Rasa Island Wildlife Sanctuary
| Rasa Island Wildlife Sanctuary | |||
|---|---|---|---|
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| Location: | Philippines | ||
| Specialty: | Palawan , Lake Sulu | ||
| Next city: | Narra | ||
| Surface: | 19.83 km² | ||
| Founding: | February 15, 2006 | ||
The nature reserve Rasa Iceland Wildlife Sanctuary is located about 91 km southwest of Puerto Princesa , the capital of the province of Palawan , the Philippines . It was established on February 15, 2006 with the entry into force of the Presidential Proclamation 1000 according to the guidelines of the Republic Law 7586 on an area of 19.83 km².
The Rasa Island Wildlife Sanctuary is a combined hunting and marine sanctuary which is located about 2 km off the coast of the municipality of Narra and is managed by it. It can be reached in a 30-minute boat ride from the port of Barangay Panacan. The island of Rasa Island occupies an area of 8.34 km², in the northwest of the Sulu Sea . The island's vegetation consists of mangrove forests , about 5.60 km², coastal forests, about 1.75 km², cultivated agricultural areas, about 0.60 km², and sparsely vegetated coral banks rising above sea level.
The island is particularly known for its species-rich avifauna , which includes around 104 species of birds. This includes stocks of the gray island pigeon ( Ducula pickeringii ), black owl ( Copsychus niger ) and the Philippines scops owl ( Otus mantananensis ). Before it was created, the nature reserve had been a pilot area of the Katala Foundation since 1998 for the protection of bird populations, especially during the breeding season. The nature reserve has the world's highest population density of wild specimens of the endangered red-tailed cockatoo ( Cacatua haematuropygia ). Due to the protective measures, it was possible to increase its inventory from 70 to more than 200 copies. There are also nesting nests of green turtles ( Chelonia mydas ) and hawksbill sea turtles ( Eretmochelys imbricata ) on the island . Observations of the dugong ( Dugong dugon ) are also known in the marine waters .
In 2013, protests by residents and nature conservation organizations prevented the construction of a coal-fired power plant for DMCI Power Corporation in Barangay Panacan. Conservationists feared that the emissions from the power plant could destroy the previous successes in protecting the avifauna on Rasa Island, as it was to be built directly opposite the island.
See also
Individual evidence
- ↑ Revitalizing Palawan's protected areas (English) on the website of the Palawan Council for Sustainable Development (PCSD)
- ^ Proclamation No. 1000, p. 2006 on the official website of the Republic of the Philippines (English).
- ↑ Philippine Cockatoo Conservation Program Description of Project Sites (PDF; 292 kB), information from the Katala Foundation (English)
- ↑ Press release of the Katala Foundation from March 3, 2006 (English; PDF; 35 kB).
- ↑ Philippines: Coal-fired power plant threatens cockatoos - Background to the petition on Regenwald.org (German).
- ↑ http://www.change.org/petitions/palawan-council-for-sustainable-development-stop-the-coal-plant-near-rasa-island-wildlife-sanctuary