technical Journal of Philippine Ecosystems and Natural Resources. 13 (1&2): 31–50.
- ^ "Philippines". Protected Planet. Accessed 13 May 2020