Northern Negros Natural Park

Coordinates: 10°38′00″N 123°13′00″E / 10.63333°N 123.21667°E / 10.63333; 123.21667
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Northern Negros Natural Park
Sagay, part of the Northern Negros Natural Park
Map showing the location of Northern Negros Natural Park
Map showing the location of Northern Negros Natural Park
Location in the Philippines
LocationNegros Occidental, Philippines
Nearest cityBacolod
Coordinates10°38′00″N 123°13′00″E / 10.63333°N 123.21667°E / 10.63333; 123.21667
Area80,454.5 hectares (198,807 acres)
EstablishedApril 28, 1935 (Forest reserve)
August 15, 2005 (Natural park)
Governing bodyDepartment of Environment and Natural Resources

The Northern Negros Natural Park is a

Gloria Arroyo.[3]

Geography

The Northern Negros Natural Park is located some 40 kilometres (25 mi) east-northeast of

Mount Mandalagan and Mount Silay with their old-growth forests at over 1,000 metres (3,300 ft).[1] Secondary forests are found in the lower slopes which are crossed by four major river systems namely, the Malogo, Imbang, Himoga-an and Bago rivers.[1]

A caldera in Mount Mandalagan.

With a total area of 80,454.5 hectares (198,807 acres), only 16,687 hectares (41,230 acres) of forest remains of which seventy-five percent is primary old-growth and twenty-five percent is secondary.[1] Forty-eight percent of the park is occupied by human dominated landscape with 40,133 hectares (99,170 acres) of agricultural lands and 512 hectares (1,270 acres) of residential areas.[1]

Biodiversity

The park belongs to the Negros–Panay Biogeographic Region.[1] It is one of two remaining lowland forests on Negros island, the other being in the Dumaguete watershed area in Mount Talinis on the southern end of the island in Negros Oriental.

The park is a habitat to important fauna including the Visayan spotted deer, Visayan warty pig, Philippine naked-backed fruit bat, and the endangered Negros shrew.[1]

Number of endemic and threatened species of birds

Flora documented within the park include hardwood tree species (

Agathis philippinensis
, (locally known as almaciga).

Recent events

In May 2014, officials of the municipality of

Salvador Benedicto submitted a proposal to the Department of Environment and Natural Resources for conversion of 500 hectares (1,200 acres) of the park within the municipality into alienable and disposable land and to open the area for investors and tourists.[4] Salvador Benedicto is considered the "Summer Capital of Negros Occidental" where pine trees line its main highway and where two-thirds of the entire town is within the natural park. Negros Occidental Representative Julio Ledesma IV also filed a bill seeking to create a 200-hectare townsite from the proposed 500-hectare government property.[4] However, Governor Alfredo Marañon was opposed to the idea of encroaching into the protected area and instead offered converting areas in the municipal proper into a townsite.[4]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h "Northern Negros Natural Park (NNNP)". Philippine Biodiversity Partnerships. Archived from the original on 1 June 2015. Retrieved 11 October 2014.
  2. ^ a b c d e "PH062 - North Negros Natural Park". BirdLife International. Retrieved 11 October 2014.
  3. ^ a b "Proclamation No. 895, s. 2005". Official Gazette of the Republic of the Philippines. Retrieved 11 October 2014.
  4. ^ a b c "Northern Negros town wants piece of natural park". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Retrieved 11 October 2014.

External links