Mt. Apo Natural Park

An ASEAN Heritage Site Alma Monica A. de la Paz Kapwa Upliftment Foundation Inc. Outline of Presentation

I. Background on Mt. Apo II. Current Situation in Mt. Apo III. Challenges in Managing Mt. Apo IV. Kapwa participation in Mt. Apo Park Management V. Collaboration among Stakeholders (Primary reference : 2013-2033 Mt. Apo National Park General Management Plan) I. Location of Mt. Apo Mt Apo National Park Mt. Apo is one of the Key Biodiversity Areas (KBAs) of the Philippines and the center of endemism in Mindanao. Mt. Apo National Park

Mt. Apo is a dormant volcano; 3,143.6 meters above sea level, the highest mountain in the Philippines. (Biodiversity Management Bureau, Department of Environment and Natural Resources.) Mt. Apo’s Biological Resources

Mt. Apo National Park is considered a Key Biodiversity Area and was selected a Conservation Priority Area (CPA). It is extremely important in the conservation of terrestrial and inland water due to numerous river systems and lakes found in the area. It is also a priority site for the conservation and research of arthropods, amphibians, reptiles, birds and terrestrial mammals (Ong, et. al., 2002). Flora

• There are eight hundred (800) estimated vascular and non vascular plant species endemic to Mt. Apo. • 126 floral species recorded, 50 are considered endemic • 18 species are at risk • 37 species have economic, cultural and medicinal importance. Waling-waling: The Queen of Philippine Orchids

Fauna • 272 species of birds, 40% of these or 111 are endemic to Mt. Apo. • 2 are in the critical list: Philippine Eagle (Pthecophaga jefferyi) and abukay (Cacatua heamatopygia); 10 are endangered species • 53 species of Herpetofauna; including17 species of amphibians and 36 species of reptiles It has 19 major rivers and 21 creeks draining into eight major • Mt. apo also has watersheds. several falls (PASA list 1992) Mt. Apo also has numerous falls, including hot springs which are

tourism sites. Tudaya Falls in Sta. Cruz, Davao del Sur

Mt. Apo has four major lakes: Lake Agco, Lake Venado, Lake Macadac and Lake Jordan.

Mt. Apo is ancestral domain

The Manobos, Bagobo Tagabawa and Bagobo Klata consider Mt. Apo sacred and burial site of their great grand father “Apo Sandawa.” Mt. Apo is the wellspring of their spiritual and cultural way of life, source of food and medicine. Socioeconomic Features

• Mt. Apo has thirty- nine (39) barangay communities residing within the park. • Most of these communities are engaged in farming, many in the rapidly growing commercial agriculture and banana plantations.

Mt. Apo was first declared a national park in 1936 followed by a proclamation in 1966 and then in 1996 under the NIPAS and in 2003 a law was passed declaring it a natural park. In 2009 it was considered as a UNESCO World heritage site but in 2015 was taken out of the Tentative list as Mt. Apo suffered dramatic physical changes.

II. Status of Mt. Apo Forest Cover Expanding commercial agriculture

Vegetable farms on steep slopes III. Management Issues and

Challenges

•A. Biophysical Issues and Concerns

Limited biological information

Declining forest cover and threatened habitats, flora and fauna

• Critical watersheds and diminishing

• ecological services • Other resource uses, extraction and potentials Land conversion for settlement and agriculture Water pollution and presence of exotic species B. Socio-Economic and Cultural Issues

B.Socio-Economic and Cultural Issues

• Lack of socio-economic and cultural baseline data • Presence of growing settlements and increasing population • Land tenure security • The need for conservation awareness and capacity building • Destructive and inappropriate livelihood and poverty • Absence and/or presence of basic social services

C. Policy, Institutional and Other Management Issues

• Conflicting Policies and Plans • The need to enhance and strengthen the capacity of stakeholders • Insufficient Financial and Logistical Resources IV. Kapwa in Mt. Apo

Kapwa Upliftment Foundation Inc. is a non-profit organization founded in 1979. It was chosen by its NGO peers to be a member of the Mt. Apo Protected Area Management Board in 1994. Kapwa assisted the Bagobo Tagabawa – one of three ethnolinguistic groups or indigenous peoples to document their ownership to their ancestral domain resulting in the titling of more than 75% of the park’s land area to them. • *

Kapwa is advocating the recognition of tribal peoples’ ownership of their domain as well as migrants occupation in their ancestral domains. Assist communities to access potable water systems. Construct sanitation facilities

Improve livelihoods through Agroforestry Facilitate farmers’ access to planting materials and livelihood resources. Farmers establish

backyard tree nurseries

Leaders are assisted to formulate and implement their own agroforestry plans. Facilitate farmers access to technology V. Promoting partnerships with stakeholders

• The effort is to harmonize all the policies, regulations, procedures, programs and projects inside Mt. Apo. • In response to the problems brought by climate change local governments are updating their land use plans to integrate risk reduction and adaption. These land use plans now conform to “natural laws”. Community based management • Community level Disaster Risk Reduction Management councils have been organized and are formulating plans. • Management zones are being clearly marked on the ground • Reforestation projects are on going • Promotion of tree based farming over short term crops and reducing/phasing out of use of agro-chemicals. Promoting security of tenure

Mt. Apo has been titled to the indigenous peoples by the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples who are also piloting an arrangement where indigenous people title holders recognize the occupation of migrants. They require these migrants to follow land use regulations and park management standards and guidelines.

The Bagobo Tagabawa are teaching their successors to continue to be stewards of their ancestral domain by documenting and passing on their traditions. The directions are set to reduce biodiversity loss through strengthened collaboration among Mt. Apo stakeholders.

The policies and processes have been formulated although there is still resistance. The challenge remains finding the political will and adequate resources to do what must be done before its too late. Thank you