The Mt. Apo natural park includes 629 species under 148 families of
vascular and non vascular plants. Five hundred seventy two species
belong to 124 families of ferns and angiosperms, while 57 species
belong to 24 families of bryophytes or mosses.
Among the
vascular plants in the area, Moraceae, represented by the genus Ficus,
has the highest number of known species. This particular group of
plants is very important to the economy of the forest for they provide
food to many species of birds and mammals. Most fruit eating birds feed
on Ficus fruits, particularly on the species bearing small reddish
fruits which are quite abundant during summer.
Ficus and other
small trees such as Leucosyke, Nauclea, Macaranga, Homolanthus, and
Dillenia thrive in secondary forests at elevation of 300 to 500 meters
above sea level such as in the Baratacab and Sibulan areas. Dipterocarp
species like Dipterocarpus, Shorea and Pentacme dominate the vegetation
at elevations of 650 to1000 meters such as in Tibulo and Todaya.
However, the dipterocarps assume shorter heights and become co-dominant
with other smaller trees and shrubs such as Lithocarpus, Laportea and
Areca at higher elevations of 1400 to 1600 meters such as in
Mainit-Kulan. At 1800 to 2000 meters, particularly at Meran Baclayan,
Agathis, Lithocarpus, Cinnamomum and gymnosperms are the dominant
species.
At the crater lake in Cirribal, Rhododendron, Vaccinium,
Gleichenia and Polypodiaceae species were found to be most abundant
along with bryophytes. Ferns and orchids are common as herbaceous
component and as epiphytes.
Among the high value species of
trees in the area are the almaciga or Agathis philippinensis and the
dipterocarp species Shorea polita and Vatica mangachapoi. These tree
species are threatened due to overlogging. The world famous Vanda
sanderiana or waling-waling and the rattan species Plectocomia elmiri
used to abound in the primary forests of Mt. Apo. However, these
species can no longer be found in their natural habitats because of
over collection.
Six endemic plant species are restricted to Mt.
Apo. These were identified under the families (1) Lauraceae (
Alseodaphne philippinensis ), (2) Urticaceae ( Cypholophus microphyllus
) at an altitude of 1,800 meters (3) Fagaceae ( Lithocarpus
submonticulus ) at 1,700 meters, (4) Nepenthaceae ( Nepenthes
copelandii ) in thickets at 2400 meters and (5) Piperaceae ( Piperomia
elmeri and P. apoanum ) at 800 to 1,200 meters.
A total of 227
vertebrates species belonging to 69 families of amphibians, reptiles
birds and mammals have been recorded in Mt. Apo. Likewise, 118 species
of butterflies belonging to 69 families are recorded in the area.
Of
the birds reported, most species are widely distributed and can be
found throughout the Philippines such as the blue shortwing,
Brachypteryx montana. The Philippine eagle, Pithecophaga jefferyi, the
Philippine trogon, Harpactes ardens, and the yellow-bellied whistler,
Pachycephala philippinensis, are species recorded in Luzon, Samar,
Leyte and Eastern Mindanao. The fly-catchers, Eumyias panayensis, and
Ficedula westermanni are reported in Luzon, Mindoro, Negros, Panay and
Mindanao. F. westermanni can also be found in Palawan. The
strong-billed shrike, Lanius validirostis, can be observed in the
highlands of Mindoro, Luzon, and Mindanao, while the Philippine
bullfinch, Pyrrhula leucogenys, occurs in the highlands of Luzon and
Mindanao only. The presence of L. woodi, R. goodfellowi, E. payanensis,
F. hyperythra, R. nigrocinnamomea and H. cinnamomeus were also noted in
the primary forest area.
The Mt. Apo myna Basilornis miranda,
the Apo lorikeet Tricoglossus johnstoniae, the cinnamon bird
Hypocryptadus cinnamoneus, and the bagobo babbler, Leonardina woodi,
and the black and cinnamon fantail are among the Mindanao endemics in
MANP. These species are believed to have evolved on Mt. Apo before
spreading to surrounding peaks such as in Katanglad, Malindang, and
Matutum.
The Philippine eagle, P. jefferyi, is by far the most
important bird species in Mt. Apo. This bird is not found elsewhere in
the world and has become the symbol of Philippine conservation efforts.
Widespread destruction of its habitat and over collection is driving
this species to extinction.
Mammalian species include shrews and
gymnures, bats, rats, squirrels, ungulates, civet cats and deers. The
families Pteropidae and Muridae are the most represented. The pteropid
bats are common in Mt. Apo, particularly Cynopterus brachyotis,
Haplonycteris fischeri and Rousettus amplexicaudatus. Of the mammals
identified, only four are Mindanao endemics. These are Apomys insignis,
Urogale everetti, Sundasciurus philippinensis and Podogymnura truei.
The Philippine gymnure, P. truei, which belongs to family Erinacidae,
was believed as restricted to Mt. Apo until it was collected in Mt.
Kitanglad. The deer species, Cervus mariannus apoensis is the most
threatened mammal in the area.
Important reptile species
occurring in Mt. Apo include the burrowing skinks of the Genus
Brachymeles and the Cuming's eared skink, Otosaurus cumingi. The latter
is rare and the largest in its family. The monitor lizard, Varanus
salvator, is one of the species used as food.
Important
amphibian species include the Philippine woodland frog, Rana magna, the
broad hearted forest frog, Leptobrachium hasselti, the horned forest
frog, Megophrys monticola, the Mueller's toad, Ansonia muelleri, the
Mindanao toad, Pelophryne brevipes, the montane narrow-mouthed frog,
Oreophryne annulatus. R. magna is considered an endangered species
throughout the country because it is widely collected for food.
Moreover, rate of population increase of the species is slow for it
requires unpolluted cool water for successful breeding. It also has a
relatively long tadpole stage making it vulnerable to changes in the
forest environment. L. hasselti is considered a true forest frog
because it cannot survive in open areas. This species is considered
rare because of its cryptic, or secretive behavior, similar to M.
monticola.
The butterflies in the area are numerous in terms of
number of species. They occur in a wide range of habitat, from
cultivated lands to grasslands, from second growth to primary forest.
Among the species commonly found are Eurema hecabe, Graphium sarpedon,
Papilio rumnzovia, P. aquamemnon and Mycalesis tagala sermirasa. Five
endemic species of butterflies are known. These are: (1) Parantica
schoenigi, (2) Delias lecicki, (3) D. schoenigi, (4) D. apoensis, and
(5) D. woodi. Of the five, D. woodi and D. schoenigi have wider
vertical distribution range. They were observed between approximately
800 and 2400 m.a.s.l. All species are usually found close to bodies of
water.
Mt. Apo, located in Mindanao, is one of the 14 bio-geographic zones of the Philippines
Apo
Reef was proclaimed as Protected Area under the category of Natural
Park and its surrounding waters as buffer zone by virtue of
Presidential Proclamation No. 868, dated September 6, 1996. The Apo
Reef Natural Park (ARNP) and its peripheral Buffer Zone covers an area
of 15,792 hectares and 11,677 hectares, respectively, totaling 27,469
hectares in all. Prior to its declaration as a Protected Area under the
category of Natural Park, Apo Reef has been designated as Marine Park
through Presidential Proclamation No. 1801 in 1980, authorizing the
Philippine Tourism Authority PTA to undertake the development and
Management of the area. It was also declared a tourist Zone and Marine
Reserve by virtue of Sablayan, Occidental Mindoro Sangguaniang Bayan
Resolution No. 1108 in 1983. In the quest for a more comprehensive
program in protected area management the concept of an Integrated
Protected Areas System (IPAS) was developed in 1989 by the Haribon
Foundation, a non-governmental organization (NCO), through a grant by
the Worldwide Fund for Nature (WWF)-US. By 1990, IPAS Phase I, an
18-month study was undertaken. Its major achievements included the
enactment of Republic Act 7586 establishing the National Integrated
Protected Areas System (NIPAS) in 1992 and its implementing rules and
regulations, and the tentative listing of IP sites all over the country
and the identification of ten (10) priority sites including the IPAS
Reef Natural Park. The second phase of IPAS is generally known as the
implementation stage. The Conservation of Priority Protected Areas
Project (CPPAP), which is being funded by the Global Environmental
Facility (CEF) forms part of this phase. Implementation of this project
in a ten 10 - pilot sites identified during IPAS Phase I, is currently
being jointly undertaken by the Government of the Philippines (COP),
through the Department of Environment and Natural Resources DENR and a
consortium of local and national development and environment- oriented
NGO's, the NGO's for Integrated Protected Areas (NIPA), Inc.
Grounded
on the framework set by the NIPAS Act, active participation of local
communities and other non-traditional PA Management actors is a crucial
element in the project's implementation. The vehicle for this is the
DENR, LGU's and the civil society e.g. PO:, ICCs, and NGOs). The CPPAP
is an attempt to contextualize the new strategy of protected area
management which addresses the various social, cultural, political and
economic values that influence protected area management of the
Philippines. The NIPAS law espouses the twin objectives of biodiversity
management and sustainable development. The law gives cognizance to the
urgent need to sustainable manage the finite resources of a protected
area, in order to achieve the holistic development of local communities.
Mt.
Apo is considered the center of endemism in Mindanao. It has one of the
highest land-based biological diversity in terms of flora and fauna per
unit area. It has three (3) distinct forest formations from lowland
tropical rainforest to mid-mountain forests and finally to high
mountain forests.
