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Facts and Figures Category: Articles Date Posted: 2005-12-24 F.B Harrison Game Refuge and Wildlife Sanctuary in Sablayan and Mamburao, Mindoro Occidental was the first protected area established in the country. It was declared through executive Order No. 9 in 1920. There are close to 5,000 to 10,000 plant species around the world used as sources of food like pasture crops, beverage crops, root crops, spices, fruits, and fibers. Timber, rattans, and fuel wood come from plants. Aside from being used for shelter, these forest products are also used for trade and industry. People from tropical countries rely on around 20,000 plant species for their medicines. Some of these have proven to be of immense value to the advancement of health care. Mount Iglit-Baco in Central Mindoro and Mount Apo National Park in Mindanao are ASEAN National Heritage Sites through a Declaration on Heritage Parks and Reserves in Bangkok, Thailand on November 29, 1984. The first law on National Parks passed by the Philippine Congress is Republic Act No. 3915 promulgated on February 1, 1932. This law provided for the establishment of national parks, declaring such parks as game refuges and for other purposes. Republic Act No. 7586 promulgated on June 1, 1992 provided for the establishment and management of National Integrated Protected Areas System (NIPAS) As of 1990, there are 63 national parks covering an area of 5,000 square kilometer, 9 game refuges and bird sanctuaries in an area of 9,590 square kilometer and 10 wilderness areas covering about 190 square kilometer. These protected areas have a total land area of 14,800 square kilometer or about 5% of the total land area of the Philippines. It is equivalent to the total land area of Panay and Masbate Islands combined. Only 0.59% of the total land area of the country has tropical rainforest within the boundaries of protected areas. Puerto Galera in Orietal Mindoro was the first Biosphere Reserve established in the Philippines through Presidential Decree No. 354. It covers a total of 232.47 square kilometer and used to be represented by various natural ecosystems, both aquatic and terrestrial. Palawan Biosphere Reserve was formally included in the international network of biosphere reserves last February 1990 by the International Coordinating Council of Man and the Biosphere (MAB). It is comprised of 1,768 islands and islets, with unique ecological characteristics, and numerous rare and endemic flora and fauna. 70% of its total land area is still covered with forests. |
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