Davao's Mt Hamiguitan named UNESCO World Heritage site
It is the 6th Philippine site to join the list and the first Philippine mountain rangePia Ranada
Published 9:27 AM, Jun 24, 2014
Updated 9:36 AM, Jun 24, 2014
MANILA, Philippines – A mountain range in Davao Oriental now claims a coveted spot in the prestigious UNESCO World Heritage List.
Delegates of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee voted to grant the status to Mount Hamiguitan Range Wildlife Sanctuary during the committee's 38th Session on Monday, June 23 in Doha, Qatar.
It is one of 26 new sites added to the list this year, including the ancient Inca road network Qhapaq Nan and the historic cave Grotte Chauvet in France.
The more than 16,000-hectare mountain range runs from north to south along the Pujada Peninsula in the Eastern Mindanao Biodiversity Corridor. Its peak is more than 1,600 meters above sea level.
This protected area boasts the largest "pygmy forest," a field of bonsai trees estimated to be around 100 years old. This unique forest occupies around 225 hectares of the sanctuary.
The description in the UNESCO World Heritage List page reads, "The property showcases terrestrial and aquatic habitats at different elevations, and includes threatened and endemic flora and fauna species, 8 of which are found only at Mount Hamiguitan."
The mountain is home to the critically-endangered Philippine Eagle and Philippine Cockatoo.
From its cliffs grow 338 species of majestic dipterocarp trees, 462 species of plants, mossy forests and closed canopy forests.
According to Pinoy mountaineer Gideon Lasco, the mountain range also features a "Tinagong Dagat" (hidden sea), a lake that mysteriously experiences high tide and low tide.
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