Palawan Council for Sustainable Development Staff Puerto Princesa City, Palawan

State of Environment of Palawan 2015 Updates (Final Draft: FOR COMMENTS)

STATE OF THE ENVIRONMENT OF PALAWAN: 2015 UPDATES

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Published by:

PALAWAN COUNCIL FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT through its ECAN Knowledge Management Division PCSD Building, Sports Complex Road, Sta. Monica, Puerto Princesa City, Palawan, Philippines Tel. No. +63 48 434-4235, Telefax: +63 48 434-4234 www.pcsd.gov.ph

Editorial Board:

Nelson P. Devanadera, Executive Director Josephine S. Matulac, Director II/Planning Department

Technical Editors/Contributors:

Madrono P. Cabrestante, Jr., Division Head/ECAN Knowledge Mgt. Wilson R. Pambid Marianne Faith Martinico-Perez Perlita I. Quiling Fernando E. Padilla May Ann Rapio Amelyn E. Dramayo Jenevieve Hara Bernard Mendoza Apollo V. Regalo John Vincent Fabello Jesus E. Bream

Suggested Citation:

PCSDS (2015): State of the Environment 2015 Updates, Province of Palawan, Philippines. Palawan Council for Sustainable Development, Puerto Princesa City.

Table of Contents Page

Messages Executive Summary 7 Introduction 11 State of Palawan’s Environment – A Snapshot 11

SECTION 1: Environment and Natural Resources 15 I. Land and Forest Resources 15 II. Freshwater Resources 22 III. Coastal – Marine Resources 34 IV. Protected Areas 48 V. Biodiversity 52 VI. Climate Change 55 VII. Human Resources 56

SECTION 2: Natural Resources Management, Institutions and Governance 64 VIII. Key Economic Sectors Agriculture 64 Reef Fish and Fishery 65 Mining and Mineral Development 69 Oil and Gas 70 Tourism 72 IX. Physical Infrastructures 73 X. Employment 74

References 76 List of Figures List of Tables

List of Figures

Figure 1. Bacuit Bay, El Nido, Palawan Figure 2. Aerial photo of Brooke's Point, Palawan Figure 3. Increasing trend of mangrove forest of Palawan, 1992 – 2010 Figure 4. Land Cover map, Province of Palawan, 2010 Figure 5. Tamlang Catchment, Southern Palawan Figure 6. Production of Almaciga and Rattan in Palawan Figure 7. Cave and cave bats Figure 8. Caves distribution map, Province of Palawan Figure 9. Sabsaban Falls, Brookes Point, Palawan Figure 10. River systems, Southern Palawan Figure 11. Range of TSS concentration of river stations in Southern Palawan, 2010-14 Figure 12. Range of TSS concentration of river stations in Northern Palawan, 2010-14 Figure 13. Range of BOD concentration of river stations in Southern Palawan, 2008-14 Figure 14. Range of BOD concentration of river stations in Northern Palawan, 2008-14 Figure 15. Range of Nitrate concentration of river stations in Southern Palawan, 2010-14 Figure 16. Range of Nitrate concentration of river stations in Northern Palawan, 2010-14 Figure 17. Range of Phosphates concentration of river stations in Southern Palawan, 2010-14 Figure 18. Range of Phosphates concentration of river stations in Northern Palawan, 2010-14 Figure 19. Average river discharge of river stations in Southern Palawan, 2010-14 Figure 20. Average river discharge of river stations in Northern Palawan, 2010-14 Figure 21. Manual rainfall collector installation and training on rainfall data collection Figure 22. The mangroves of Taburi, Rizal, Palawan Figure 23. Number of species, species diversity and average diameter-at-breast-height (DBH) of mangroves in Palawan Figure 24. Mangrove forests of Southern Palawan Figure 25. Sapling density, seedling density and average mangrove density in Palawan Figure 26. Mangrove density map of Palawan, 2004 Figure 27. Mangrove tree density map of Palawan, 2014 Figure 28. Live Coral Cover (LCC) Condition of Palawan, 2014 Figure 29. Changes in Palawan's Live Coral Cover Condition for the period 2004-2014 using the old classification/category Figure 30. Coral condition as of 2004, Province of Palawan Figure 31. Coral condition as of 2014, Province of Palawan Figure 32. Seagrass Cover, 2004 and 2014 Figure 33. Seagrass density by municipalities showing baseline and monitoring data, Palawan Figure 34. Seagrass condition monitoring Figure 35. Forest cover within the protected areas in Palawan Figure 36. Existing network of marine protected areas in Calamianes, Northern Palawan (established with the assistance from the Fisheries Improved for Sustainable Harvest, FISH Project) Figure 37. Palawan’s flora and fauna Figure 38. Palawan Forest Turtle (Siebenrockiella leytensis) Figure 39. The rediscovered Palawan Toadlet (Pelophryne albotaeniata) Figure 40. Distribution of households according to level of vulnerability to climate change in Palawan Figure 41. Palawan's populace Figure 42. Population growth and projected population of Palawan and Puerto Princesa City Figure 43. Most populous municipalities (excluding Puerto Princesa City). Figure 44. Age-Sex pyramid of household population of Palawan (excluding Puerto Princesa City), 2010 Figure 45. Population map of Palawan, 1995 Figure 46. Population map of Palawan, 2010

Figure 47. Map of PCSD-Proclaimed Tribal Ancestral Zone Figure 48. Indigenous people of Palawan Figure 49. Volume of cereals production in Palawan, 1990-2014 Figure 50. Fishery production in Palawan vis-a-vis the Philippines Figure 51. Source of fishery production in Palawan, 1980-2014 Figure 52. Comparison of trends on Grouper Production in Palawan and the Philippines Figure 53. Live reef fish production in Palawan. Figure 54. Pearl farms in Palawan with PCSD/SEP Clearance Figure 55. Mineral production in Palawan Figure 56. Oil and gas production, Palawan Figure 57. Offshore energy applications in Palawan Figure 58. Nature at its best in the island of Palawan: The Puerto Princesa Underground Figure 59. Trend of tourist arrival in Palawan, 1995-2012 Figure 60. Road length and condition, Palawan Figure 61. Private building construction in Palawan Figure 62. Percentage Employment per sector, Palawan

List of Tables

Table 1. Analysis of changes in Palawan's biophysical environment Table 2. Land cover change in Palawan, 2005-2010 Table 3. Summary of identified, assessed, and classified caves/karst system in the Province of Palawan, 2008-2014 Table 4. River monitoring stations in Palawan Table 5. River stations and ranking vis-a-vis River water classification, 2014 Table 6. Raingauge monitoring stations installed by PCSDS Table 7. Number of mangrove species, biodiversity index and diameter-at-breast height by municipality Table 8. Average mangrove density by municipality of Palawan, 2004-2014 Table 9. Coral reef condition in the different municipalities of Palawan. Table 10. Palawan's coral reef condition based on the old category-classification Table 11. Distribution of condition of seagrass communities by municipality, Palawan Table 12. Protected areas in Palawan as of 2014 Table 13. Species account of selected fauna, Palawan. Table 14. Updated list of terrestrial and marine wildlife in Palawan and their categories pursuant to Republic Act 9147 through PCSD Resolution No. 15-521, s. 2014 Table 15. Population density by Municipality, Province of Palawan Table 16. Pearl culture and farming industries in Palawan Table 17. Operating mineral production sharing agreement (MPSA) in Palawan

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Forest, Land Cover and Land Use 1. Palawan’s total forest cover reduced from 55% in 1992 (at 789,488 hectares including mangroves) based on PCSDS land cover mapping to around 48% (689,161 hectares including mangroves) in 2010 based on the Philippine land cover map published by the National Mapping and Resource Information Authority (NAMRIA). 2. The annual rate of Palawan’s forest loss at 5,500 hectares/year for the period 1992 (JAFTA) - 2010 (NAMRIA) is far lower than the 1979 to 1984 rate at 19,000 hectares/year. However, the perceived forest loss may still reduce as certain areas in Palawan appeared to have been misclassified in the NAMRIA land maps, citing for example the ‘claim’ by the Protected Area Management Board of the Rasa Island Wildlife Sanctuary where the NAMRIA map has interpreted the existing ‘beach forest’ as ‘perennial crops’. 3. The mangrove forest increased from 3.5% (50,602 hectares) in 1992 to 4.4% (63,532 hectares) in 2010, at an approximate rate of 700 hectares/year. Out of the total 28 true mangrove species (under 19 families) recorded in the Philippines, 23 mangrove species that belong to 11 families have been recorded in Palawan. 4. The built-up areas increased from 0.08% (1,083 hectares) in 1992 to 0.9% (13,575 hectares) in 2010, at a rate of 694 ha/yr. 5. The areas devoted to agriculture increased at a rate of 10,000 ha/yr, from 6.4% (or 91,053 hectares) in 1992 to 19% (or 275,037 hectares) in 2010. 6. Almaciga resin and rattan have been the primary non-timber forest products of Palawan. Almaciga resin production increased from 50,545 kg in 2005 to 508,610 kg in 2013, while rattan (unsplit) production has been variable every year, with recorded volume of 521,260 lineal meters in 2013. 7. There are 94 caves that were identified in Palawan and which were included in the PCSD-approved Cave Distribution Map. Out of these number, the PCSDS has already assessed, mapped and recommended 21 caves for classification by PCSD. Freshwater Resources 8. Regular monitoring of the major river systems in mainland Palawan is being conducted by PCSDS. From eight (8) river monitoring stations (in the same number of river systems) in 2000, the number increased to 37 stations (in 30 river systems) in 2014. The river monitoring stations are determined based on the activities in the river and watershed. The resurgence of mining operations in Narra resulted to establishment of the additional river monitoring stations in the said municipality. 9. In 2014, 14% of the river monitoring stations are in good to excellent condition suitable for Public Water Supply Class II or fit as sources of water supply that will require complete treatment (coagulation, sedimentation, filtration and disinfection) in order to meet the National Standards for Drinking Water (NSDW- Class A). All of these monitored river systems have good to excellent condition suitable for agriculture, irrigation, and others (Class D). 10. Generally, the monitoring stations located in the upstream of river bodies such as dams have better water quality than the midstream and downstream, exemplified by

those observed in Calategas Dam & Calategas River, Pulot Dam & Pulot Downstream, and Irawan Upstream & Downstream. The opposite was observed in the Magara River where higher concentration of total suspended solids was recorded in the upstream than the midstream and downstream of the river. This level of TSS concentration is attributed to quarrying and small scale gold panning activities in the upstream. 11. Based on the 2014 river water quality monitoring, the organic levels as indicated in the Biochemical Oxygen Demand of all monitoring stations met the standard limits for all river water classifications based on DENR Admin. Order No. 34, s. 1990. 12. Nitrates concentration in the water bodies of Ibangley River and Magara midstream and downstream in northern Palawan, and Pulot River and Cabuluan River in southern Palawan exceeded the 10 mg/L permissible level for Class A to C based on DENR Admin Order 34, s. 1990. All other river systems monitored are within standards. Coastal-Marine Resources 13. The average mangrove density in Palawan improved from Inadequate stock at 1,428 trees/hectare in 2004 to Adequate Stock at 2,779 trees/hectare in 2014. The municipalities of Araceli, Cuyo, Dumaran, Quezon and Roxas were able to maintain the adequate stock of mangrove density from 2004 to 2014. The mangrove density in Bataraza, Magsaysay and Narra improved from Inadequate stock in 2004 to Adequate stock in 2014. All other municipalities have Inadequate to Logged-over mangrove density1. 14. In terms of the mangrove species diversity, there is only slight difference in species diversity index among the municipalities. The average species index of 1.1 in 2004 improved increased to 1.3 in 2014, while the number of species slightly increased from 15.4 in 2004 to 16.9 in 2014. The average diameter-at-breast height likewise increased from 14.3 centimeters in 2004 to 17.4 centimeters in 2014. 15. As of 2014, Palawan’s live coral cover in Excellent condition2 is only 2.1%, showing a decline from 3.7% a decade ago in 2004. Meanwhile, 46.2% are found in Good to Very Good condition, while the rest (51.7%) are in Fair to Poor condition. 16. Comparing the 2004 coral cover of Palawan with that of 2014 using the old coral cover categories, there is an evident deterioration as shown by an increase in Fair to Poor coral reef condition from 65.8% in 2004 to 73.8% in 2014. This alarming trend, where most if not all of the coral reefs are classified as Fair to Poor condition, is manifested in the island municipalities of Cuyo, Agutaya, Magsaysay, Araceli, Busuanga, Coron, and in the mainland municipalities of San Vicente, El Nido and the City of Puerto Princesa. 17. The condition of the seagrass has deteriorated. The seagrass sites with excellent cover dropped from 2.6% in 2004 to 0.8% in 2014. Consequently, the poor sites increased from 31.8% in 2004 to 68.7% in 2014.

1 Source: Coastal Resource Assessments/Monitoring (CRA/M, 2014), PCSDS. 2 New live coral categories are based on DENR Admin. Order No. 2013-12 (Guidelines for the Implementation of the SCREMP); Excellent coral cover condition means having 76% to 100% live coral cover.

18. Out of sixteen (16) identified seagrass species in the country, ten (10) are found in Palawan. However, the number of species found in each seagrass community or sample site ranged from one (1) to ten (10). Incidentally, there were two species Thalassodendron ciliatum and Halophila decipiens which were recorded only in the municipalities of San Vicente and Rizal. Biodiversity, Protected Areas 19. Protection of wildlife is strengthened with the identification of the list of Palawan’s threatened species per PCSD Resolution No. 15-521 series of 2014. 20. Palawan’s protected areas increased in coverage from 64,819 hectares in 2004 to 541,565 hectares in 2010. The terrestrial area within the protected area comprised 20% (302,164 ha) of the total land area of Palawan, a significant increase from 2.0% (31,619 ha) in 1992. 21. Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) are established to mitigate the threats on the coastal-marine ecosystems through the conservation of marine biodiversity and the coral reefs. Currently, there are 155 MPAs scattered all over Palawan declared as such through municipal and barangay ordinances, covering a total approximate area 82,000 hectares. 22. Palawan’s vegetation is one of the most diverse in the Philippines. It includes tropical lowland evergreen rain forest, lowland semi-deciduous (seasonal/monsoon) forest, montane forest at 800-1,500 m and forest-over-limestone3 23. Palawan’s remarkable ecosystems serve as repositories of diverse species of flora and fauna. The coastal and marine ecosystem is home to 379 species of corals, 13 species of seagrass and 31 species of mangroves4. Its faunal biodiversity comprises 422 species out of the 1,094 (or 38.6%) of terrestrial and marine vertebrate wildlife in the Philippines. Species accounts show that 46% of birds, 30% of reptiles, 33% of mammals and 27% of amphibians in the Philippines thrive in Palawan5. Human Resources 24. Palawan’s population (including Puerto Princesa City) rose from 640,486 in 1995 to 994,340 in 2010. The annual population growth rate of the province was 2.66%, while that of Puerto Princesa City was 3.24%. These population growth rates are higher than the country’s 1.9% (NSO, 2014). 25. Majority (60%) of Palawan’s population is distributed in 8 municipalities: Taytay (9.2%), Narra (8.5%), Bataraza (8.2%), Brookes Point (7.9%), Roxas (7.9%), Quezon (7.2%), Coron (5.6%), and Rizal (5.5%). The population density (excluding Puerto Princesa City) increased from 31 persons/sq.km in 1995 to 53 persons/sq.km in 2010. 26. Palawan’s population is young. The present median age of population is 20 years old, higher than the 2000 record of 18.2 years old. In 2010, more than half of the population (54%) were in the voting-age, an increase from 51% in 2000. Among the voting age, 52% were males and 48% were females. The dependency ratio was 74 (68 young dependents and 6 old dependents).

3 WWF/IUCN (1994–1995); PCSDS (2004) 4 UNESCO (2013) 5 PCSDS (2005)

Indigenous Peoples and Tribal Ancestral Zones 27. Twelve (12) ancestral domain claims were proclaimed by PCSD as Tribal Ancestral Zones, covering a total area of 47,054.43 hectares and equivalent to 3.3% of the total land area of Palawan. There are 3 additional 3 tribal ancestral zones with conditional approval located in Quezon (Aramaywan-Berong) with 31,470.27 hectares; Aborlan (Cabigaan) with 13,080.39 has. and Rizal (Latud, Taburi, Panalingaan) with 69,735.23 has. Key Economic Sectors 28. The key economic sectors and major drivers of Palawan’s economy are agriculture, fishery (including live reef-fish, and pearl culture), mining/mineral development, oil and natural gas production, and tourism. 29. Live reef-fish-for-food (LRFF) trade is flourishing in Palawan, providing around 26% to 32% of the country’s grouper (Lapu–lapu) production from 2003 to 2014. The LRFF recorded the highest volume of 783 metric tons in 2008, gradually declining to 632 metric tons in 20136. In 2014, the grouper production shipped as fresh and live fish from Palawan was 547 mt out of 2,137 mt of country’s total production7. 30. There are eleven (11) pearl farm companies operating on at least 61,000 hectares or occupying an average 2.56% of the municipal waters of Balabac, Busuanga, Coron, Culion, Dumaran, Linapacan, San Vicente, and Taytay. 31. There are currently four (4) operating mining projects and one (1) hydrometallurgical processing plant in Palawan. The mining projects cover an area of 2,284 hectares with total annual production capacity of 5.5 Million metric tons, while the mixed sulfide processing plant capable of producing 25,000 dry metric tons of nickel and 1,875 dry metric tons of cobalt annually. 32. Offshore extraction of natural gas and condensate started its operation in northern Palawan in 2002, resulting to the significant increase of fossil fuel extraction from 0.06 metric tons (Mt) in 2000 to 2.8 Mt in 20128. 33. Because of the pristine beauty of nature, Palawan emerged as a popular tourist destination in the Philippines. It was declared as the World’s Best Island in 2013 by Travel+Leisure Magazine and the Top Island in the World in 2014 by Conde Nast Traveler. The tourist arrival increased to more than 50 folds from 14,264 in 1992 to 832,595 in 20129. 34. The agriculture-fishery-forestry sector, compared to industry and services sectors, is still the major source of employment in the province, although there was an observed reduction in the percentage share from 67% in 2002 to 58% in 2011 (PPDO, 2012).

6 Source: WWF 7 Source: BAS (2015) 8 PY (2005 and 2013) 9 PPDO (2012)

INTRODUCTION The environment provides all that we need to survive. The goods and services we obtain from the ecosystem are often overlooked or taken for granted; but these determinants of human survival must be ensured for generations to come. Palawan, in southwestern Philippines, has abundant natural resources such that its environment promotes mutual dependence between people and nature. It is today considered one of the best islands in the world where sustainable development transforms from intangible to tangible; where conservation is as natural as breathing. This report presents the current status of Palawan’s environment and the changes taking place therein. As an old saying in management goes, “you can’t manage what you don’t know”, it is but imperative for all the people of Palawan to know what are in its mountains, in the forests, the lowlands, the caves, the rivers, and the seas. “You can’t manage what you don’t measure”, according to another saying, thus, people managing Palawan’s environment must measure changes that are constantly taking place therein.

Current State of Palawan’s Environment – A Snapshot

What is the current state of Palawan’s environment? Over the 23 years of implementation of the Strategic Environmental Plan for Palawan, much has been done to continuously protect, conserve and sustainably manage the richness and beauty of Palawan’s natural ecosystem. There has been increased focus on improving the management of the environment by formulating appropriate policies and regulations, as well as enforcing the existing ones; environmental monitoring activities and increasing level of environmental awareness. These have been done amidst the challenges brought about by societal dynamics influenced by socio-economic growth, national policies, governance and local politics, and natural environmental changes.

The first attempt to comprehensively account the status of Palawan’s environment was done in the 2004 issuance of the State of Environment Report of Palawan. The Environmental Monitoring and Evaluation System (EMES) conducts comprehensive monitoring of the environment in the province of Palawan. The EMES is a support mechanism of the Environmentally Critical Areas in Palawan, as provided in the Strategic Environmental Plan for Palawan or RA 7611.

In the last 23 years, the overall status of Palawan’ ecosystem and natural resources has gradually changed. These changes were chronicled in the subsequent release by PCSDS of the update report on the state of environment of Palawan in 2009. This 2015 updates on the status of Palawan’s environment prove once more the dynamism of ecosystem and the human-nature interaction.

Table 1. Analysis of Changes in Palawan's biophysical environment.

Indicators 1990s 2000 2005 2010 2014 Forest Total forest area (terrestrial and mangrove, in hectares) 789,488(1) - 724,738(2) 689,161(3) - Total forest area as percentage of total land area 55(1) - 50(2) 47(3) - Annual rate of change (loss) on total forest cover , ha/yr 19,000(4) - 5,000(2) 5,500(5) - Number of Communal forest or CBFM with PCSD endorsement/approval 5 6 Remarks: (1)1992 JAFTA; (2) PCSD-GIS; (3) NAMRIA 2010; (4)1979-1984 as reported by PIADP's Integrated Environmental Plan; (5)1992-2010 Municipal/City Communal Forest with PCSD endorsement: 1) Puerto Princesa City, in Bgy. Napsan (1,398.16 ha); 5) Quezon, in Bgy. Malatgao, Sowangan and Aramaywan (3,994 ha); 2) Taytay, in Bgy Talog (1,000 ha); 6) Roxas in Bgy. Magara, Tagumpay and Dumarao (2,293.75 ha); 3) Aborlan in Bgy Sagpangan, Barake, Apoc-Apoc, Apurawan and Culandanum (756 ha); 4) San Vicente in Bgy Caruray, Port Barton, Bgy New Villafria, Bgy. San Isidro and Alimanguan (5,000 ha) Water Resources Number of rivers monitored for water quality 8 14 25 30 Number of river monitoring stations - 8 14 26 37 Percentage (%) of rivers with good to excellent condition for - - - 4 14 public water supply % of rivers with good to excellent condition for primary contact - - - 4 19 recreation (bathing, etc) and tourism purposes % of rivers with good to excellent condition for fishery - - - 62 81 propagation non-primary contact recreation (boating, etc) % of rivers with good to excellent condition for agriculture, - - - 100 100 irrigation, etc. % of river monitoring stations meeting BOD standards for all - - - 100 100 beneficial usage % of population with access to drinking water - 53.6 60.7 59.0 84.6 Biodiversity Percentage (%) of land cover as mangrove forest 3.5(1) - 4.0(2) 4.4(3) - Quality/condition of live coral cover *# (in %) Excellent - - 3.7 - 2.1

Indicators 1990s 2000 2005 2010 2014 Good to Very Good - - 30.6 - 46.2 Poor to Fair - - 65.7 - 51.7 Quality/condition of seagrass cover * (in %) Excellent - - 2.6 - 0.8 Good - - 25.1 - 4.5 Poor to Fair - - 73.3 - 94.8 Average mangrove density (trees/hectare) - - 1,428 (4) - 2,779(5) Number of Species threatened/endangered - - - 420 492 Critically Endangered Species - - - 47 56 Endangered Species - - - 114 144 Vulnerable Species - - - 259 292 Number of apprehensions for RA 9147 (Wildlife Act) - - - 8 114 (6) Number of criminal cases filed for RA 9147 (Wildlife Act) - - - - 60 (7) Remarks: (1)JAFTA 1992; (2) PCSDS-GIS, 2005; (3) NAMRIA, 2010; (4) Inadequate; (5) Adequate; *Entire province except Tubbataha Reef Natural Park #2014 live coral cover condition has been modified based on DENR DAO 2013-12 (6) 2011-2014; (7) 2010 to March 2015 Protected Areas (PA) Protected areas coverage, in hectares 64,819 355,292 355,292 541,565 541,565 Terrestrial component of PAs, in hectares 31,619 179,724 302,164 302,164 302,164 Protected terrestrial areas as % of Provincial Land area 2 12 12 20 20 Number of established Marine Protected Areas by LGUs 155 Marine Protected Areas (MPA) by LGUs, in hectares 82,000 Remarks: Protected areas in Palawan: 1) Puerto Princesa Underground River National Park and World Heritage Site; 6 )Palawan Flora, Fauna & Watershed Reserve; 2) Calauit Game Preserve and Wildlife Sanctuary (now Calauit Safari Park); 7) Ursula Island Bird Sanctuary; 3)Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park and World Heritage Site; 8) El Nido-Taytay Managed Resource Protected Area; 4)Malampaya Sound Protected Landcape and Seascape; 9) Rasa Island Wildlife Sanctuary; 5) Mt. Mantalingahan Protected Landscape Ancestral Domain Number of ancestral domain claims proclaimed by the PCSD as Tribal Ancestral Zone - 12 12 12 15(1)

Indicators 1990s 2000 2005 2010 2014 Area of coverage of Tribal Ancestral Zone, hectares - 47,054.43 47,054.43 47,054.43 47,054.43(2) % of Provincial land area covered by Tribal Ancestral Zone - 3.3 3.3 3.3 3.3(2) Remarks: (1) Conditional Approval for 3 TAZ located in Quezon (Aramaywan-Berong) with 31,470.2668 ha; Aborlan (Cabigaan) with 13,080.391 ha and Rizal (Latud, Taburi, Panalingaan) with 69,735.2292 ha. Tribal Ancestral Zones: 1) Maoyon, Babuyan, San Rafael in Puerto Princesa City; 7) Amas in Brookes Point; 2) So. Yakal, New Guinlo in Taytay; 8) So. Galop, Tagusao in Quezon; 3) Bulalakao in Bataraza; 9) So. Boong, Dumanguena in Narra; 4) So. Cayasan, Bgy. Tagabinet in Puerto Princesa City; 10) Campung Ulay, Punta Baja in Rizal; 5) Coron island in Coron; 11) So. Daan, Aporawan in Aborlan; 6) Cabayugan in Puerto Princesa City; (2) Area of 3 TAZ with conditional approval is not yet included

Marine and Coastal Resources

Annual fishery production (metric tons) 80,141 249,218 549,683 680,183 510,281 Live reef fish production (metric tons) - - 551 555 632(2) Agricultural Resources Agricultural land as percentage of total land area 6.4 - 13.4 19.1 - Annual rice and corn production (metric tons) 100,249 220,804 256,154 213,891 292,422 Institutions/Governance Number of municipalities with adopted ECAN zoning maps 22 24 24 Number of municipalities with established ECAN Boards 24 Number of SEP clearances issued - - 638(2) 612(3) 552(4) Number of Live Fish Accreditation issued - 17(1) 460(2) 585(3) 363(4) Number of Wildlife permits issued - - - - 848(4) Number of Chainsaw permits issued - - - 114(5) 407(4) Total number of apprehensions* - - - 12 392(4) Remarks: 1) 1999-2000; (2) 2001-2005; (3) 2006-2010; (4) 2011-2014; (5) 2009-2010 * Apprehensions for violation of RA 9147 (Wildlife Act), RA 8550 (Fisheries Code), RA 9175 (Chainsaw Act), PD 705 (Forestry Code)

SECTION 1: ENVIRONMENT AND NATURAL RESOURCES

I. LAND AND FOREST RESOURCES … Palawan’s forest cover comprises 10% of the entire forest cover of the Philippines!

Figure 1. Aerial photo of Brooke's Point, Palawan.

Palawan is the largest province in the country with 1,489,626 hectares or 5% of the total land area of the Philippines. It measures 650 km from its northernmost tip to southernmost tip of the island. Its coastline measures approximately 2,000 km. The topography of Palawan is characterized by flat to gently sloping (comprising 37%) while the rolling lands to hills and mountains having slope of 18% and above comprise 63%. The very steep hills and mountains with a slope of more than 50% comprises 26% (PCSD, 2005). Tall mountain ranges run through the entire central length bisecting the province into 2 areas: the east and west coast. Mt. Mantalingahan in Brookes Point is Palawan’s highest peak at 2,086 m. Forest is a principal resource of Palawan. Having the largest forest (both terrestrial and mangrove) among the provinces, Palawan contributes 10% to the Philippines’ entire forest cover

Table 2 shows the land cover change of Palawan in 2005 and 2010. Based on the 2010 data, Palawan’s forest area is about 48% comprising 625,629 hectares or 43.4% of terrestrial forest and 63,532 hectares of 4.4% of mangrove forest based on NAMRIA mapping in 2010. The forest cover decreased by 2.6% or 40,707 from 2005 to 2010. The land cover analysis is based on the land cover data maps produced by PCSDS (2005) and NAMRIA (2010). The analysis of changes in land cover focused only on the five major

©2015 Palawan Council for Sustainable Development Staff Page | 15 State of Environment of Palawan 2015 Updates (Final Draft: FOR COMMENTS) landcover/land use such as forest area, mangrove area, grassland, built-up and agricultural land. Table 2. Land Cover Change in Palawan, 2005-2010.

Area, ha % Land Area Land Cover 2005 2010 Rate Loss, (PCSD) (NAMRIA) Change, ha (ha/year) 2005 2010 Forest Area 666,336 625,629 (40,707) (8,141) 46.1 43.4 Mangrove Forest 58,400 63,532 5,132 1,026 4.0 4.4 Grassland 55,727 36,023 (19,704) (3,941) 3.9 2.5 Built-up 10,080 13,575 3,495 699 0.7 0.9 Agricultural land 194,066 275,037 80,971 16,194 13.4 19.1 References: PCSD-GIS (2005), NAMRIA (2010)

In the 2010 land cover map produced by NAMRIA, among the provinces, Palawan has the largest forest cover comprising 10% (689,161 hectares including mangrove) of the total forest cover of the Philippines (PFS, 2013). Grasslands comprise 2.5% or 36,023 hectares of Palawan’s land cover in 2010, showing a decrease from 3.9% in 2005. Areas devoted to agriculture increased from 13% or 194,066 hectares in 2005 to 19% or 275,037 hectares in 2010. This is equivalent to an annual increase of 16,194 hectares. The built-up areas cover 13,575 hectares or 0.9% in 2010, an increase from 0.7% in 2005. The mangrove forest accounts for 4.4% or 63,532 hectares of the total land cover of Palawan (NAMRIA, 2010). This shows a significant increase in mangrove area of the province as compared to 3.34% in 1992 (JAFTA, 1992), 3.35% in 1998 (NAMRIA, 1998), and 4.0 in 2005 (PCSDS, 2005).

70,000 5.0 63,532 58,400 4.5 60,000 50,602 51,346 4.0 50,000 3.5

40,000 3.0 2.5 30,000 2.0 Mangrove,ha 20,000 1.5 % land of area 1.0 10,000 0.5 - - 1992 1998 2005 2010 Mangrove, ha % Total land area

Figure 2. Increasing trend of mangrove forest of Palawan, 1992 - 2010.

Figure 3. Land Cover map, Province of Palawan, 2010. (Source: NAMRIA)

Figure 4. Tamlang Catchment, Southern Palawan. (Photo courtesy: PCSDS)

Non-Timber Forest Products Rattan and almaciga resin are the major non-timber products extracted from the forests of Palawan. Almaciga resin production has been increasing from 50,545 kg in 2005 to 508,610 kg in 2013, an increase of around ten-fold in less than 10 years (PFS, 2005 and 2013). Rattan (unsplit) production has been variable every year. In 2013, the produced volume of 521,260 lineal meter (lm) was higher than the allowable cut of 364,789 lm (PFS, 2013).

600,000

Almaciga, kg 400,000

Metrictonnes Rattan, lineal meter

200,000

Figure 5. Production of Almaciga and Rattan in Palawan. (Reference: Philippine Forest Statistics, 2013)

Caves and Cave Resources

Figure 6. Cave and cave bats. (Photo courtesy: Jovic Fabello, PCSDS)

Caves are integral part of our ecosystem. They serve as habitat of unique, rare, endangered and even unknown plants and animals. They contain important geological formations and deposits of great beauty generally termed as speleothem and speleogen. Caves have paleontological values as they contain fossils which are the preserved remains of prehistoric plants and animals and they tell us nearly all we know about the history of life on Earth. Caves are also culturally, archaeologically, historically and spiritually significant areas. In ages, past humans made use of caves as shelter and they leave behind artifacts (e.g. tools, pottery, and coffins), ecofacts (e.g. human and animal bones) and artworks on the walls proving their existence and way of life. Caves, even now, serve as burial grounds and sites of religious practices and rituals. Caves such as Tabon Cave Complex (municipality of Quezon) and Ille Karst Tower (municipality of El Nido) are examples of such significance. Caves maybe located in public or private land and within ancestral domain/land. PCSD Administrative Order No. 8, S. 2003 and its Implementing Rules and Regulations govern the management, protection and conservation of caves in the province of Palawan. Caves and cave resources may be used for scientific, economic, ecotourism and other purposes based on the assessment and classification led by the PCSD and its staff.

As of 2014, there are 94 caves identified throughout the province (Table 3), which are included in the PCSD-approved Cave Distribution Map (Figure 8). As of December 2008, the local DENR-PAWS have also identified 26 caves since the inception of the Caves Act in 2001. These caves are distributed throughout the mainland and islands of the province. The locations of these identified caves are reflected in Figure 8. Among the 94 identified caves in the province of Palawan from 2008 to 2014, 21 caves were assessed, mapped and recommended for classification by the PCSDS cave assessment team.

Table 3. Summary of Identified, Assessed, and Classified Caves/Karst System in the Province of Palawan, 2008-2014. (Source: PCSDS Caves Assessment Team)

CLUSTER/ ASSESSED/ PCSD IDENTIFIED TOTAL MUNICIPALITY CLASSIFIED CLASSIFIED CAVES CAVES KARST/CAVE COMPLEX Central: 8 Puerto Princesa 5 0 3 8 City

South Palawan: 23 Aborlan 0 0 1 1 Narra 0 0 0 0 Quezon 1 0 9 10 Rizal 1 0 1 2 Sofronio Espanola 0 0 0 0 Brookes Point 0 0 0 0 Bataraza 3 0 7 10

North Palawan: 43 Roxas 0 0 7 7 Taytay 4 7 11 22 El Nido 0 6 8 14

Island 33 municipalities: Balabac 0 0 0 0 Busuanga 3 0 4 7 Cagayancillo 3 0 12 15 Coron 0 0 3 3 Culion 0 0 1 1 Cuyo 3 0 0 3 Magsaysay 0 0 2 2 Linapacan 0 0 2 2

Grand Total 23 13 71 107

The identified caves in the municipalities of Busuanga, Taytay, El Nido, Cuyo and Cagayancillo are mainly utilized for economic purposes such as edible bird’s nests gathering/collection and ecotourism. The most popular among the caves is the Puerto Princesa Underground River National Park in Bgy. Cabayugan, Puerto Princesa City. Another is the Tabon Cave Complex in Lipuun Point in the Municipality of Quezon wherein human remains (Tabon man) dating to 47,000 years ago were recovered from a cave known as Tabon.

Figure 7. Caves distribution map, Province of Palawan.

Figure 8. Sabsaban Falls, Brookes Point, Palawan.

Palawan consists of 191 catchments. There are 31 major catchments with land area ranging from 59 to 388 square kilometers (5,900 – 38,800 hectares). The area with available groundwater (shallow and deep well) is about 2,242 square kilometers, or 15% of the total land area of Palawan (Palawan Asset Account, 2000). The PCSDS conducts regular monitoring of the major river systems of Palawan as part of its activities under the Environmental Monitoring and Evaluation System. As shown in Table 4, the river monitoring sites increased as the need to determine the water quality arises. From eight (8) river monitoring stations in 2000, the number increased to 37 in 2014. The river monitoring stations are determined based on the activities in the river and watershed. The increased number of mining operations in Narra resulted to the additional river monitoring stations in the said municipality. The percentage of population with access to potable water increased from 53.6% in 2000 to 84.39% in 2011 (PPDO - CBMS, 2012).

Table 4. River Monitoring Stations in Palawan.

Municipality 2000 2005 2010 2014 Total Aborlan Iraan Aborlan - Talakaigan (Dam) 3 Narra Calategas Batang- Balitien Tagdidili Aramaywan batang Bato-bato Batang-batang Cabuluan (Dam) 10 Calategas (Dam) Pinagduguan

Espanola Labog Pulot - Pulot (Dam) 3 Brooke's Tigaplan Tamlang Ipilan Sabsaban Point Maasin Pangobilian 6 Quezon - Panitian Berong - Ibat-ong 4 Tagbung Saing Puerto - Bacungan Irawan Irawan Princesa City (Downstream) (Upstream) 4 Cabayugan Roxas Guineratan - - Guineratan (Magara) (Upstream) 3 Guineratan (Downstream) San Vicente Inandeng - - - 1 Taytay Abongan - - Ibangley (Downstream) Abongan 3 (Upstream) Total 8 6 12 11 37 *Subsequent years’ number of river monitoring stations are added to the starting year of 2000.

In order to determine the condition of these river systems in relation to the local communities' use for household or domestic purposes, river systems were evaluated as to their conformity or suitability to freshwater Class A or Public Water Supply Class II per DENR Administrative Order No. 34 s.1990. In the process of evaluation, nine (9) parameters were used in determining the water quality index of the river systems: pH, dissolved oxygen, total suspended solids, total dissolved solids, oil and grease, biochemical oxygen demand, phosphates, nitrates and total coliform.

2014

Legend ! GPS Readings Coastline Catchment area

Administrative Boundary Description Poor Fair Good Marginal Bathymetry (m) 0 3000 1000 7000 2000 Figure 9. River water quality monitoring stations.

Table 5 shows the ranking of river stations with respect to four water classification or beneficial usages of rivers based on the DENR Administrative Order No. 34, s. 1990. The water quality ranking provides an assessment of the water quality and water use utilizing the water quality index calculation (PCSD, 2010; Canadian Council of Ministers of Environment, 2001-2011). In 2014, 14% of the river monitoring stations are in good to excellent condition/status suitable for Public Water Supply Class II or fit as sources of water supply that will require complete treatment (coagulation, sedimentation, filtration and disinfection) in order to meet the National Standards for Drinking Water (NSDW) – Class A. All of the river monitoring stations have good to excellent condition/status when utilized for agriculture, irrigation, and others (Class D).

Figure 10. River systems, Southern Palawan.

Water, as universal solvent, dissolves and carries other compounds as it flows along the river. A variety of natural and human factors can affect the quality and use of surface bodies of water (e.g. streams, lakes, and rivers). One of the most important factors that can affect the quality of a surface-water body is the land use within its watershed (Eckhardt, 2010). The water quality monitoring stations located in the upstream of the river systems such as dams have better water quality than the midstream and downstream. This condition was observed in Calategas Dam and Calategas River, Pulot Dam and Pulot downstream, Irawan upstream and downstream. The reverse was observed in the Magara upstream, where higher concentration of total suspended solids was recorded than in the midstream and downstream of rivers. This can be attributed to the small scale gold panning activities located nearby the Magara upstream station. As the water flow, the solids settle down thus, creating a muddy river bed.

Table 5. River Stations and Ranking vis-a-vis River Water Classification, 2014.

Municipality River Stations Class A10 Class B11 Class C12 Class D13 1. Aborlan Aborlan Fair Fair Good Excellent Iraan Fair Fair Good Excellent Talakaigan Dam Fair Fair Good Excellent 2. Narra Batang-batang Dam Fair Good Good Excellent Batang-batang Fair Good Good Excellent Calategas Dam Fair Good Good Excellent Calategas Marginal Fair Fair Excellent Aramaywan Marginal Fair Good Excellent Balitien Marginal Marginal Fair Excellent Bato-bato Fair Fair Good Excellent Cabuluan Fair Fair Fair Good Tagdidili Fair Fair Good Good 3. Espanola Pulot Dam Good Good Excellent Excellent Pulot downstream Fair Fair Good Excellent Labog Marginal Marginal Fair Excellent 4. Brooke's Sabsaban Good Good Excellent Excellent Point Tamlang Dam Good Good Excellent Excellent Pangobilian Fair Fair Good Excellent Tigaplan Marginal Marginal Good Excellent Ipilan Fair Fair Fair Excellent Maasin Fair Fair Good Good 5. Quezon Panitian Marginal Marginal Fair Good Ibat-ong Fair Fair Excellent Excellent Tagbung-saing Lake Fair Fair Good Excellent Berong Fair Fair Good Excellent 6. Puerto Bacungan Fair Fair Good Excellent Princesa City Cabayugan Good Excellent Excellent Excellent Irawan upstream Good Good Excellent Excellent Irawan downstream Fair Fair Good Excellent 7. Roxas Magara upstream Poor Marginal Good Good Magara Midstream/ Guineratan Marginal Marginal Fair Excellent Magara downstream Marginal Fair Good Excellent 8. San Vicente Inandeng Marginal Marginal Good Excellent 9. Taytay Ibangley Fair Fair Good Excellent Abongan downstream Fair Fair Excellent Excellent Abongan upstream Fair Fair Excellent Excellent

10 Class A – Beneficial Uses: Public Water Supply Class 2. For sources of water supply that will require complete treatment (coagulation, sedimentation, filtration, and disinfection) in order to meet the NSDW; Indicator Parameters: pH, color, dissolved oxygen, total suspended solids, biochemical oxygen demand, oil and grease, total coliform, phosphates, nitrates, chromium hexavalent 11 Class B - Beneficial Uses: Recreational Water Class I. For primary contact recreation such as bathing, swimming, diving, etc. (particularly those designated for tourism purposes); Indicator Parameters: pH, dissolved oxygen, biochemical oxygen demand, oil and grease, total coliform, phosphates, nitrates 12 Class C - Beneficial Uses: Fishery water for the propagation and growth of fish and other aquatic resources;recreational water class II (boating, etc); industrial water supply class I ( manufacturing); Indicator Parameters:pH, total suspended solids, dissolved oxygen, biochemical oxygen demand, oil and grease, total coliform, phosphates, nitrates 13 Class D - Beneficial Uses: For agriculture, irrigation, livestock watering etc.; industrial water supply class II (e.g.cooling,etc.) and other inland waters, by their quality, belongs to this classification; Indicator Parameters: pH, dissolved oxygen, biochemical oxygen demand, oil and grease

Total Suspended Solids Total suspended solids (TSS) concentrations indicate the amount of solids suspended in the water, whether mineral (e.g., soil particles) or organic (e.g., algae), which could possibly come from natural soil erosion, urban runoff and agricultural land, bottom feeders, algae growth and organic matter within the body of water or waste from anthropogenic activities The results of water quality monitoring for TSS indicates that the average concentrations are below 50 mg/L (Class A Standard), except the Panitian river with an average TSS of 74 mg/L. Panitian river has the highest TSS concentration recorded in all river monitoring stations in southern Palawan with 319 mg/L.

Figure 11. Range of TSS concentration of river stations in Southern Palawan, 2010-2014.

Figure 12. Range of TSS concentration of river stations in Northern Palawan, 2010-2014. In the case of Northern Palawan, samples taken from Magara upstream exhibited the highest average concentration of suspended solids of 316 mg/L followed by Magara downstream and Magara midstream with an average of 144 mg/L and 117 mg/L, respectively. The river was observed to have highly turbid water all year round. The amount of TSS in samples taken from river stations located in Puerto Princesa City is within the 50 mg/L maximum limit for Class A. Among the sampling stations, only

©2015 Palawan Council for Sustainable Development Staff Page | 27 State of Environment of Palawan 2015 Updates (Final Draft: FOR COMMENTS) the Irawan River both from upstream and downstream stations have an average of 4 mg/L. This concentration attained the standards for Class AA of 25 mg/L. The Class AA for fresh surface water is the most stringent classification, intended for waters having watershed which are uninhabited and otherwise protected and which require approved disinfection in order to be used as a source of drinking water (DAO 34, Series of 1990). The high concentration of suspended solids in some of the monitoring sites in Northern Palawan could be due to anthropogenic activities, such as gold panning activities at the upper catchment of Magara/Guineratan River and sand and gravel operations near the sampling sites of Ibangley River.

Biological Oxygen Demand Biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) is the amount of dissolved oxygen needed by aerobic biological organisms in a body of water to break down organic material present in a given water sample at certain temperature over a specific time period. BOD concentration is an important indicator of contamination of water bodies by organic compounds. Its concentration is inversely proportional with the concentration of dissolved oxygen (DO). The high concentration of BOD results to the lower concentration of DO. Water bodies with DO concentration below 2 mg/L at longer period of time could result to the asphyxiation of larger aquatic organisms, resulting to fish kill.

In Southern Palawan, Talakaigan Dam, Tamlang Dam, Batang-batang Dam, Tagdidili, Tagbung-saing Lake, Sabsaban, Pangobilian, and Pulot Dam were recorded to have all time BOD concentration of less than 5 mg/L (Class A, DAO 34, S. 1990) from 2010 to 2014. The monitoring stations in these areas are generally located upstream of the river bodies, with minimal anthropogenic disturbances. In the case of Northern Palawan, although all sampling sites manifested average BOD concentrations below 5 mg/L (Class A, DAO 34, S. 1990), only Ibangley and Magara downstream had recorded BOD levels of below 5 mg/L. Based on the 2014 water quality monitoring, the organic levels (Biochemical Oxygen Demand) of all river monitoring stations met the standard limits for all fresh water (including rivers) classification based on DAO 34, S. 1990.

Figure 13. Range of BOD concentration of river stations in Southern Palawan, 2008-2014.

10 mg/L mg/L

0 Ibangley Abongan Abongan Inandeng Magara Magara Mid Magara Bacungan Cabayugan Irawan Irawan downstream upstream upstream downstream upstream downstream Taytay San Vicente Roxas Puerto Princesa City

Lowest Average Highest Class A

Figure 14. Range of BOD concentration of river stations in Northern Palawan, 2008 – 2014.

Nitrates Nitrates are the final products of biological oxidation from organic pollution. The major sources of nitrogen in water are municipal and industrial wastewater, septic tanks, feedlot discharges, animal wastes, fertilized field and lawn runoff (Pieri, 2011; Gasim, et al., 2006). Among the sampling stations monitored in Northern and Southern Palawan, the Ibangley River, Magara midstream & downstream, Pulot River and Cabuluan River exhibited the highest nitrates concentration which exceeded the 10 mg/L permissible level for Class A to C based on DENR DAO 34, s. 1990.

Figure 15. Range of Nitrate concentration of river stations in Southern Palawan, 2010-2014

15 mg/L mg/L 10

0 Ibangley Abongan Abongan Inandeng Magara Magara Mid Magara Bacungan Cabayugan Irawan Irawan downstream upstream upstream downstream upstream downstream Taytay San Vicente Roxas Puerto Princesa City

Lowest Average Highest Class A

Figure 16. Range of Nitrate concentration of river stations in Northern Palawan, 2010- 2014.

Phosphates

Phosphates in rivers are from human and animal waste, phosphorus rich bedrock, laundry, cleaning, fertilizer runoff and effluents. The presence of pollutants in the river systems could be attributed to domestic waste/ sewage and other anthropogenic activities. Water samples from the sampling sites in Northern and Southern Palawan have phosphates concentrations ranging from 0.01 mg/L to 2.75 mg/L (Magara downstream). The results of monitoring shows that the average phosphates concentration is above 0.1 mg/L standard concentration for Class A for all river stations except Berong, Sabsaban Falls, Tamlang, and Maasin River.

Figure 17. Range of Phosphates concentration of river stations in Southern Palawan, 2010- 14

2.5

1.5 mg/L mg/L 1

0.5

0 Ibangley Abongan Abongan Inandeng Magara Magara Mid Magara Bacungan Cabayugan Irawan Irawan downstream upstream upstream downstream upstream downstream Taytay San Vicente Roxas Puerto Princesa City

Lowest Average Highest Class A

Figure 18. Range of Phosphates concentration of river stations in Northern Palawan, 2010- 2014.

River Discharge Levels of pollution and eutrophication are closely linked to water quantity as discharges which may not be serious during peak flows may become serious as flow rates decline and relative concentrations increase. Monitoring the river discharge is also important to identify rivers that can be a potential source of water for domestic or agricultural purposes. Rivers with high average flow rate above 200,000 cu.m./day are the Berong, Tigaplan, Pangobilian, Pulot, Aramaywan, Batang-batang, Aborlan and Irawan Rivers.

2014 2013 2012 2011 2010 Panitian River Berong River Ibat-ong River Ipilan River Sabsaban Falls Tamlang Dam Tigaplan River Pangobilian River Maasin River Pulot River Labog River Aramaywan River Calategas River Balitien River Bato bato River Batang-batang Talakaigan Dam Aborlan River Iraan River 0 100,000 200,000 300,000 400,000 500,000 Average river flow rate,cu.m/day Figure 19. Average river discharge of river stations in Southern Palawan, 2010-2014.

2014 2013 2012 2011 2010

Irawan River Bacungan River Cabayugan River Magara River Abongan River Ibangley River Inandeng River

0 100,000 200,000 300,000 400,000 500,000 Average river flow rate,cu.m/day Figure 20. Average river discharge of river stations in Northern Palawan, 2010-2014.

Rainfall Palawan has two distinct types of climate. The western section experiences two pronounced seasons: dry from November to April and wet throughout the rest of the year (Type I). The eastern section experiences a relatively dry from November to April and wet during the rest of the year (Type III). The rainfall pattern indicated an increasing rainfall intensity in the eastern side of Palawan and intensified drought periods in dry season. With the changes in the climatic patterns, the wet season has gradually shifted to May to December, while January to April are the distinct dry months of the year (PCSD, 2005). To ensure continous daily collection of rainfall data, manual raingauges were installed by PCSDS in municipalities without PAGASA satellite station, through a memorandum of agreement, PCSDS established partnership with local government units and Rural Agricultural Centers (RAC) to establish, operate and manage rainfall data colletor.

Figure 21. Manual rainfall collector installation and training on rainfall data collection. (Photos courtesy: PCSDS)

The collected rainfall data can be utilized by the LGU in establishing agricultural development plans, management plans for water resources such as rivers and reservoirs, irrigation, and weather forecasting.

Table 6. Raingauge monitoring stations installed by PCSDS.

Municipality Location of Raingauge Station Partner Agency Cagayancillo Poblacion, LGU compound LGU-MPDC Linapacan Poblacion, Basketball Court LGU-MPDC Araceli Poblacion, Bgy. Health Unit LGU Compound Dumaran Sta. Teresita LGU El Nido Bgy. Villa Libertad -Municipal LGU-Municipal Agriculture Nursery Office Taytay Bgy. Pancol, RAC OPA-Rural Agriculture Center Roxas Bgy. Abaroan, RAC OPA-Rural Agriculture Center PPC Bgy. Irawan, Provincial - Agriculture Center Quezon Bgy. Poblacion Philippine Coconut Authority Sofronio Bgy. Abo-Abo, RAC OPA- Rural Agriculture Española Center Balabac Bgy. Poblacion LGU San Vicente LGU compound LGU-MPDC

Figure 22. The mangroves of Taburi, Rizal, Palawan. (Photo courtesy: PCSDS)

Palawan is considered an archipelago of 1,700 islands within an archipelagic state. Its coastal and marine resources comprise fish stocks, coral reefs, mangroves and seagrass. Mangroves Mangroves are the most biologically productive ecosystems, having important roles in ensuring the coastal stability, and in reducing the effect of floods and tidal waves. The mangroves in the coastline protect the shorelines from erosion by acting as a buffer against wave actions. Number of True Mangrove Species There are a total of 28 true mangrove species under 19 families recorded in the Philippines14. The monitoring and baseline assessments of mangrove forests in 20 municipalities of the province of Palawan revealed a total of twenty-three (23) mangrove species that belong to eleven (11) families. Table 7 shows the number of mangrove species, species diversity index and average diameter recorded per municipality during the baseline assessments in 2004 and the monitoring assessments in the subsequent years up to 2014. Some municipalities showed an increase in the number of recorded mangrove species while in others the numbers declined. These changes may be attributed to species recruitment wherein propagules of certain mangrove species were transported to particular area by sea current and wave action, deposited and grow. Other factors such as geomorphological characteristics of the soil,

14 Field Guide to the Identification of Some Mangrove Plant Species in the Philippines-Ecosystem Research and Development Service, Region 7, Fishery Sector Program-DENR.

sunlight intensity, exposure, etc. contributed much to the survival of propagules and presence of mangrove species. On the other hand, the decrease in the number of species may be due to its very limited distribution.

20 17.4 16.9 15.4 14.3 15

10 2004 2014 5 1.1 1.3 0 Average DBH Species Diversity Number of Index species

Figure 23. Number of species, species diversity and average diameter-at-breast-height (DBH) of mangroves in Palawan.

Species Diversity Index The species diversity is being measured through Shannon Weiner Biodiversity Index: 3.5 and above =Very high diversity; 3.0-3.49 =High diversity; 2.5-2.99=Moderate diversity; 2.0-2.49=Low diversity; and 1.99 and below=Very low diversity. On the species diversity of mangrove forests measured, there is slight difference in the mangrove species diversity index among the municipalities monitored, with an average species index of 1.1 in 2004 and 1.3 in 2014, while the number of species slightly increased from 15.4 in 2004 to 16.9 in 2014. Using the Biodiversity Scale developed by Fernando in 1998, it indicated that all the mangrove forests of the municipalities in the province manifested very low species diversity. Average Diameter-at-Breast Height (DBH) of Mangroves by Municipality The average diameter-at-breast height (dbh) of the mangrove trees in the different municipalities indicate its relative size and can be used to determine the growth rate through time. The table below shows that some of the municipalities manifested an increase in the average diameter-at-breast height while some decrease. The increase is due to the length of time between the baseline assessment and the monitoring which ranges from about 4 to 10 years, thus, the increase in dbh. On the other hand, the decrease may be correlated to the loss of some of the big trees which were recorded in the baseline assessment, but absent during the monitoring assessment. The loss can be attributed to tree cutting and clearing by local people for domestic and economic purposes.

Table 7. Number of Mangrove Species, Biodiversity Index and Diameter-at-breast height, by Municipality.

Shannon Weiner Number of Species Average DBH Municipalities Index 2004 2014 2004 2014 2004 2014 Aborlan 15 19 1.2 1.8 15.0 18.2 Araceli 13 12 - 1.2 - 26.2 Balabac - 27 - 1.3 - 17.0 Bataraza 14 17 1.2 1.3 11.9 14.2 Brooke’s Point 10 11 1.2 1.7 - 10.6 Busuanga 24 - 1.5 - 22.8 - Cagayancillo - 21 - 1 - 20.0 Coron 18 - 1.4 - 15.8 - Culion 18 - 1 - 13.6 - Cuyo 10 9 1.0 0.9 11.3 15.5 Dumaran 17 17 1.0 1.4 12.0 11.9 El Nido 19 - 1.0 - 16.2 - Española 16 18 1.3 1.4 10.3 12.1 Linapacan 18 - 1.0 - 16.3 - Magsaysay 8 11 1.1 1.2 11.6 12.4 Narra 15 19 1.2 1.3 12.1 15.4 Quezon 9 16 0.7 1.2 16.2 33.9 Rizal 13 17 1.1 1.11 15.9 19.1 Roxas 17 19 1 - 13.4 17.9 San Vicente 18 - 0.9 - 11.3 - Taytay 20 20 1.0 0.8 17.0 18.1 AVERAGE 15.4 16.9 1.1 1.3 14.3 17.4

Figure 24. Mangrove forests of Southern Palawan.

Sapling Density (Saplings per Hectare) of Mangroves

Seedling and sapling density are good indicators of the capability of the mangrove forests under human induce stresses for natural regeneration. The following table shows the seedling and sapling densities of the mangrove forest in the different municipalities of Palawan. Some manifested very high seedling and sapling densities while others have minimal density. High seedling and sapling densities indicate high capacity for natural regeneration. However, this may also mean that these areas are disturbed or have undergone disturbances in the past wherein sunlight penetrate the forest floor favoring the growth and survival of seedlings and saplings. On the other hand, low seedling and sapling densities may also indicate that the mangrove forests are relatively intact and the canopies are close.

12,000 10,886

8,000

2004 2014 4,080 No. of trees No. of 4,000 2,779 2,331 1,428 994

0 Sapling Density Seedling Density Average Tree density

Figure 25. Sapling density, seedling density and average mangrove density in Palawan, 2004

Average Tree Density The average mangrove density in Palawan improved from Inadequate at 1,428 trees/hectare in 2004 to Adequate Stock at 2,779 trees/hectare in 2014. The municipalities of Araceli, Cuyo, Dumaran, Quezon and Roxas were able to maintain the adequate stock of mangrove from 2004 to 2014. The mangrove density in Batazara, Magsaysay and Narra improved from Inadequate stock in 2004 to Adequate stock in 2014. All other municipalities have Inadequate to Logged-over mangrove density15. This is due to continuous human pressure on the mangrove forests which include fishpond development, cutting for domestic and economic purposes, conversion to settlement areas and other uses.

15 Source: Coastal Resource Assessments/Monitoring (CRA/M, 2014), PCSDS.

Table 8. Average Mangrove Density by Municipality of Palawan, 2004-2014.

Mangrove Tree Density Municipalities Remarks (Trees/hectare)

2004 2014 Aborlan 1,236 1,364 Inadequate stock Araceli No data 14,164 Adequate stock Balabac No data 737 Logged over Bataraza 1,372 1,546 Inadequate Adequate Brooke’s Point 2,362 2,550 Adequate Busuanga 591 No data Logged over Cagayancillo No data 72 Logged over Coron 253 No data Logged over Culion 358 No data Logged over Cuyo 2,989 2,393 Adequate Dumaran 4,910 4,879 Adequate El Nido 408 No data Logged over Española 1,323 1,458 Inadequate Linapacan 291 No data Logged over Magsaysay 1,415 3,808 InadequateAdequate Narra 1,431 1,565 InadequateAdequate Quezon 2,360 3,331 Adequate Rizal 1,171 927 Inadequate Roxas 2,817 2,730 Adequate San Vicente 131 No data Logged over Taytay 277 158 Logged over AVERAGE 1,428 2,779 InadequateAdequate Reference: PCSD Coastal Resource Assessment Reports adequate stock – 1,500 and above timber size trees per hectare inadequate stock – 625 – 1,499 timber size trees per hectare logged-over –less than 625 trees per hectare

Figure 26. Mangrove Density Map of Palawan, 2004.

Figure 27. Mangrove tree density map of Palawan, 2014.

Coral Reefs Based on the latest coastal resource assessment/monitoring of PCSDS and the new live coral cover classification of DENR [per DENR Administrative Order No. 2013-12, (Guidelines for the Implementation of the SCREMP)], Palawan’s live coral cover in Excellent condition16 is only 2.1%, a decline from 3.7% in 2004. Noteworthy is the fact that 51.4% or majority are in Fair to Poor condition.

Excellent, 2.1% Excellent (76-100%) Poor, 21.1% Very Good, 24% Very Good (51-76%)

Good (31-50%) Fair, 30.3% Good, 22.5% Fair (11-30%)

Poor (0-10%)

Figure 28. Live Coral Cover* Condition of Palawan, 2014. (References: PCSD Coastal Resource Assessment Reports) Comparing the 2004 coral cover of Palawan with that of 2014 using the old coral cover categories (see Table 10 and Figure 29), it shows an alarming increase of Fair to Poor coral reef condition from 65.8% in 2004 to 73.8% in 2014. This alarming trend, where most if not all of the coral reefs are classified as Fair to Poor condition, is manifested in the island municipalities of Cuyo, Agutaya, Magsaysay, Araceli, Busuanga, Coron, and in the mainland municipalities of San Vicente, El Nido and Puerto Princesa City. The coral reef condition in the municipalities of Brooke’s Point, Culion, Quezon, Roxas, Taytay and Rizal were either maintained or showed marked improvement. This is consistent with the findings of the JICA-funded case studies undertaken by the University of the Philippines-Diliman, UP-Visayas, MSU-Naawan and Tokyo Institute of Technology along the Philippine coasts of 27,000 sq.km. coral reef, wherein a mere 5% are in excellent condition and that the Philippine territorial seas or coastal- environment are currently in ‘Poor to Fair’ condition17.

16 Excellent condition means having 76% to 100% live coral cover. 17 “PH reefs in fair to poor condition”. Manila Bulletin,Vol. 509, No.29. May 29, 2015.

Table 9. Coral Reef Condition in the Different Municipalities of Palawan.

New Live Coral Cover Category18 Municipality Year Excellent Very Good Good Fair Poor 76-100% 51-75% 31-50% 11-30% 0-10% 1 Aborlan 2013 15.8 31.6 26.3 15.8 10.5 2 Agutaya 2009 0 0 0 45.5 54.5 3 Araceli 2012 0 33.3 16.7 50 0 4 Balabac 2011, 2012 0 7.1 38.6 54.4 0.0 5 Bataraza 2012 0 26.1 47.8 26.1 0 6 Brooke’s Point 2008 0 55.6 17.8 17.8 8.8 7 Busuanga 2003, 2011 2.7 14.8 14.9 42.1 25.5 8 Cagayancillo 2007 0 75 16.7 8.3 0 9 Coron 2003, 2011 0.6 1.0 3.2 63.4 31.8 10 Culion 2004, 2011 4.6 17.6 27.5 46.7 3.6 11 Cuyo 2010 0 0 0 21.1 78.9 12 Dumaran 2010, 2011 7.4 32.1 28.6 14.2 17.7 13 El Nido 2004 0 3 5.6 55.4 36 14 Linapacan 2004, 2011 0 2.9 43.2 32.4 21.5 15 Magsaysay 2009 0 0 11.1 55.6 33.3 16 Narra 2013 4.2 25 41.7 29.1 0 17 Puerto 2005, 2014 0 6.9 7.1 20 66 Princesa City 18 Quezon 2005 0 60.9 34.8 4.3 0 19 Rizal 2011 0 66 24 5 5 20 Roxas 2014 5 50 36 9 0 21 San Vicente 2005, 2011 0 3.2 2.3 10.1 84.4 22 S. Española 2011 0 7.7 50 34.6 7.7 23 Taytay 2014 8.5 32.3 22.3 36.9 0 Overall MEAN 2.1 24.0 22.5 30.3 21.1 References: PCSDS-CRMP, PCSDS-SEMP-NP, PCSDS Closed Access Study, WWF, PPC-OCA

Table 10. Palawan's Coral Reef Condition based on the Old Category-Classification.

Live Coral Categories Cover 2004 2014 Excellent 76-100% 3.7 2.1 Good 51-75% 30.6 24.1 Fair 26-50% 45.1 28.4 Poor 0-25% 20.7 45.4 Source: PCSDS

18 DENR-AO 2013-12 increased the 4 live coral cover categories into 5. Salient changes are: reclassification of Good condition (51-75%) to Very Good; upgrading the greater part of Fair condition (26-50%) into Good (31-50%) and upgrading portion of Poor (0-25%) to Fair (11-30%).

50 45.1 45.4 45 40 35 30.6 28.4 30 24.1 25 20.7 20 15 % Live Coral Live Cover % 10 3.7 2.1 5 0 Excellent Good Fair Poor 2004 2014

Figure 29. Changes in Palawan's Live Coral Cover Condition for the period 2004-2014 using the old classification/category

Figure 30. Coral condition as of 2004, Province of Palawan

Figure 31. Coral condition as of 2014, Province of Palawan.

Seagrass and Seaweeds Seagrass bed is one of the most productive components of the marine ecosystem, the same rank with corals and mangroves in serving as nursery feeding and breeding grounds to varieties of marine organisms. It filters nutrients and contaminants from water and helps stabilize sediment formation to lessen the degree of soil particles reaching coral reefs.

The Philippines has (16) sixteen identified seagrass species of which (10) ten are found in the survey sites under two families. However, the number of species found in each seagrass community or sample site ranged from one (1) to ten (10). Incidentally, there were two species, Thalassodendron ciliatum and Halophila decipiens, which were recorded only in the municipalities of San Vicente and Rizal. As of 2004 As of 2014

Excellent 2.6% Excellent 0.8% Poor Poor Good 68.7% Good 31.5% 24.8% 4.5%

Fair 26.1%

Fair 41.0%

Figure 32. Seagrass Cover, 2004 and 2014. The condition of the seagrass in the monitoring sites in Palawan is in deteriorating state. The total percent cover of excellent sites dropped from 2.6% in 2004 to 0.8% in 2014, while the poor sites increased from 31.8% in 2004 to 68.7% in 2014.

Table 11. Distribution of Condition of Seagrass Communities by Municipality, Palawan.

Total No. of Site Year Excellent Good Fair Poor Survey Site Aborlan 2003 7 3 2 2 2013 5 2 3 Araceli 2000 8 4 4 2

2005 8 1 7 2

Agutaya 2002 10 1 4 3 2 2009 11 3 8

Balabac 2009 14 3 11

Bataraza 2003 12 1 1 4 6 2012 12 2 10

Brooke's pt. 2001 6 2 3 1

2008 6 3 2 1

Total No. of Site Year Excellent Good Fair Poor Survey Site Busuanga 1999 15 1 5 9

Cagayancillo 2007 6 1 2 3

Coron 1999 2 1 1

Culion 1999 21 3 18

Cuyo 2003 11 7 4

2010 11 4 7

Dumaran 2001 16 4 7 5

2010 11 11

El-Nido 2002 14 4 3 7

Española 2001 7 2 3 2

2011 7 7

Magsaysay 2002 10 1 2 4 3 2009 10 4 6

Narra 2002 12 1 8 3

2013 12 2 10

Quezon 2001 13 2 2 9

2005 12 1 2 9

Rizal 2003 17 5 5 7

2011 17 2 15

Roxas 2002 8 1 3 4 2014 10 7 3 San Vicente 2002 10 1 2 1 6 Taytay 2002 16 1 11 4 2014 12 12

As of 2014 (%) 0.8 4.5 26.1 68.7

8000 7000 6000 Baseline Data 5000 Monitoring Data 4000 3000 shoots/m2 2000 1000 0 Rizal Cuyo Narra Roxas Taytay Araceli Quezon Agutaya Bataraza Española Dumaran Magsaysay Brooke's pt. Brooke's

Figure 33. Seagrass density by municipalities, showing baseline and monitoring data, Palawan

The figure above shows that in almost all of the municipalities, the seagrass density has reduced. Only the municipalities of Araceli and Quezon showed a slight increase in seagrass density. In the context of species diversity as measured using the Shannon Diversity Index (SDI), the best site is Taytay with an index of 2.09. Fourteen (14) of the surveyed municipalities during the baseline and monitoring surveys registered a diversity index of 0 which indicate the presence of only one (1) species.

Figure 34. Seagrass condition monitoring (Photo courtesy: PCSDS-CRM Team)

IV. PROTECTED AREAS Palawan has 9 protected areas as mandated by the NIPAS Act or RA 7586 comprising at least 20% of Palawan’s land area. The extent covered by the protected areas increased from 64,819 hectares in 1990 to 541,565 hectares in 2014. Proclaimed on 23 June 2009, Mt. Mantalingahan Protected Landscape is the youngest and the largest protected area in Palawan. In terms of ECAN zonation, it has the largest core and restricted-use zones with 97,945 hectares out of 120,457 hectares. Table 12 presents the protected areas in Palawan.

Consistent to Republic Act (RA) 7611 or the Strategic Environmental Plan for Palawan (SEP), these protected areas must be categorized as Core or Restricted-use zone under the Environmentally Critical Areas Network or ECAN to ensure attainment of the objectives for such designation as protected areas. The ECAN is also consistent to the three functions of the biosphere reserve: conservation, development, and logistic support. The ECAN and the establishment and management of protected areas under the National Integrated Protected Areas System (NIPAS) are the on-ground level implementation of Palawan’s declaration as Man and Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO.

Figure 35. Forest cover within the protected areas in Palawan.

Table 12. Protected Areas in Palawan as of 2014.

Areas within Core Protected Area Declared Area & Restricted-Use (Hectares, has) Zone (hectares) 1. Ursula Island Bird 17 17 Sanctuary Terrestrial:17 Coastal Marine: 0

2. Mt. Mantalingahan 120,457 97,945 Protected Landscape Terrestrial:120,457

Coastal Marine: 0

3. Rasa Island Wildlife 1,983 1,226 Sanctuary Terrestrial:1,983 Coastal Marine: 0

4. Puerto Princesa 20,202 17,734 Underground River Terrestrial:20,202 National Park Coastal Marine: 0

5. Malampaya Sound 200,155 2,717 Protected Landscape Terrestrial:112,087

and Seascape Coastal Marine: 88,068

2,182 6. El Nido-Taytay 90,321

Managed Resource Terrestrial:36,018

Protected Area Coastal Marine: 54,303

3,400 7. Calauit Game Preserve 3,400

and Wildlife Sanctuary Terrestrial:3,400 Coastal Marine: 0

8. Tubbataha Reefs Natural 97,030 97,030 Park Terrestrial:0

Coastal Marine: 97,030

9. Palawan Flora, Fauna 8,000 7,388 and Watershed Reserve Terrestrial:8,000 Coastal Marine: 0 Total 541,565 229,639 Terrestrial:302,164 Coastal Marine: 239,401

Marine Protected Areas (MPA) Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) are established to mitigate the threats on the coastal- marine ecosystems through the conservation of marine biodiversity, especially for coral reefs. Quite a number of these MPAs are scattered throughout Palawan.

Expanding MPA Networks

Efforts are being made and initiated in the province to group smaller MPAs into a network to protect different habitats at various locations within the larger ecosystem. This will help balance the needs of people and the marine environment towards maximizing the benefits of protection. Currently, there are 155 MPAs scattered all over Palawan declared as such through municipal and barangay ordinances, covering an approximate area of 82,000 hectares. If made into one large network of MPAs, this could be the largest in the country. The Calamianes municipalities and the Office of the Provincial Agriculturist are in the forefront of the MPA Networking.

Calamianes Marine Protected Areas Network

Minugbay-Malbato-Tagpi MPA

Bugor-Sand Island MPA

Figure 36. Existing network of marine protected areas in Calamianes, Northern Palawan (established with the assistance from the Fisheries Improved for Sustainable Harvest, FISH Project)

V. BIODIVERSITY

Figure 37. Palawan’s flora and fauna. From left to right: Monitor Lizard (Varanus palawanensis), ©Jonah van Beijnen; pitcher plant (Nepenthes palawanensis), www.wikipedia.org; Palawan Flying Squirrel (Hylopetes nigripes), ©Jonah van Beijnen.

Biological diversity or biodiversity is one of the most critical words, at least for the next few decades in the field of the environment. Biodiversity is defined as the variability among living organisms from all sources including, inter alia, terrestrial, marine, and other aquatic ecosystems and the ecological complexes of which they are part; this includes diversity within species, between species and ecosystems19.

Palawan’s vegetation is one of the most diverse in the Philippines and includes tropical lowland evergreen rain forest, lowland semi-deciduous (seasonal/monsoon) forest, montane forest at 800-1,500 meter and the forest-over-limestone in the south (WWF/IUCN 1994–1995; PCSDS, 2004). Having a unique biotic composition compared to other islands and island-provinces in the Philippines, Palawan’s species of terrestrial and marine vertebrate wildlife accounts for 38.6% of the wildlife species in the entire country (PCSDS, 2005). Its remarkable ecosystems serve as repositories of diverse species of flora and fauna. The coastal and marine ecosystem is home to 379 species of corals, 13 species of seagrass and 31 species of mangroves (UNESCO, 2013). Its faunal biodiversity comprises 422 species out of the 1,094 (or 38.6%) of terrestrial and marine vertebrate wildlife in the Philippines. Species accounts show that 46% of birds, 30% of reptiles, 33% of mammals and 27% of amphibians in the Philippines thrive in Palawan (PCSDS, 2005).

19 Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), Article 2.

Table 13. Species Account of Selected Fauna, Palawan.

Palawan Philippines Palawan Threatened* Endemic** Birds 572 261 77 16 Reptiles 240 72 18 5 Mammals 201 67 30 15 Amphibians 81 22 13 3 * Based on the updated list of terrestrial and marine wildlife in Palawan and their categories pursuant to the RA 9147 through the PCSD resolution No. 15-521 series of 2014. **Threatened Palawan endemic species

Figure 38. Palawan Forest Turtle (Siebenrockiella leytensis). Critically Endangered turtle only found in Northern Palawan. ©Jonah van Beijnen

The intact ecosystem plays an important role in providing resilience to the impacts of pressures brought about by increasing population, economic growth and climate change. To strengthen the protection of wild flora and fauna in Palawan, PCSD issued an updated list of terrestrial and marine wildlife in Palawan and their protection categories pursuant to the Republic Act 9147 through the PCSD Resolution No. 15-521 series of 2014. Based on this list, 12% are classified as critically endangered species, 25% are endangered species, and 63% are vulnerable species. As compared to the 2010 list, the number of endangered species of terrestrial and marine wildlife increased in the span of four years. The species classified as Near Threatened in 2010 were elevated to stricter categories of protection in 2014.

Figure 39. The rediscovered Palawan Toadlet (Pelophryne albotaeniata). ©Jonah van Beijnen

Table 14. Updated list of terrestrial and marine wildlife in Palawan and their categories pursuant to Republic Act 9147 through PCSD Resolution No. 15-521, s. 2014.

Critically Endangered Near Terrestrial Endangered Vulnerable Species Species Threatened and Marine Species Wildlife 2010 2014 2010 2014 2010 2014 2010 Birds 6 10 33 28 11 39 13 Reptiles 8 8 8 6 7 4 2 Mammals 7 5 27 9 8 16 9 Amphibians .. .. 4 3 5 10 2 Insects .. .. 2 2 ...... Freshwater Fish 3 4 2 1 4 .. .. Marine Fishes .. .. 3 2 11 10 8 Bivalves .. .. 9 8 .. 1 .. Gastropods .. .. 4 5 .. 1 .. Crustaceans .. 1 1 .. .. 8 .. Flora 23 26 51 45 213 186 3 Sharks and Rays .. 1 .. 1 .. 14 Mangroves .. 1 ...... 3 .. Sea Cucumber ...... 4 ...... TOTAL 47 56 144 114 259 292 37 Reference: ECAN Regulation and Enforcement Division, 2014

Wildlife Rescue Centers The Wildlife Act has provisions for rescue centers to receive and care for protected species that are caught, confiscated or found injured. The Palawan Wildlife Rescue and Conservation Center formerly known as Crocodile Farm Institute in 1987 aimed to conserve the two endangered species of crocodile: Crocodilus porosus (fresh water crocodiles) and Crocodilus mindorensis (salt water crocodiles). Nowadays, it serves as center for rescued animals and endangered species confiscated from the wildlife traffickers. Based on the mandate of RA 9147, the PCSD is empowered to identify, create, establish, accredit or reorganize wildlife rescue centers.

©2015 Palawan Council for Sustainable Development Staff Page | 54 State of Environment of Palawan 2015 Updates (Final Draft: FOR COMMENTS) VI. Climate Change Philippines is more susceptible to climate change risks than other SEA countries, with 16 of its provinces that are included in the 50 most vulnerable areas in region as shown in the Climate Change Vulnerability Mapping for Southeast Asia (Yusuf and Francisco, 2009). Among the provinces, Palawan ranks number 2 in the top 20 provinces which are vulnerable to sea level rise. According to the report, the land area covering 64,281,600 sq.m. or 6,428 hectares is vulnerable to one meter eustatic rise in sea level, threathening human settlements, tourist hubs, and vital ecosystems such as estuaries, mangroves, and coral reefs. The World Heritage Sites in Palawan, which are valued for their biodiversity and on-site conservation efforts such as the PPSRNP and Tubbattaha Reef Natural Park are vulnerable to inundation and storm surges (Greenpeace, 2007). Climate change is undeniably here in the province. Based on the climate analysis of Palawan conducted by the UNESCO (2014), observation records indicated the occurrence of an overall warming trend of 0.160C per decade from 1951 to 2005 in Palawan. In terms of climate change adaptation and preparedness, 56% of all households in Palawan are considered to be vulnerable to the effects of climate change. The mean vulnerability estimate for Palawan is 0.51, which implies that on average, the probability that households will fall below the minimum consumption level (at which they will be considered poor) is 51%. Vulnerable households are those headed by persons engaged in agriculture, fishery and forestry sectors (Perez et al., 2014).

Figure 40. Distribution of households according to level of vulnerability to climate change in Palawan. (Source: Perez et al., 2014)

Since the effects of climate change are inevitable, strategies and measures should be developed to improve resiliency, adaptive capacity and prepare on the possible drastic and unpredictable change in weather condition. Adaptation to coastal soil erosion and sea level rise is important especially to the coastal communities in Palawan. While the main impact or risks from climate change is really on livelihood of coastal communities, the protective measures and strategies are likewise important to minimize the loss and damage to humans. Cost effective adaptation strategies are necessary to protect the coastal communities in the possible storm surges, sand erosion and loss of property. Mangrove reforestation, riverbank rehabilitation using vetiver grass, infrastructures such as breakwater, seawall, or dike/levee should be constructed where necessary. Ecosystem based approach such as mangrove reforestation is also cost effective, more than the hard infrastructures such as seawalls, embankments and breakwater (Perez et al., 2014).

Figure 41. Palawan's populace The following discussions on population and demography focus on the 23 municipalities of Palawan, with Puerto Princesa City as either excluded or discussed separately. This is in the light of the declaration in 2007 of Puerto Princesa City as highly urbanized city by virtue of Presidential Proclamation No. 1264. Following thereafter, the population data of Puerto Princesa City has been excluded from that of the province of Palawan. Palawan’s proportion of population living in urban area grew from 20.9% in 2000 to 25% in 2010.

Population Growth The population of Palawan (including Puerto Princesa City) rose from 640,486 in 1995 to 994,340 in 2010. The annual population growth rate of Palawan from 2000 to 2010 was 2.66%, while that of Puerto Princesa City was 3.24%. These population growth rates are higher than the country’s 1.9% (NSO, 2014). At these growth rates, the population of Palawan and Puerto Princesa City is projected at 1.11 million in 2014. The municipality of Linapacan had the highest growth rate of 4.42% in 2010 (5.17% in 2000) while Kalayaan had the least (-0.04 %), implying a decline in population.

1,200,000 Puerto Princesa City 1,000,000 Palawan(excluding PPC) 800,000

600,000 Population 400,000

200,000

0 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 Total Population Projected Population

Figure 42. Population growth and projected population of Palawan and Puerto Princesa City. (Source: Provincial Government of Palawan, PPDO)

Population Distribution Majority (60%) of Palawan’s population is distributed in 8 municipalities of Palawan. Taytay is the most populous with 9.18% of the total population, followed by Narra (8.46%), Bataraza (8.25%), Brookes Point (7.94%), Roxas (7.91%), Quezon (7.15%), Coron (5.56%), and Rizal (5.54%). The least populated municipality in 2010 was Kalayaan with 0.03%.

Rizal 42,759 Coron 42,941 Quezon 55,142 2010

Roxas 61,058 2000 Brooke's Point 61,301 Bataraza 63,644 Narra 65,264 Taytay 70,837

0 20,000 40,000 60,000 80,000

Figure 43. Most populous municipalities (excluding Puerto Princesa City). (Source: Source: http://web0.psa.gov.ph)

Population Density Palawan’s population density (excluding Puerto Princesa City) increased from 31 persons/sq.km in 1995 to 53 persons/sq.km in 2010. This is far below the Philippines’ population density of 308 persons/sq.km in 2010 (PSA, 2015). In that year, the municipality of Agutaya has the highest population density of 319 persons/sq.km, while the municipality of Kalayaan has 0.8 or less than 1 person per sq. km.

Table 15. Population Density by Municipality, Province of Palawan.

Municipality Population Density,p/sq.km 1995 2000 2010 1995 2000 2010 Puerto Princesa City 129,577 161,912 222,673 54 68 94 Palawan* 452,291 526,315 771,667 31 36 53 Aborlan 21,650 25,540 32,209 27 32 40 Agutaya 7,250 10,422 11,906 194 279 319 Araceli 10,556 10,894 14,113 52 53 69 Balabac 21,677 25,257 35,758 37 43 61 Bataraza 33,303 41,458 63,644 46 57 88 Brooke's Point - - 61,301 - - 47 Busuanga 15,843 16,287 21,358 40 41 54 Cagayancillo 6,717 6,348 7,116 255 241 270 Coron 27,040 32,243 42,941 39 47 62 Culion 13,024 14,302 19,543 26 29 39 Cuyo - - 21,847 - - 257 Dumaran 13,980 16,616 21,397 32 38 49.19 El Nido 21,948 27,029 36,191 24 29 39.20 Kalayaan 349 223 222 1 1 0.77 Linapacan 7,269 9,198 14,180 37 47 72.55 Magsaysay 10,714 10,885 11,965 217 220 241.81 Narra 48,339 56,845 65,264 58 68 78.47 Quezon 36,856 41,669 55,142 39 44 58.46 Rizal 21,876 31,745 42,759 17 25 34.03 Roxas 44,370 47,242 61,058 38 40 51.85 San Vicente 19,449 21,654 30,919 13 15 21.13 Sofronio 22,986 26,801 29,997 49 57 63.43 Espanola Taytay 47,095 53,657 70,837 37 43 56.32 Source: Provincial Government of Palawan, PPDO-CBMS, 2010. *Excluding Puerto Princesa City

Palawan’s population is young. The child group or those with ages 0-14 years old comprises 39% (PSA, 2015). The median age of population is 20 years old, higher than 18.2 years recorded in 2000. This implies that half of the population is younger than 20 years old. In the age group of 0 to 69 years, males outnumbered females, while in the older age groups (70 years and over), there were more females than males.

Figure 44. Age-Sex Pyramid of household population of Palawan (excluding Puerto Princesa City, 2010). (Source: http://web0.psa.gov.ph)

In 2010, more than half of the population (54%) were in the voting-age, an increase from 51% in 2000. Among the voting age, 52% were males and 48% were females The dependency ratio was 74, indicating that for every 100 working-age, 74 are dependents (68 young dependents and 6 old dependents). This is lower than the 2000 ratio, which was recorded at 84% (PSA, 2015). In terms of housing units, majority of occupied housing units (69.3%) in the province had outerwalls made of bamboo/sawali/cogon/nipa with roofs made of cogon/nipa/anahaw (60.1%). This percentage decreased from 77.4% for outerwalls and 60.1% for roofs recorded in 2000 (PSA, 2015).

Figure 45. Population map of Palawan, 1995.

Figure 46. Population map of Palawan, 2010.

Indigenous Peoples and Tribal Ancestral Zones

Figure 47. Map of PCSD-Proclaimed Tribal Ancestral Zone.

Figure 48. A Tagbanua indigenous people in Sagpangan, Aborlan, Palawan (Right) and members of the Batak tribe, Sitio Tagabinet, Puerto Princesa City, Palawan (Left). (Photo courtesy: M.Cabrestante, 2013 and Jonah van Beijnen, 2014 )

Twelve (12) ancestral domain claims were proclaimed by PCSD as Tribal Ancestral Zones, covering a total area of 47,054.43 hectares and equivalent to 3.3% of the total land area of Palawan. There are 3 additional tribal ancestral zones with conditional approval located in the municipalities of Quezon (Aramaywan-Berong) having 31,470.27 ha; Aborlan (Cabigaan) having 13,080.39 ha and Rizal (Latud, Taburi, Panalingaan) having 69,735.23 ha. Approved Tribal Ancestral Zones (TAZ): 1) Maoyon, Babuyan, San Rafael in Puerto Princesa City; 2) Amas in Brookes Point; 3) So. Yakal, New Guinlo in Taytay; 4) So. Galop, Tagusao in Quezon; 5) Bulalakao in Bataraza; 6) Timbuan, Abaroan, Roxas; 7) So. Boong, Dumanguena in Narra; 8) So. Cayasan, Bgy. Tagabinet in Puerto Princesa City; 9) Campung Ulay, Punta Baja in Rizal; 10) Coron island in Coron; 11) So. Daan, Aporawan in Aborlan; 12) Cabayugan in Puerto Princesa City. As of , application for isuance of certificate of Ancestral Domain Titles to areas claimed by indigenous people will now be subjected to the procedures set forth in the joint Memorandum Circular No. 1 of PCSD and NCIP. Nevertheless, this provided IPs with voice in local government with the membership in local legislation body of the indigenous peoples mandatory representative. Other areas where claims have been expressed by IP’s own certain areas as ancestral domain are in Calauit, Balabac, El Nido, Linapacan and Busuanga.

SECTION 2: NATURAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT, INSTITUTIONS AND GOVERNANCE

VIII. KEY ECONOMIC SECTORS AGRICULTURE  Agriculture and fisheries still form the economic backbone of Palawan (PPDO, 2012).  The major agricultural crop productions of Palawan are rice, corn, cashew, coconut and mango (PAO, 2012).  Rice and corn production increased from 100,249 metric tons (mt) in 1990 to 294,422 mt in 2014 (PSA, 2015).  Areas devoted to cereal and other crop production grew from 94,749 ha in 1990 to 210,766 ha in 2013 (PSA, 2015).

350,000

300,000

250,000 Corn 200,000 Rainfed 150,000 Palay Irrigated 100,000 Palay Volume Volume production, mt 50,000

Figure 49. Volume of Cereals production in Palawan, 1990-2014. Reference: Bureau of Agricultural Statistics (http://www.bas.gov.ph)

 The annual production of irrigated palay has been increasing from 26,535 metric tons (mt) in 1990 to 159,390 mt in 2014 (PSA, 2015). This shows the expansion of the province’s irrigation system and increasing agricultural areas.  Rainfed palay likewise increased in yield from 45,215 mt in 1990 to 114,760 mt in 2014 (PSA, 2015) or 150% increase in about 15 years.  In 2012, 94% of the country’s total cashew production came from Palawan, with 124,854 mt out of 132,541 mt of the total production of the country.  Carabao, cattle, hogs and chicken are the main animals raised in the province with a total production of 36,370 mt in 2013 (PSA, 2015).

 Hog/swine production comprised the highest volume, and increased from 26,950 mt in 2010 to 31,764 mt in 2013.  Oil palm plantation has started in the province in 2007. It spread in the southern Palawan municipalities except Narra with a declared area of 8,773.01 ha and actual productive area of 5,226.16 ha in 2012 (PCSDS, 2015).  Rubber plantation is also being expanded with the first full rubber plantation in Kalatagbak, Quezon operating since 1990s.

REEF FISH AND FISHERY  Palawan’s fishing grounds supply 65% of Manila’s fish consumption (BAS, 2012). Palawan is among the major sources of the country’s annual total fishery production, contributing more than 10% since 2003.

6,000,000 16 14 5,000,000 12 4,000,000 10 3,000,000 8 6 2,000,000 Percentage 4

Production, metric Production,metric tons 1,000,000 2 - 0 1985 1988 1991 1994 1997 2000 2003 2006 2009 2012

Philippines Palawan Percentage

Figure 50. Fishery Production in Palawan vis-a-vis the Philippines. (Reference: Bureau of Agricultural Statistics, http://www.bas.gov.ph)

 The volume of fishery production in Palawan grew by 6-folds in 14 years, from 80,141 mt in 1990 to 510,281 mt in 2014, with the highest volume recorded in 2008 with 694,871 mt (PSA, 2015).

800,000 700,000 Aquaculture 600,000 Municipal Fisheries 500,000 Commercial Fisheries 400,000

metric tons metric 300,000 200,000 Volume of Production, Production, of Volume 100,000 0

Figure 51. Source of Fishery Production in Palawan, 1980-2014. (Reference: Bureau of Agricultural Statistics, http://www.bas.gov.ph)

 From 2003 to 2014, 26% to 32% of the country’s grouper (Lapu–lapu) production generally came from Palawan. In 2014, the grouper production shipped as fresh and live fish from Palawan was 547 mt out of 2,137 mt of country’s total production (BAS, 2015).

4,000 Palawan Philippines 3,000

2,000

1,000 Grouperproduction, metric tons

- 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 Figure 52. Comparison of Trends on Grouper Production in Palawan and the Philippines. Reference: Bureau of Agricultural Statistics (http://www.bas.gov.ph)

 Live reef fish production generally showed an increasing trend from 2003 to 2013. The highest recorded volume was in 2008 with 783 mt and declined gradually to 632 mt in 2013.

1000

800

783 600 704 685 669 644 668 632 551 555 400 536

273

Live Live Reef Fish (metric tons) 200

0 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013

Figure 53. Live Reef Fish Production in Palawan. Reference: Worldwide Fund (WWF)

Pearl Culture and Farming

The culture of pearl (south sea pearl) has been a lucrative business in Palawan several decades ago. In the process, several thousand hectares of pristine marine waters are leased by Pearl Farm operations from the government as shown in the Table.

Table 16. Pearl Culture and Farming Industries in Palawan. Total Area % Area Total Area Area of Pearl Occupied by Occupied by (%) Mun. Farm/Proponent Pearl Farm Pearl Farm Occupied by Municipality Waters* (leased area in municipal Pearl Farm (ha) in ha)** waters in municipal waters Jewelmer Balabac 396,259 International 8,857.99 2.24 2.24 Corporation Surigao Marine Products, Inc 7,791.83 4.00 Busuanga 194,755 (SUMAPI) 5.07 Eco-Farm Systems and 2,083.92 1.07 Resources Inc. Eco-Farm 1.51 Coron 330,386 Systems and 5,000 1.69 Resources Inc. Hikari SSP 575.29 0.17 Corporation Hikari SSP

Corporation 2,257 2.25 Southern Mineral Culion 100,485 and Marine 8.5 Corporation 4,875 4.85 (SOMMACO) Marily Development 1,408 1.40 Corporation Dumaran 108,222 Naglayan Pearl 12,444 11.50 11.5 Farm Hikari SSP Linapacan 407,507 Corporation 2,400 0.59 0.59 Port Barton 0.00 San Vicente 149,050 Corporation 3.35 Sakura Pearl 5,000 3.35 Farm Terramar Pearl 5,000 1.71 Taytay 292,672 Farm 2.97 Salvamar Pearl 3,676.52 1.26 Farm

*Generated by PCSDS-GIS ** Per PCSDS file

Figure 54. Pearl Farms in Palawan with PCSD/SEP Clearance.

In the study conducted by PCSDS on the coral reefs of pearl farm-leased areas in the province focused on eight (8) municipalities with pearl farm-eased areas: Balabac, Busuanga, Coron, Culion, Dumaran, Linapacan, San Vicente, and Taytay with established thirty (30) stations, it revealed that the coral cover within the pearl farm- leased areas range from Fair (25 – 50% live coral cover) to Excellent ( more than 75% live coral cover) condition, while the overall mean percentage of live coral cover is 61.1%, which can be described as in good condition. The recorded mean fish abundance/density is high at 334,390 per hectare. A total of 36 fish families were recorded during the study, which include: Pomacentrids (damsel fishes), Scarids (parrotfishes), Labrids (wrasses), Caesionids (fusiliers), Siganids (rabbitfishes), Chaetodontids (butterfly fishes) and Serranids (groupers). As observed in almost all pearl farms, fish is teeming even just below the dock rafts.

MINING AND MINERAL DEVELOPMENT  The mining and quarrying activities are the most common resource extractive industry in Palawan. This was initiated in the 1970s by the operation of the Palawan Quicksilver Mines in Sta. Lourdes, Puerto Princesa City and Rio Tuba Nickel Project.

Table 17. Operating Mineral Production Sharing Agreement (MPSA) in Palawan Proponent/Applicant Mineral Location Area Date Granted Approved (in has) Mineral Production: Berong Nickel Corp. Nickel Bgy. Berong, 288 Nov. 25, Quezon 2005 Rio Tuba Nickel Mining Nickel Bgy. Rio Tuba, 990 Nov. 29, Corp. Bataraza 2001 Citinickel Mining & Development Corp:  Palawan Nickel Bgy. San 367.30 Nov. 25, Mining Project Isidro, Narra 2006 (amended on 26th February 2010 and renamed, from PGMC to OMDC, as per PAB Decision)  Palawan Nickel Nickel Bgy. Pulot 1,238.88 Mining Project Interior and Punang, Espanola Processing Plant: Coral Bay Nickel Hydrometallur- Bgy. Rio Tuba, Nov. 17, Corporation gical Bataraza 2006 Processing Plant (HPP)

 The extraction of construction minerals such as gravel and sand increased from 0.48 Million tons (Mt) in 2000 to 1.19 Mt in 2012 (PY, 2005 and 2013). The produced metallic minerals increased by 3-folds in 12 years, from 0.46 Mt in 2000 to 1.54 Mt in 2012 (PY, 2005 and 2013).

3.00

2.50 Mineral 2.00 1.54 Production

1.50 1.49 Construction Million tons Million Minerals 1.00 0.73 0.46 0.50 1.19 0.81 0.48 0.57 - 2000 2005 2010 2012

Figure 55. Mineral Production in Palawan (Reference: Philippine Yearbook,2005/2010)

OIL AND GAS  In 2002, the offshore extraction of natural gas and condensate started its operation in northern Palawan resulting to the significant increase of fossil fuel extraction from 0.06 Mt in 2000 to 2.8 Mt in 2012 (PY, 2005 and 2013).

3,000,000

2,500,000

2,000,000 Oil

1,500,000

1,000,000 Natural Gas Oil and Gas Production, tons 500,000

Figure 56. Oil and gas production, Palawan. (Reference: Philippine Yearbook 2005, 2013; units converted to tons)

Figure 57. Offshore Energy Applications in Palawan.

TOURISM

Figure 58. Nature at its best in the island of Palawan: The Puerto Princesa Underground River National Park, One of the New 7 Wonders of Nature (Photo courtesy: www.puerto-undergroundriver.com)

 Because of the pristine beauty of nature, Palawan emerged as a popular tourist destination in the Philippines. It was declared as the World’s Best Island in 2013 by Travel+Leisure Magazine and the Top Island in the World in 2014 by Conde Nast Traveler.  The tourist arrival increased to more than 50 folds from 14,264 in 1992 to 832,595 in 2012 (PPDO, 2012).  Tubbataha Reef was chosen as top 8 of the World’s Best Dive Sites in 2012 by CNN20.

1,000,000

800,000 Foreign Domestic

600,000

400,000

200,000 Tourist arrival in Palawanin arrivalTourist

- 1992 1995 2000 2001 2002 2003 2005 2009 2010 2011 2012 Figure 59. Trend of Tourist Arrival in Palawan. 1995-2012. (Reference: Provincial Planning and Development Office, PPDO)

20 www.travel.cnn.com

 An average of 1,500 tourist come and visit Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park every year, bringing in an annual income of around Php 5.05 million (or US$ 114,000). The adjacent communities in the municipality of Cagayancillo receive 10% share from the proceeds of ecotourism fees or revenues from Tubbataha, which is able to support sustainable coastal resource management strategies and alternative livelihood projects in the host locality21.  In the Puerto Princesa Underground River National Park, for the period covering 2012-2013, the average annual tourist arrival is 284,000, bringing in an income of about Php 50 million or US$1.2 million. This is significantly higher than 2 decades ago when tourist visit is only about 10,000 per year. In 2013 particularly, one in every 5 visitors of the Park is a foreign tourist. The 30 fold increase (or 3,000%) is attributed to the aggressive marketing and product development, especially when the Park was nominated to and conferred as one of the new seven wonders of nature22.  To conserve the outstanding universal values of the Puerto Princesa Underground River National Park, a study was conducted recommending a maximum carrying capacity of 1,400 persons per day in order not to diminish the visitor satisfaction and disturb the ecosystem. As of March 2014, 1,200 visitors per day are allowed entry in the PPUR, well within the Park’s carrying capacity.

IX. PHYSICAL INFRASTRUCTURES  The road length increased from 906 km in 2000 to 1,003 km in 2012 (DPWH, 2012).  The opening of new roadways was minimal but the roadway improvement from gravel or rough road to asphalt and concrete surface types resulted to the increase of paved roads from 24% in 2000 to 53% in 2012.

1200

1000 800 600 Concrete Asphalt 400 Gravel 200

Km Highway, National 0

2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012

Figure 60. Road length and condition, Palawan. (Reference: Department of Public Works and Highways)

21 Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park Management Office; TRNP Primer. 4th Edition. TPAMB. Puerto Princesa City, Palawan. 22PPUR-PASU Office; “The Wonder”. Official publication of Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park. July 2013-2014.

 The private building construction comprised of residential and non-residential increased from 68,080 square meters in 2006 to 112,478 m2 in 2010 (PY, 2010). 120000

100000

80000 62858 Nonresidential 60000 44086 37966 Residential buildings, m2 40000 Floorareaof private 20000 42976 29152 36999 0 2006 2009 2010

Reference: Philippine Yearbook (2007, 2010, 2012) Figure 61. Private Building Construction in Palawan

X. EMPLOYMENT

 The agriculture-fishery-forestry sector, compared to industry and services sector, is still the major source of employment in the province, although there was an observed reduction in the percentage share from 67% in 2002 to 58% in 2011 (PPDO, 2012). 100%

26.0 29.9 80% 33.4 7.0 9.2 60% 8.8 Services Industry 40% 67 60.9 57.8 Agriculture

Employment per sector per Employment 20%

0% 2002 2008 2011

Figure 62. Percentage Employment per sector, Palawan. (References: PPDO-CBMS, 2002, 2008 and 2011)

 The services sector comprising of community, social and personal services, wholesale/retail, transport/storage, and others expanded from 26% in 2002 to 33% in 2011 (PPDO, 2012).  The industry sector such as construction, electricity, gas and water, manufacturing and mining and quarrying increased from 7% in 2002 to 9% in 2011 (PPDO, 2012)

REFERENCES/DATA SOURCES: DENR Forest Management Bureau – Philippine Forest Statistics Annual Reports available online (http://forestry.denr.gov.ph/statbook.htm) DPWH (2012) Department of Public Works and Highways. 2012 DPWH Atlas. Source: http://www.dpwh.gov.ph/infrastructure/infra_stat/index.htm Accessed on June 10, 2013. Eckhardt, David A. V. Land Use And Water Quality. Retrieved from http://www.waterencyclopedia.com/La-Mi/Land-Use-and-Water Quality.html#ixzz1IOckBt4J . Date Accessed: September 2011 Gasim, M.B., et. al. 2006. Hydrology, Water Quality and Land-Use Assessment of Tasik Chini’s Feeder Rivers, Pahang, Malaysia. GEOGRAFIA OnlineTM Malaysian Journal of Society and Space 2 (72 - 86). ISSN 2180-2491. Date Accessed: 23 November 2011 Greenpeace. 2007. The Philippines: A Climate Hotspot. Climate Change Impacts and the Philippines. Southeast Asia, Climate and Energy Campaign. Palawan Council for Sustainable Development a. Reports on Coastal Resource Assessment b. Reports on Cave Assessment c. ECAN Monitoring, Policy and Knowledge Management Division i. GIS Unit ii. PCSD Environmental Laboratory d. ECAN Regulation and Enforcement Division e. ECAN Tribal Zone Management Component f. Special Project - WAVES PCSD. 2000. Palawan Asset Accounts. Fishery, Forest, Land/Soil, Mineral and Water Resources. Palawan, Philippines PCSD. 2010. State of the Environment 2009 Updates, Province of Palawan, Philippines. Palawan Council for Sustainable Development, Puerto Princesa City, Palawan, Philippines. Perez, M.L., Sajise, A.J., Arias, J.K., Ramirez, J.B., Purnomo, A.H., Dipasupil, S.R., Regoniel, P.A., Nguyen, K.A., Zamore, G.J. 2013. Economic Analysis of Climate Change Adaptation Strategies in Selected Areas in Indonesia, Philippines and Vietnam. WordFish. Project Report: 2013-32. Pieri, L. et. al . 2011. Chemical and Biological Indicators of Water Quality in Three Agricultural Watersheds of the Po Valley, Italy. DOI: 10.4081/ija.2011.e36 | Published: 2011-12-14 10:30:07 http://www.agronomyjournal.it/index.php/agro/article/view/380 Date Accessed: January 2012 Provincial Government of Palawan. 2012. Provincial Planning and Development Office : Community-Based Management System Provincial Government of Palawan. 2012. Palawan Agriculture Office

Philippine Yearbook (2000, 2005, 2007, 2010, 2012). National Statistics Office. Manila, Philippines. (www.census.gov.ph ) Philippine Statistics Authority (https://www.psa.gov.ph) Bureau of Agriculture Statistics (www.bas.gov.ph) National Statistics Office (http://web0.psa.gov.ph/products-and- services/publications/philippine-yearbook) PPDO. 2012. Provincial Planning and Development Office - Community-Based Monitoring System. Provincial Government of Palawan, Philippines. UNESCO, 2014. Report on Understanding Palawan as a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve. Manila Observatory Report to the UNESCO Science and Technology Commission. Worldwide Fund for Conservation Yusuf, A.A., and H. Francisco. 2009. “Climate Change Vulnerability Mapping for Southeast Asia.” Economy and Environment Program for Southeast Asia (EEPSEA) with CIDA, IDRC and SIDA. Singapore.