NAUJAN LAKE NATIONAL PARK SITE ASSESSMENT AND PROFILE UPDATING Ireneo L. Lit, Jr., Sheryl A. Yap, Phillip A. Alviola, Bonifacio V. Labatos, Marian P. de Leon, Edwino S. Fernando, Nathaniel C. Bantayan, Elsa P. Santos and Ivy Amor F. Lambio This publication has been made possible with funding support from Malampaya Joint Ventures Partners, Department of Environment and Natural Resources, Provincial Government of Oriental Mindoro and Provincial Government of Occidental Mindoro. i Copyright: © Mindoro Biodiversity Conservation Foundation Inc. All rights reserved: Reproduction of this publication for resale or other commercial purposes, in any form or by any means, is prohibited without the express written permission from the publisher. Recommended Citation: Lit Jr, I.L. Yap, S.A. Alviola, P.A. Labatos, B.V. de Leon, M.P. Fernando, S.P. Bantayan, N.C. Santos, E.P. Lambio, I.A.F. (2011). Naujan Lake National Park Site Assessment and Profile Updating. Muntinlupa City. Mindoro Biodiversity Conservation Foundation Inc. ISBN 978-621-8010-04-8 Published by: Mindoro Biodiversity Conservation Foundation Inc. Manila Office 22F Asian Star Building, ASEAN Drive Filinvest Corporate City, Alabang, Muntilupa City, 1780 Philippines Telephone: +63 2 8502188 Fax: +63 2 8099447 E-mail: [email protected] Website: www.mbcfi.org.ph Provincial Office Gozar Street, Barangay Camilmil, Calapan City, Oriental Mindoro, 5200 Philippines Telephone/Fax: +63 43 2882326 ii NAUJAN LAKE NATIONAL PARK SITE ASSESSMENT AND PROFILE UPDATING TEAM Project Leader Ireneo L. Lit, Jr., Ph.D. Floral survey team Study Leader Edwino S. Fernando, Ph.D. Ivy Amor F. Lambio, M.Sc. Field Technician(s) Dennis E. Pullan Mary Ann O. Cajano Ariel R. Larona Edwin O. Breganza Terrestrial Vertebrates Study Leader Phillip A. Alviola, M.Sc. Field Technician(s) Edison A. Cosico Eduardo G. Eres Vicente B. Yngente Aquatic Vertebrates and macroinvertebrates Study Leader Bonifacio V. Labatos, Jr., M.Sc. Field Technician(s) Joseph G. Campang Rogelio Alvarez Insects and their relatives Study Leader Sheryl A. Yap, M.Sc. Field Technician(s) Orlando L. Eusebio Mark Vincent C. Yngente Water Quality and Microbial Analysis Study Leader Marian A. Pulido-de Leon, Ph.D. Field Technician Manuel M. Baldovino Socio-Economic Profile and Governance Study Leader Elsa P. Santos, M.Sc. Field Technician(s) Eunice Saguindan Remedios Villanueva GIS/Mapping Study Leader Nathaniel C. Bantayan, Ph.D. Field Technician Milben M. Bragais iii FOREWORD The Naujan Lake is the fifth largest lake in the Philippines. It was declared as a national park on March 27, 1956 by virtue of Presidential Proclamation No. 282 signed by President Ramon Magsaysay, with an area of 21,655 hectares. However, due to Proclamation No. 793 signed by President Carlos P. Garcia which reduced the area of the park to only 1,966 hectares, human settlements and agricultural lands increased rapidly. The Proclamation No. 355 signed by President Ferdinand E. Marcos restored the original total area of the park. The lake is a representative of a wetland habitat, and supports vulnerable, endangered or critically endangered species, and a population of migratory birds and was declared as the 1008th RAMSAR site worldwide and the second RAMSAR site in the Philippines. However, lands surrounding the lake which used to be covered a lush forest was cleared for various human activities. Management plan for Naujan Lake National Park was established in 1997 with the help of Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA). Nevertheless, the management plan was not well implemented and there is still a rapidly increasing human population in areas surrounding the lake and conversions of the natural park into agricultural lands. Thus, the NLNP (Naujan lake National Park) is in need of a new site assessment and area profiling. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS 1. INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................................. 1 1.1 HISTORICAL BACKGROUND .............................................................................................. 1 1.2 BIO-GEOGRAPHICAL BACKGROUND ................................................................................ 2 2. FRAMEWORK FOR SITE ASSESSMENT AND PROFILE UPDATING ....................................... 3 2.1 RATIONALE ....................................................................................................................... 3 2.2 OBJECTIVES ....................................................................................................................... 4 2.3 TOOLS AND METHODOLOGIES ......................................................................................... 4 2.3.1 VEGETATION .............................................................................................................. 4 2.3.2 TERRESTRIAL VERTEBRATES ...................................................................................... 6 2.3.2.1 Birds .................................................................................................................... 6 2.3.2.2 Mammals ............................................................................................................ 7 2.3.2.3 Reptiles and Amphibians .................................................................................... 8 2.3.3 AQUATIC VERTEBRATES AND MACROINVERTEBRATES ............................................ 8 2.3.3.1 Fish survey .......................................................................................................... 9 2.3.3.2. Ethno-ichthyological survey ............................................................................... 9 2.3.3.3. Documentation and identification of freshwater fishes ................................... 9 2.3.3.4 Aquatic macroinvertebrates ............................................................................. 10 2.3.4 TERRESTRIAL INSECTS AND THEIR RELATIVES ....................................................... 100 2.3.4.1 Sweeping ......................................................................................................... 111 2.3.4.2. Soil and leaf-litter sampling ........................................................................... 111 2.3.4.3. Light trap ........................................................................................................ 111 2.3.4.4. Butterfly Monitoring ...................................................................................... 111 2.3.4.5. Ant diversity Monitoring ................................................................................ 111 2.3.4.6. Laboratory Processing.................................................................................... 111 2.3.5 WATER QUALITY AND MICROBIAL DIVERSITY ....................................................... 122 2.3.5.1. Field measurements and sampling ................................................................ 122 2.3.5.2. Physical analyses of lake water samples ....................................................... 122 2.3.5.3. Chemical analyses of lake water sample. ...................................................... 122 2.3.5.4. Most Probable Number (MPN) of Coliforms ................................................. 133 2.3.5.5. Total bacterial counts .................................................................................... 133 2.3.5.6. Identification of purified bacterial isolates .................................................... 133 2.3.6 SOCIO-ECONOMIC PROFILE ................................................................................... 144 2.3.6.1. Survey Questionnare ..................................................................................... 144 2.3.6.2. Key informant interview. ............................................................................... 144 2.3.6.3. Focus group discussion (FGD) ........................................................................ 155 2.3.6.4. Secondary data gathering .............................................................................. 155 2.3.7 GIS MAPPING AND PHOTODOCUMENTATION ...................................................... 155 v 2.3.8 RARE SPECIES AND CRITICAL HABITATS ................................................................ 166 2.3.9 DATA ANALYSES ..................................................................................................... 166 2.4 ANALYSIS FRAMEWORK ................................................................................................ 177 3. PROFILE OF NAUJAN LAKE NATIONAL PARK .................................................................. 177 3.1 PHYSICAL AND GEO-POLITICAL CHARACTERISTICS ...................................................... 177 3.2 BIOLOGICAL RESOURCES .............................................................................................. 188 3.2.1 PLANTS ................................................................................................................... 188 3.2.2 TERRESTRIAL VERTEBRATES .................................................................................... 20 3.2.3 AQUATIC VERTEBRATES AND MACROINVERTEBRATES .......................................... 26 3.2.3.1 Naujan Lake and Butas River Fish Fauna ........................................................... 26 3.2.3.4 Other Aquatic Fauna ......................................................................................... 28 3.2.4 TERRESTRIAL INSECTS AND THEIR RELATIVES ........................................................