Mount Hamiguitan

Mount Hamiguitan is a mountain located in the province of Davao Oriental, Philippines. It has a height of . The mountain and its vicinity has one of the most diverse wildlife populations in the country. Among the wildlife found in the area are Philippine eagles and several species of Nepenthes. Some of the latter, such as the Nepenthes peltata and Nepenthes micramphora, are endemic to the area.
The mountain has a protected forest area of approximately 2,000 hectares. This woodland is noted for its unique pygmy forest of century-old trees in ultramafic soil, with many endangered, endemic and rare species of flora and fauna.
The Mount Hamiguitan range, with an area of , was declared a national park and a wildlife sanctuary in 2003. In 2014, the park was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, becoming the first in Mindanao and the sixth in the Philippines.
Mount Hamiguitan is part of the Eastern Mindanao Biodiversity Corridor. Conservation of the mountain range is a multisectoral effort done involving the provincial government of Davao Oriental, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, local communities, and indigenous people.
Geography
Mount Hamiguitan is located in the province of Davao Oriental in the southeastern part of the island of Mindanao, Philippines. It occupies the land area within the political boundaries of Mati, San Isidro, and Governor Generoso.
Flora and fauna
Plants
Inventory of flora species in the mountain and its vicinity showed that its montane forest has the highest species richness of plants with 462 species, followed by its dipterocarp forest with 338 species, mossy forest with 246 species and agro-system with 246 species. The mountain also harbors 45 species of orchids, 23 of which are endemic to the Philippines. Some of the plants commonly found on Mount Hamiguitan include the following:
Leptospermum flavescens
Wendlandia nervosa
Tristaniopsis micrantha
Dacrydium elatum
Calophyllum blancoi
Symplocos polyandra
Almaciga (Agathis philippinensis)
Elaeocarpus verticillatus
Patersonia lowii
Astronia lagunensis
Nepenthes alata (sensu lato)
Nepenthes hamiguitanensis
Nepenthes justinae
Nepenthes micramphora
Nepenthes peltata
Schizaea inopinata
Schizaea malaccana
Paphiopedilum ciliolare
Dipodium paludosum
Epigeneium sp.
Dendrochilum longilabre
Dendrochilum tenellum
Dendrochilum sp. (unknown species)
Macodes petola
Coelogyne chloroptera
Bulbophyllum sp.
Appendicula sp.
Gleichennia hirta
Drimys piperita
Hydnophyton sp.
Dilochia deleoniae
Lindsaea hamiguitanensis
Ceratostylis latipetala
Bulbophyllum colubrimodum
Animals
The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List has identified at least 11 endangered vertebrate species. The Philippine Council for Agriculture, Forestry and Natural Resources and Development (PCARRD) reported that the mountain is inhabited by five endangered species, 27 rare species, 44 endemic species and 59 economically important species. The following species can be found in the area:
Philippine eagle (Pithecophaga jeffreyi)
Giant golden-crowned flying fox (Acerodon jubatus)
Philippine forest roundleaf bat
Philippine tarsier (Tarsius syrichta)
Philippine warty pig (Sus philippensis)
Philippine brown deer (Cervus mariannus)
Fischer's pygmy fruit bat (Haplonycteris fischeri)
Asian palm civet (Paradoxurus hermaphroditus)
Tawitawi brown-dove (Phapitreron cinereiceps)
Tarictic hornbill (Penelopides panini)
Grey-hooded sunbird (Aethopyga primigenius)
Giant scops-owl or Mindanao eagle-owl
Batomys hamiguitan (a yellow-brown furry-tailed rat species endemic to the area)
Designations
In 2004, Mount Hamiguitan was declared as a wildlife sanctuary through the Mount Hamiguitan Law which was enacted under the initiative of senator Loren Legarda.
In June 2014, the Mount Hamiguitan Range Wildlife Sanctuary was added to the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites. Prior to this, the site has already been declared an ASEAN Heritage Park.
Notes
References
Amoroso, V.B. & R.A. Aspiras 2011. Hamiguitan Range: a sanctuary for native flora. Saudi Journal of Biological Sciences 18(1): 7–15.
External links
Mountains of the Philippines
Wildlife sanctuaries of the Philippines
World Heritage Sites in the Philippines
Landforms of Davao Oriental
ASEAN heritage parks