Mt. Kitanglad Range National Park
Designation
ASEAN Heritage Parks
Body
| Mt. Kitanglad Range National Park - Wellspring of living tradition |
| Mt. Kitanglad Range Natural Park (MKRNP) is one of the few remaining rainforests in the Philippines, hosting one of the most important diverse species of rare and endemic wildlife, most especially the Philippine Eagle, which is now known as the country's national bird. Indeed, the Park's diverse and rich flora and fauna make it one of the last sanctuaries of the country's natural heritage. In October 2009, Mt. Kitanglad Range became the 28th ASEAN Heritage Park. Next to Mt. Apo Natural Park-the highest mountain in the country, Mt. Kitanglad Range Natural Park is accordingly the country's second highest mountain. Mt. Kitanglad was declared a protected area in 2000 by virtue of Republic Act No. 8978. Mt. Kitanglad Range Natural Park covers 47,270 hectares (protected area - 31,236 hectares; buffer zone - 16,034 hectares) in the north central portion of the province of Bukidnon, and straddles parts of the municipalities of Baungon, Talakag, Lantapan, Impasugong, Sumilao, Libona and Manolo Fortich and the city of Malaybalay. The Natural Park is the major watershed that provides water for irrigation, power generation and domestic use for Bukidnon as well as the province of Misamis Oriental, and the catchment area of the Cagayan, Tagoloan and Pulangi river system. It is likewise the ancestral domain of the Talaandig, Higaonon and Bukidnon ethnolinguistic groups that share common historical and cultural ties with Mt. Kitanglad, which they consider the wellspring of their traditions. More than a dozen mountain peaks, densely forested slopes, a number of caves, several waterfalls and a hot spring can be found in the Park. Five of its peaks have very high elevations: Mt. Dulang-Dulang, the highest at 2,938 meters; Mt. Kitanglad, 2,899 meters; Mt. Maagnaw, 2,742 meters; Mt. Lumuluyaw, 2,612 meters; and Mt. Tuminungan, 2,400 meters. Mt. Kitanglad Range has unique ecological diversity characterized by a combination and interplay of human communities, connected landscapes, immense natural diversity of its flora and fauna, and its importance to the national economy and heritage (MKRNP website). |