Bataan Natural Park and Subic Bay Forest Reserve (9708)
Philippines, Asia
Site overview
KBA status: confirmed
Year of last assessment: 2006
National site name: Bataan Natural Park and Subic Bay Forest Reserve
Central coordinates: Latitude: 14.6833, Longitude: 120.4167
System: marine, terrestrial
Elevation (m): 30 to 1253
Area of KBA (km2): 251.80744
Protected area coverage (%): 50.31
KBA classification: Global
Legacy site: Yes
Site details
Site description: This IBA includes the forests that extend from Subic Bay National Park up the north-western slope of Mt Natib in Bataan National Park, the highest point at 1,253 m. These are one of the few remaining undisturbed forests in the Zambales biogeographic zone, and some of the few surviving forests on Luzon that face the South China Sea (those in the Sierra Madre to the northeast facing the Pacific Ocean are different in character). The lowlands around Subic Bay National Park are now predominantly agricultural land and human settlements. The lower slopes of the mountains are covered by grasslands and croplands and secondary growth. Old growth forest is mainly confined to the steep slopes and gullies at higher altitudes. Lowland dipterocarp forest is found at c.100-900 m and montane forest above about 900 m. Between 3,000 to 5,000 ha of primary lowland dipterocarp forest is estimated to remain in the watershed, although much of this was damaged by the Mt Pinatubo eruption in 1992. Much of this forest was formerly included in the Subic Military Reservation, which was under US Navy control until 1993 when it was turned over to the Philippine Government and became Subic Bay National Park. The portion of the Subic Military Reservation under the control of the US navy was well protected, but the lowland forests here are of great commercial value and the land is under considerable pressure from a variety of economic developments. Under a new administration, the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority, there was a boom of new industries within the reservation. The former military base has been transformed into a center for trade and industry. The forests of this IBA are a vital watershed for the communities living around the park. They are the home of indigenous communities of Aetas and Negritos, who survive within the boundaries of Subic Bay National Park.
Rationale for qualifying as KBA: This site qualifies as a Key Biodiversity Area of international significance that meets the thresholds for at least one criterion described in the Global Standard for the Identification of KBAs. KBA identified in the CI/CEPF Conservation Outcomes booklet for the Philippines Hotspot (2006). Taxonomy, nomenclature and threat category follow the 2004 IUCN Red List.
Additional biodiversity: Several of the threatened and restricted-range birds of the Luzon Endemic Bird Area have recently been recorded in this IBA, and the relatively extensive forests which remain there support important populations of several of these species, notably Green Racquet-tail. One of the largest recent counts of Philippine Duck was in Subic Bay. Non-bird biodiversity: The northern Luzon giant cloud rat Phloeomys pallidus, golden-crowned flying fox Acerodon jubatus, Philippine brown deer Cervus mariannus and Philippine warty pig Sus philippensis are known to occur in the area, but surveys of the mammals and herpetofauna of the area are incomplete.
Habitats
Summary of habitats in KBA: This IBA includes the forests that extend from Subic Bay National Park up the north-western slope of Mt Natib in Bataan National Park, the highest point at 1,253 m. These are one of the few remaining undisturbed forests in the Zambales biogeographic zone, and some of the few surviving forests on Luzon that face the South China Sea (those in the Sierra Madre to the northeast facing the Pacific Ocean are different in character). The lowlands around Subic Bay National Park are now predominantly agricultural land and human settlements. The lower slopes of the mountains are covered by grasslands and croplands and secondary growth. Old growth forest is mainly confined to the steep slopes and gullies at higher altitudes. Lowland dipterocarp forest is found at c.100-900 m and montane forest above about 900 m. Between 3,000 to 5,000 ha of primary lowland dipterocarp forest is estimated to remain in the watershed, although much of this was damaged by the Mt Pinatubo eruption in 1992. Much of this forest was formerly included in the Subic Military Reservation, which was under US Navy control until 1993 when it was turned over to the Philippine Government and became Subic Bay National Park. The portion of the Subic Military Reservation under the control of the US navy was well protected, but the lowland forests here are of great commercial value and the land is under considerable pressure from a variety of economic developments. Under a new administration, the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority, there was a boom of new industries within the reservation. The former military base has been transformed into a center for trade and industry. The forests of this IBA are a vital watershed for the communities living around the park. They are the home of indigenous communities of Aetas and Negritos, who survive within the boundaries of Subic Bay National Park.
| IUCN Habitat | Coverage % | Habitat detail |
|---|---|---|
| Forest | 90 | |
| Artificial - Terrestrial | 5 | |
| Marine Intertidal | 5 |
Threats
Summary of threats to biodiversity at KBA: The lowland tropical rainforest in this IBA is very vulnerable to exploitation because it harbors tree species of high commercial value. The migration of settlers into the unguarded forestland is leading to conversion of forests into agricultural land and kaingin. The forests and their wildlife are being degraded by firewood gathering, charcoal making, illegal logging, illegal grazing, hunting and gathering, and natural threats like typhoons, fires and volcanic eruptions. Much of the forest in this IBA was badly damaged by ashfall from the Mt Pinatubo eruption in 1992. A new road was recently constructed eastward from Morong. Further development of this road could lead to the destruction of the closed canopy forest that currently extends from the shoreline up to the peak of Mt Natib. Both sides of the piloted road have already been logged. Earth-moving work has caused tremendous erosion, silting the rivers and ricelands below. The road is reported to be used to haul logs to the sea at night via Mabayo Point, and local people use the road to reach the Bataan National Park in order to carry out timber clearing activities.