Mt. Balatukan nears ASEAN heritage park status

MANILA – The Philippines’ Mount Balatukan Range Natural Park in Mindanao is close to becoming the 70th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) heritage park.

The ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity (ACB) on Thursday said the nature park, alongside Cambodia’s Prek Toal Ramsar Site, had been endorsed for the designation and is now for "ad referendum approval" of the ASEAN Ministerial Meeting on the Environment.

“This is a testament to the region’s commitment to preserving and restoring its immense natural wealth by strengthening connectivity, improving management, sharing best practices, capacity building, and the development of innovative awareness-raising activities,” said ACB Executive Director Jerome Montemayor.

Mount Balatukan Range Natural Park in the Philippines, situated in the eastern part of Misamis Oriental, is a recognized Key Biodiversity Area and an Important Bird Area.

It is known for its high endemicity across various taxonomic groups and is home to critically endangered flora and fauna, including Philippine Eagle (Phitecophaga jefferyi) and Rafflesia (Rafflesia verrucosa).

The natural park is also culturally significant and serves as a sacred site for Higaonon tribe.

Cambodia’s Prek Toal Ramsar Site, on the other hand, is renowned as the region’s largest waterbird breeding areas and the largest core area of UNESCO’s Tonle Sap Biosphere Reserve.

It is sustained by the unique Mekong flood-pulse system, which drives seasonal hydrological dynamics.

As part of the AHP nomination review process, the ACB coordinated with technical evaluators, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources of the Philippines, and the Ministry of Environment of Cambodia to conduct field evaluation missions at both sites earlier this year.

The ACB said it has received three more AHP nominations from Lao PDR and Thailand and is currently evaluating documents and coordinating with the relevant government agencies.

Southeast Asia has a total of 69 declared ASEAN Heritage Parks (AHP), composed of 47 terrestrial, 12 marine, and 10 wetland AHPs, covering approximately 11.9 million hectares of protected areas. (PNA)