National Integrated Protected Areas System

Republic Act 7586 otherwise known as the National Integrated Protected Areas System
(NIPAS) Act of 1992 provides the legal framework for the establishment and management of
protected areas in the Philippines. The Law defines protected areas as the identified portions of
land and/or water set aside by reason of their unique physical and biological significance,
managed to enhance biological diversity and protected against destructive human exploration.
The establishment and management of protected areas are part of the international commitments
signed by the Philippine Government such Convention on Biological Diversity, Ramsar
Convention, World Heritage Convention, Convention on Migratory Species, and the ASEAN
Agreement on the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources.
The implementation of the NIPAS Act is currently on its 19th year. It is implemented
originally through DENR Administrative Order No. 25, Series of 1992. The said DENR
Administrative Order was amended pursuant to DAO 2008-26 dated 24 December 2008. This
Administrative Order sets the procedures for the establishment, administration, management and
development of the System.
The NIPAS Act identified 202 initial components comprising of proclaimed national
parks, game refuge and wildlife sanctuaries, nature reserves, wilderness areas, mangrove
reserves, watershed reservations, fish sanctuaries, protected landscapes and seascapes, among
others prior to the effectivity of the NIPAS Act. The identified initial components of NIPAS
cover an approximate area of 2.57 million hectares. These areas will be maintained as part of the
NIPAS until such time that they are finally assessed as to their suitability for inclusion to the
System. There are one hundred twelve (112) protected areas formally proclaimed by the
President under the System covering 3.54 million hectares. Seventy (70) out of the 112 are initial
components with an area of 1.97 million hectares and forty-two (42)additional areas with an area
of 1.57 million hectares. Of the 112 proclaimed protected areas, 29 are marine protected areas
with a total area of 1.37 million hectares while 83 are terrestrial protected areas covering an area
of2.17 million hectares.
Nine (9) of the initial components and four (4) additional areas have specific laws for
their establishment under the System. These are Batanes Island Protected Landscape and
Seascape-R2, Northern Sierra Madre Natural Park-R2, Mts. Banahaw-San Cristobal Protected
Landscape-R4A, Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park-R4B, Mt. Kanla-on Natural Park-R6, Sagay
Marine Reserve-R6,Central Cebu Protected Landscape-R7, Mimbilisan Protected LandscapeR10,Mt. Kitanglad Range Protected Area-R10, Mt. Malindang Natural Park-R10, Mt. Apo
Natural Park-R11, Mt. Hamiguitan Range Wildlife Sanctuary-R11 andBangan Hill Natural ParkR2.
In terms of administration, the NIPAS Act requires the creation of respective Protected
Area Management Board (PAMB) which is a multi-sectoral and decision making body for each
of the protected area established under the NIPAS. As of June 2011, there are one hundred
seventy-eight (178)protected areas with organized/appointed Management Boards: 97 PAs with
PAMB are proclaimed under the NIPAS (65 PAs are initial components and 32PAs are additional
areas). Out of the 97 proclaimed PAs with PAMB, 2 are under the management of Palawan
Council for Sustainable Development (PCSD) and City Government of Puerto Princesa, 1 is
under the Protected Areas and Wildlife Bureau (PAWB). On the other hand, out of
the 178protected areas with PAMB, 73 protected areas are unproclaimed initial components
and 8 are proposed areas for proclamation under the NIPAS.

With regard to the financing of the System, there are one hundred and forty-nine
(149) protected areas with established Integrated Protected Area Fund (IPAF), of
which 95 protected areas have active IPAF collections and utilization. As of June 2011, a total
income of Php 204,824,951.22has been generated by the System. On the same period, a total
amount ofPhp 127,212,987.51 was utilized.
Furthermore, there were sixty-eight (68) support policies issued by the DENR including
the newly approved Revised IRR of the NIPAS Act.
In recognition of the importance of the biological diversity of the Philippines, several
protected areas have been designated as World Heritage Sites (Tubbataha Reefs Natural
Park and Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park), Ramsar Sites (Olango Island
Wildlife Sanctuary, Agusan Marsh Wildlife Sanctuary, Naujan Lake National Park,
and Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park), Transboundary Protected Areas (Turtle Islands Wildlife
Sanctuary) and the ASEAN Heritage Parks (Mt. Apo Natural Park, Mts. Iglit-Baco National Park
and Mt. Kitanglad Range Natural Park).
Classification Of Protected Areas
1. National Parks
National parks refer to forest reservations essentially of natural wilderness character which
have been withdrawn from settlement, occupancy or any form of exploitation except in
conformity with approved management plan and set aside as such exclusively to conserve the
area or preserve the scenery, the natural and historic objects, wild animals and plants therein and
to provide enjoyment of these features in such areas.
Rizal Park also known as Luneta Park or
colloquially Luneta, is a historical urban park located along
Roxas Boulevard, City of Manila, Philippines, adjacent to
the old walled city of Intramuros. Since the Spanish Colonial
Era, Being one of the largest urban park in Asia, It has been
a favourite leisure spot, and is frequented on Sundays
and national holidays. It is one of the
major tourist attractions of the City of Manila.

The MacArthur Landing Memorial National Park

is a protected area of the Philippines that commemorates the
historic landing of General Douglas MacArthur in Leyte
Gulf at the start of the campaign to recapture and liberate the
Philippines from Japanese occupation on 20 October 1944.
This event led to the largest naval battle of World War II and
Japan's eventual defeat and surrender after almost three
years. The war memorial is located in the municipality
of Palo on Leyte island in Eastern Visayas and is one of the

region's major tourist attractions.

The Quezon Memorial Circle is a national park and

a national shrine located in Quezon City, which became the
capital of the Philippines from 1948 to 1976.
The park is located inside a large traffic circle in the shape of
an ellipse and bounded by the Elliptical Road. Its main
feature is a tall mausoleum containing the remains
of Manuel L. Quezon, the second official President of the
Philippines and the first of an internationally recognized
independent Philippines, and his wife, First Lady Aurora
Quezon.

2. Natural Parks
Natural parks are relatively large areas not materially altered by human activity where
extractive resource uses are not allowed and maintained to protect outstanding natural and scenic
areas of national or international significance for scientific, educational and recreational use.
Apo Reef is a coral reef system in the Philippines
situated on the western waters of Occidental
Mindoro province in the Mindoro Strait. Encompassing
34 km2 (13 sq mi), it is the world's second-largest contiguous
coral reef system and the largest in the country. The reef and
its surrounding waters are protected areas in the
country administered as the Apo Reef Natural
Park (ARNP). It is one of the best known and most popular
dive sites in the country.

Mount Apo is a large solfataric, potentially

active stratovolcano in the island of Mindanao, Philippines.
With an elevation of 2,954 metres (9,692 ft) above sea level,
it is the highest mountain in the Philippine Archipelago and is
located between Davao City andDavao del
Sur province in Region XI and Cotabato province in Region

XII. The peak overlooks Davao City 45 kilometres (28 mi) to

the northeast, Digos City 25 kilometres (16 mi) to the
southeast, and Kidapawan City 20 kilometres (12 mi) to the
west.

The Mayon Volcano Natural Park is a protected

area of the Philippines located in the Bicol Region (Region 5)
on southeast Luzon Island, the largest island of the country.
The Natural park covers an area of 5,775.7 hectares (14,272
acres), which includes its centerpiece Mayon Volcano, the
most active volcano in the Philippines, and its adjacent
surroundings. The volcano is also renowned for having an
almost perfect cone. First protected as a National Park in
1938, it was reclassified as a Natural Park in the year 2000.

3. Natural Monuments
A natural monument is a relatively small area focused on protection of small features to
protect or preserve nationally significant natural features on account of their special interest or
unique characteristics.

The Bessang Pass Natural Monument is a protected

area and memorial that commemorates the victory on 14
June 1945 by Filipino soldiers serving the U.S. Army Forces
in the Philippines Northern Luzon (USAFIP-NL) over
the Imperial Japanese Army in the Battle of Bessang
Pass which led to Japan's eventual surrender and end
to World War II in the Philippines. It covers an area of
693.32 hectares (1,713.2 acres) and a buffer zone of 427.79
hectares (1,057.1 acres) in the municipality
of Cervantes inIlocos Sur. The mountain pass was initially a
component of the Tirad Pass National Park, declared in
1938 through Proclamation No. 294 by then
President Manuel Luis Quezon. The national shrine was
finally declared and reclassified as a natural monument under
the National Integrated Protected Areas System in April 2000

The Chocolate Hills are a geological formation

in Bohol Province, Philippines. There are at least
1,260 hills but there may be as many as 1,776 hills spread
over an area of more than 50 square kilometres
(20 sq mi). They are covered in green grass that turns brown
during the dry season, hence the name. The Chocolate Hills
are a famous tourist attraction of Bohol. They are featured in
the provincial flag and seal to symbolize the abundance of
natural attractions in the province.

The Salinas Natural Monument is a natural

monument comprising saline springs and forested mountains
in southern Cagayan Valley in the Philippines. It is one of
four protected areas in the landlocked province of Nueva
Vizcaya spanning an area of 6,675.56 hectares (16,495.7
acres) in the municipalities

of Bambang, Kayapa and Aritao. The park was established

on 18 May 1914 as the Salinas Forest Reserve covering the
Salinas Salt Springs and surrounding forest through
Executive Order No. 44 signed by Governor-General Francis
Burton Harrison. In 1926, through amendments made in
Proclamation No. 53 by Governor-General Leonard Wood,
the forest reserve was re-established as the Salinas Deer
Refuge. Salinas was finally declared a natural monument in
2000 under the National Integrated Protected Areas System
through Proclamation No. 275 by President Joseph Estrada.

4. Protected Landscape and Seascape

Protected landscapes/seascapes are areas of national significance which are characterized by
the harmonious interaction of man and land while providing opportunities for public enjoyment
through recreation and tourism within the normal lifestyle and economic activity of these areas.
The Mainit Hot Springs Protected Landscape is
a protected landscape area located in the province
of Compostela Valley on the island of Mindanao in
the Philippines. It preserves the sulfuric hot springs and
surrounding forest in Nabunturan municipality which also
contains the headwaters of the Manat River, a source of
water supply for surrounding villages. It had an initial area of
1,381 hectares (3,410 acres). The hot springs are a popular
ecotourist attraction in Compostela Valley. Its name "Mainit"
is a Filipino word which means hot.

The Jos Rizal Memorial Protected Landscape,

also known as the Rizal Park and Shrine, is a protected
landscape and memorial to the Philippines' national hero
located in the city of Dapitan on the island of Mindanao. It
preserves the farm site inbarrio Talisay where Jos Rizal was
exiled for four years from 1892-1896 after being accused of
sedition and plotting thePhilippine revolution in Manila by
the Spanish colonial authorities.

Taon Strait lies between the islands

of Negros and Cebu in the Philippines. The strait, which is
about 161 km (100 miles) long, connects the Visayan Sea in
the north to the Bohol Sea in the south. Its width varies from
5 to 27 kilometres (3 to 17 mi), with the narrowest point in
the south. In the north the strait is closed off by the Don
Islands, the largest of which is Bantayan. The cities ofBais,
Negros Oriental and Toledo, Cebu have deepwater port
facilities. The Taon Strait is known for whale- and
dolphin-watching, with tour boats operating from Bais City.

5. Game Refuge and Bird Sanctuaries

Strict nature reserve is an area possessing some outstanding ecosystem, features and/or
species of flora and fauna of national scientific importance maintained to protect nature and
maintain processes in an undisturbed state in order to have ecologically representative examples
of the natural environment available for scientific study, environmental monitoring, education,
and for the maintenance of genetic resources in a dynamic and evolutionary state.
Calauit Safari Park is a game reserve and wildlife
sanctuary located in Calauit Island, a 3,700 hectare island in
the Calamian Islandschain that lies off the coast
of Palawan in the MIMAROPA region of the Philippines. It
is known for its wildlife sanctuary with a substantial
population of African animals, including giraffes, zebras, and
antelopes, as well as local fauna that all roam freely in a
game reserve created by former President Ferdinand
Marcos in the 1970s.

The Olango Island Group is a group of islands found

in the Central Visayas region of the Philippines. It is
composed of Olango Island and 6 satellite islets namely:
Sulpa, Gilutongan, Nalusuan, Caohagan, Pangan-an, and
Camungi. Olango Island and its neighboring islets has a total
land area of approximately 10.3 square kilometres
(4.0 sq mi). The island group is under the jurisdiction of

the City of Lapu-Lapu and the Municipality of Cordova. The

island group is a part of Cebu Province. It lies 5 km east of
Mactan Island and a major tourist destination in Cebu. It is
known for its wildlife sanctuary.

Lake Buluan is a lake located in the island

of Mindanao, Philippines. With an estimated surface area of
61.34 square kilometers, it is the third largest lake
in Mindanao, after Lake Lanao and Lake Mainit. It has an
average elevation of 4.5 meters. The lake is sandwiched
between the provinces of Maguindanao and Sultan Kudarat.
The lake falls under the political jurisdiction of
the municipalities of Buluan of Maguindanao and President
Quirino and Lutayan in Sultan Kudarat. The lake actually
consists of adjoining marshy basins of
the Pulangi, Maanoy, Buluan, Alah rivers, which are
all tributaries of theMindanao River.

6. Resource Reserved
Resource reserve is an extensive and relatively isolated and uninhabited area normally with
difficult access designated as such to protect natural resources of the area for future use and
prevent or contain development activities that could affect the resource pending the
establishment of objectives which are based upon appropriate knowledge and planning.

Siocon is a first class municipality in

the province of Zamboanga del Norte, Philippines.
According to the 2010 census, it has a population of 41,637
people. Visitors describe Siocon as a "hidden paradise".

Local industry includes the Canatuan mine.

Agno River is a river in the island of Luzon in

the Philippines. Traversing the provinces
of Benguet and Pangasinan, it is the fifth largest river system
in the country with drainage area of 5,952 km.
It originates in the Cordillera Mountains and empties into
the South China Sea via the Lingayen Gulf. The river is
206 km long. Roughly 2 million people live in the Agno
River Valley and it comprises one of Philippines' larger
population clusters. The river is dammed by
three hydroelectric power plants; the Ambuklao
Dam in Bokod, the Binga Dam in Itogon, and the San Roque
Dam in San Manuel.

7. Managed Resource Protected Areas

The El Nido-Taytay Managed Resource Protected
Area is located on the north-western tip of the mainland of
Palawan. In 1991, the Government of the Philippines
proclaimed Bacuit Bay as a marine reserve. In 1998, the
protected area was expanded to include terrestrial
ecosystems and portions of the municipality of Taytay. It is
now known as El Nido-Taytay Managed Resource
Protected Area, which covers over 36,000 hectares of land
and 54,000 hectares of marine waters. It contains towering
limestone cliffs, beaches, mangroves, clear waters, unique

forests over limestone and neat farmlands.

8. Marine Reserves
Taklong Island is the main island of the Taklong
Island National Marine Reserve located in Nueva
Valencia, Guimaras and off southern end of the island
of Guimaras, in the West Visayas of the Philippines. It has
a marine research lab of the University of the Philippines
Visayas (UPV) based in nearby Iloilo Province. The only
population on the island is one family who are employed as
caretakers on the island. There are also UPV staff, such as
security guards, who rotate on and off the island.

Sagay Marine Reserve is a protected area in

the Philippines located in Sagay, Negros Occidental. It is
established in 1999 to protect marine life in Carbin and
Maca reefs. Sagay is the largest marine reserve in
the Philippines, covering an area of 32,000 hectares.

Palaui Island lies off the northwestern part of a

large promontory in San Vicente, in
the municipality of Santa Ana, Cagayan province. It is 10
kilometres (6.2 mi) at its longest and about 5 kilometres
(3.1 mi) at its widest and moderately high. The western
shore of the island appears bold, but on the eastern side, a
reef projects from its side for 2.4 kilometres (1.5 mi), the
edge of it being 0.8 kilometres (0.50 mi) from and
extending around the small islet of Escucha, east of Palaui.

9. Watershed Forest Reserves

The Aklan is a river on Panay Island in the Visayas,

Philippines. The name of the river is where the
term Aklan came from, and is derived from the word akae,
which means to boil or to froth. Because of the swiftness of
the river current, the water of the Aklan river seems to boil
or froth. Akean therefore means "where there is boiling or
frothing". Other spellings for the river
are Akean, Aclan and formerly Alcan.

Angat River (also called Bulacan River) is a river

in the Philippines located in the Province of Bulacan. It
flows from the Sierra Madre mountain range to Manila
Bay. Three damsare located along the river
namely Angat, Ipo and Bustos. The catchment or basin area
of the river is 1,085 km2. Angat River snakes through the
municipalities of Doa Remedios
Trinidad, Norzagaray, Angat, Bustos, San
Rafael, Baliwag, Plaridel, Pulilan, Calumpit, Paombong,
and Hagonoy. The river joins the Pampanga River at
Calumpit via the Bagbag River.

The Panay River Basin drains an area of

approximately 2,181 km2. It has a length of about 152 km.
along its mainstream. The basin is located on the
northeastern part of the Panay Island in the Western Visayas
Region and encompasses almost the entire province of
Capiz, with small parts lying within the provinces of Iloilo
and Aklan. The basin is bounded on the south by the
province of Iloilo and on the west by the Panay highlands
which separate it from the province of Antique. The north
western boundary is the Aklan province and in the north is
Sapian Bay.

10. Natural Biotic Areas

Natural biotic area is an area set aside to allow the way of life of societies living in harmony
with the environment to adapt to modem technology at their pace.

Abasig-Matogdon-Mananap

Basilan Island lies c.20 km south of the tip of the Zamboanga Peninsula of south-western
Mindanao. It is a hilly island, with several peaks that ascend to almost 1,000 m, including
Mt Kebang (Twin Peak) and Mt Mohadji. This IBA includes the forests that remain in the
hilly central part of the island, which are recommended by the DENR-9 for protection
under the NIPAS as the Basilan Natural Biotic Area. An area of 234 ha of primary forest
is reported to remain on Mt Mohadji, which also has patches of secondary forest which
cover a total area of 2,500 ha. These areas were logged more than 20 years ago, but have
now regenerated. Most of this is lowland forest, with limited areas of mossy forest around
the highest peaks.

Lagonoy, Camarines Sur

11. Wildlife Sanctuaries

Wildlife sanctuary comprises an area which assures the natural conditions necessary to
protect nationally significant species, groups of species, biotic communities or physical features
of the environment where these may require specific human manipulation for the perpetuation.

Agusan Marsh is one of the most ecologically

significant wetlands in the Philippines. Found in the heart
of Mindanao's Agusan Basin, this vast expanse of marsh
covers an area roughly the size of Metro Manila. It
contains nearly 15% of the nation's fresh water resources
in the form of swamp forests. During the rainy season,
when the water rises to create large lakes, vast number of
ducks come to Agusan Marsh to nest. In the dry months,
thousands of birds come from as faraway as Japan, China
and Russia to escape the chilly winter winds of Northern
Asia. Over 200 individual species have been known to
spend at least part of the year in the marsh, making it one
of Asia's most important transit points for wild birds.

Mount Hamiguitan is a mountain located in the

province of Davao Oriental, Philippines. It has a height of
1,620 metres (5,315 ft). 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, are
endemic to the area. 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
6,834 hectares (68.34 km2), was declared a national park
and a wildlife sanctuary in 2003.[5] In 2014, the park was
inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Turtle Islands, also known as Turtle Isles, is

a fifth class municipality composed of a remote group of
seven islands in theprovince of Tawi-Tawi in the
Southern Philippines.
12. Wilderness Areas
Cebu Strait is a strait in the Visayas Region of the
central Philippines. The Cebu Strait connects the western
part of the Bohol Sea with the Camotes Sea, and separates
the island provinces of Cebu and Bohol.

Bantayan Island is an island located in

the Visayan Sea, Philippines. It is situated to the west of
the northern end of Cebu Island, across the Taon Strait.
As at the 2010 census, Bantayan has a total population of
136,960 including other islands. Bantayan is the main and
largest island of the Bantayan island group that lies close
to the geographical centre of the Philippine Islands
archipelago. The island group includes numerous smaller
islands (some uninhabitable), mostly around the
southwest corner of the island. About 20 of these islets
stretch for about 8 kilometres (5 miles) southwest from

Bantayan municipality port area, with some nearer ones

being accessible on foot from the main island at low tide.
The islands are beside the busy shipping lanes for ships
and ferries coming from Mindanao or Cebu City on their
way to Manila. The islands are all small and green and
low, virtually indistinguishable one from another.

From afar the beach on Dampalitan Island looked

really inviting with its creamy white sand and crystalclear tropical waters set against a backdrop of coconut
palms and evergreen trees. The beach in Dampalitan is not
outstandingly beautiful but it is nice and laid-back and
offers a peaceful retreat from the crowded beaches of
overdeveloped tourist spots such as Boracay.