Northern Sierra Madre Natural Park

Northern Sierra Madre Natural Park
	View of the Sierra Madre
Location:	Philippines
Specialty:	Sierra Madre
Next city:	Cauayan City
Surface:	3594.86 km²
Founding:	1997
	Dugong Source: Chris Muenzer
	the bottlenose dolphin
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The northern Sierra Madre Natural Park is located in the eastern Philippine Cordillera , the Sierra Madre , which gives the park its name, and is the largest natural park in the Philippines . It covers an area of 359,486 hectares , which is divided into 287,861 hectares of land and 71,625 hectares of marine sea areas, which also includes the islands of Honeymoon and Dipudo.

The park was established on March 10, 1997 under the Government of the Philippines Order No. 978. In 2001, the protected area status was confirmed by law.

The northern Sierra Madre Natural Park (NSMNP) lies within the Sierra Madre Biogeographical Zone (SMBGZ), which stretches along the east coast of the island of Luzon .

geography

The natural park is located in the eastern part of the Isabela province . Its geographic coordinates range from 15 ° 59 ′ 35 "to 18 ° 3 ′ 11" and 121 ° 17 ′ 35 "to 122 ° 33 ′ 29" east longitude. In the north it is bounded by the Diktayan River and in the south by the Disabunga River . In the west it reaches the Cagayan Valley and in the east it reaches the Philippine Sea . The highest mountains in the nature park are Mt. Divilican (1,311 m), Mt. Cresta (1,672 m) and Mt. Palanan (1,184 m). To the west of the nature park is the Fuyot Spring National Park .

fauna

It is the largest nature reserve in the country and the richest natural park in the Philippines in terms of gene, species, and habitat diversity. The importance of the park is underlined by the large number of rare and endangered species of flora and fauna. These include Philippine Eagle ( Pithecophaga jefferyi ), giant golden-crowned flying fox ( Acerodon jubatus ), Philippine Eagle-Owl ( Bubo philippensis ) Isabellpirol ( Oriolus isabellae ), green turtle ( Chelonia mydas ), loggerhead turtle ( Caretta caretta ), hawksbill ( Erethmochelys imbricata ), Philippine Crocodile ( Crocodylus mindorensis ) and the dugong ( Dugong dugon ). An endemic species of mammal is the Archboldomys that was first described in 1998. An endemic reptile species in the Northern Sierra Madre Natural Park is the Varanus bitatawa , which was first described in 2010 and can be up to two meters long. Endemic frogs of the species Platymantis taylori are found near the municipality of Palanan .

On the islands of Honeymoon and Dipudo there is also a population of the rather rare Philippines hen (Megapodius cumingii) .

flora

The mountain range offers unique habitats and the associated flora is very rich; B. grasslands, mountain forests.

The nature park is a habitat for many endemic and rare plant species. Among the endemic plants in the park are the various species of the Dipterocarp family such as Shorea spp. and Hopea spp. , various orchids such as Dendrobium aclinia , the legume trees , Milletia longipes, and a member of the citrus family, Swinglea glutinosa .

Marine reserve

The marine reserve of the Northern Sierra Madre Natural Park also offers a diverse range of species. Coral banks with 47 coral species are recorded on an area of 4,543 hectares , seagrass meadows are located on over 3,270 hectares and mangrove forests are located on 741 hectares in its coastal fringes and serve as a habitat for the dugong ( Dugong dugon ) and the estuarine crocodile (Crocodylus porosus) , for example . However, no dugong population has been secured in the park area.

The reef and seagrass areas are a habitat for over 30 families of fish, which occur in over 200 different species. 80% percent of the fish population is made up of damselfish (Pomacentridae), wrasse (Labridae), surgeon fish (Acanthurids) and butterfly fish (Chaetodon). A fish population of 9540 fish / hectare is assumed.

Among large marine mammals, the bottlenose dolphin , the East Pacific dolphin , the short-finned pilot whale , the sperm whale and the humpback whale occur in groups of different sizes.