Located on the island of Mindoro, Mt. Iglit-Baco National Park surrounds the environs of Mount Iglit and Mount Baco. The rugged terrain, crisscrossed by rivers and mountains and shaped by slash-and-burned practice of Mangyan tribe, is home to endemic flora and fauna including the remaining less than 3% of intact primary forest of Mindoro island. The flagship species of the park is the critically endangered Tamaraw (dwarf water buffalo), of which less than 200 remain in the wild.
Full screen map of Mt. Iglit-Baco National Park (On tentative list - Philippines)
I have been going back and forth to this wonderful place for almost a year now. Not entirely sure of criterion (ix) - because I am not a geologist; but for (x), the property's unique flora and fauna surely represents the natural heritage of the Mindoro biogeographic region. One endemic (and endangered) species of the park, the tamaraw (Bubalus mindorensis), is a national symbol.
Management-wise, efforts are already being undertaken to include the Mangyans - the indigenous people and residents of the park’s mountainous interior. This co-management will ensure not just the protection of the park’s natural resources, but also the conservation of the Mangyans’ culture and traditions.
