DENR backs Samar UNESCO nomination
SINP has a large biodiversity hosting 38 species of mammals, 51 species of reptiles, over 1,000 species of plants and 215 species of birds including the critically endangered Philippine Eagle
TACLOBAN CITY — The Protected Areas Management Board (PAMB) under the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) recently approved a resolution endorsing the Samar Island Natural Park (SINP) for inclusion in the tentative list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites which has been lobbied by three Samar provinces almost a year ago.
SINP, the country’s largest terrestrial protected area with an area of 333,300 hectares, also has the largest contiguous tract of old-growth forest in the Philippines. Its buffer spreads north to south over the island’s three provinces — Eastern Samar, Northern Samar and Samar province — and totals 458,700 hectares or about a third of the entire island of Samar.
The park includes some of the island’s well-known protected natural landmarks and landscapes like the Sohoton Natural Bridge National Park, Calbiga Caves Protected Landscape, Taft Forest Wildlife Sanctuary, Jicontol Watershed Forest Reserve and Bulosao Watershed Forest Reserve.
Data of the DENR shows SINP has a large biodiversity hosting 38 species of mammals, 51 species of reptiles, over 1,000 species of plants and 215 species of birds including the critically endangered Philippine Eagle.
Maita Sucgang, regional public affairs chief of DENR in Eastern Visayas, said the resolution from PAMB was sought to give weight to the nomination, considering the authority of the body to decide on matters relative to the proposal, action plans and guidelines for management of protected area.