Mount Apo Natural Park
| Mount Apo Natural Park | |||
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| Location: | Philippines | ||
| Specialty: | Mindanao | ||
| Next city: | Davao City , Kidapawan City | ||
| Surface: | 640.53 km² | ||
| Founding: | February 3, 2004 | ||
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The Mount Apo Natural Park is geographically located between 6 ° 47 'and 7 ° 07' degrees north and 125 ° 09 'and 125 ° 27' east longitude on the island of Mindanao in the Philippines . The legal basis for the designation as a National Nature Reserve was laid with the Presidential Declaration 882 of September 24, 1996 and the ratification of the Republic Act 9237 of February 3, 2004, thereby the Mount Apo Natural Park received the status of a nature park.
geography
Due to its extension, the park is located in the provinces of Davao del Sur and Cotabato . It extends over an area of 64,053 hectares and touches the cities and towns of Davao City , Bansalan , Digos City , Santa Cruz , Makilala , Magpet and Kidapawan City .
In the center of the nature park is the 2954 meter high mountain Apo . The nature park has a 54,974.87 hectare core zone, which is flanked by two buffer zones with a size of 2,571.73 and 6,506.40 hectares. These areas are considered to be key regions for the conservation of biodiversity in the Philippines.
flora
More than 800 plants are described in the area of Mount Apo Natural Park. The following endemic plants are described at altitudes between 300 and 1000 meters: genera Pipturus , Sauravia and Poikilospermum as well as the species Humalanthus populneus , Elephantopus spicatus , Piper apoanum and Vanda sanderiana . The following endemic endangered plant species occur in the middle altitudes: Agathis philippensis , Lithocarpus submonticolus , Peperonia elmeri , Cypholopus microphyllus and Nepenthus copelandi . 126 plant genera and 50 species found only on the island of Mindanao are described on Mount Apo. A total of 37 of the plant species occurring at the apo are classified as economically, medically or culturally significant.
fauna
Of the 272 bird species counted, 111 are classified as endemic to the Philippines. Two of them are on the Red List of Endangered Species: the Philippine Eagle and the Red-faced Cockatoo ( Cacatua haematuropygia ). Other endangered bird species are the Mindanao scops owl , the striped owl , the Mindanao hornbill and the Apolori , a parrot species that was first described on Mount Apo in 1903.
53 different mammal species are known in the nature park, 26 of which are designated as endemic to the Philippines, including the Tudaya giant rat , the Philippine pustular pig , the Philippine tarsier and the Philippine deer .
53 species of herpetofauna are also recorded, including 17 amphibians and 36 reptile species , of which about 36% are only native to the island of Mindanao, including the Philippine cobra , the toad species Ansonia mcgregori , the Bak-Bac and many others.
Culture
A total of 6 indigenous tribes live in the area of the nature park, the Manobos, Bagobo, Ubos, Atas, K'Iagans and the Tagacaolo. They call the area around Mount Apo holy land and accordingly the nature park has great cultural significance for these tribes.
The nature park is a popular destination for tourists who want to climb Mount Apo, among other things, but there are also other excursion destinations such as the 200 meter high cascades of the Latapec waterfalls, the 300 meter high Montebago waterfalls and numerous hot springs.