MOUNT TAPULAO ... ZAMBALES PROVINCE !

Le Mount Tapulao est la plus haute montagne de la chaine des monts de Zambales, chaine qui se situe sur l’île de Luzon, au nord-ouest de la capitale Manille.

Également connue sous le nom de ‘’High Peak’’, la montagne, qui se trouve sur la municipalité de Palauig, culmine à 2.037 mètres au-dessus du niveau de la mer.  Cette chaine, qui s’étend de la péninsule de Bataan (Baie de Manille) au golf de Lingayen, inclue, en partant du sud : le Mont Mariveles (1.288 mètres) qui domine l’île de Corregidor, le Mont Natib (1.253 mètres) proche d’Olongapo, le Mont Pinatubo (1.486 mètres) et le High Peak (2.037 mètres).  Je vous ai parlé du Pinatubo et de son explosion spectaculaire dans un autre billet, ainsi que du Mont Pulag.
 
http://frenchlivinginthephilippines.blogspot.com/2012/08/mont-pulag-benguet-ifugao-new-vizcaya.html

Le chemin qui mène au sommet du Mont Tapulao va entrainer le randonneur à travers différents écosystèmes au fur et à mesure de son ascension. De la plaine, sorte de garrigue couverte de ‘’talahib’’ (cogon), une haute herbe utilisée dans la confection des toitures des habitations traditionnelles, l’on va passer à des collines aux formes arrondies et aux flancs couverts d’une forêt dipterocarp secondaire, puis primaire (forêt ‘’vierge’’ tropicale des régions de basse altitude), avant de passer à une forêt de pins au-dessus de 1.800 mètres.

Attention que durant la saison humide, les limatik ou sangsues forestières abondent, particulièrement le long des cours d’’eau. Comme certaines parties de la piste deviennent ruisseaux durant la saison des pluies, le randonneur risque fort de ramasser, involontairement, et de transporter quelques voyageurs clandestins. Hôtes indésirables qui se collent aux basques, ou plutôt à la peau et dont on se débarrasse en les brûlant avec le bout incandescent d’une cigarette.

Le Department of Environment and Natural Ressources (DNER) région 3, a signé un memorandum of agreement pour la protection et le développement de 5.000 hectares sur le Mont Tapulao.

Récemment une équipe d’experts à effectué une étude sur la faune et la flore que l’on trouve dans cette zone.

Experts found 304 species of plants and 142 species of animals, including rare and endangered ones, in Zambales’ Mt. Tapulao.

The discovery was the result of a nine-month exploration in the mountain by biologists and biodiversity experts from the University of the Philippines and Diliman Science Research Foundation.

The results of the study have prompted the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) to declare the mountain a national treasure trove as it warned poachers and encroachers against spoiling the natural habitat.

“The rodents Rhycomys tapulao and Apomys brownorum can only be found in Mt. Tapulao, and six other plant species that can only be found in Luzon,” DENR regional executive director Maximo Dichoso said.

Dichoso said of the 142 animal species found in Mt. Tapulao, 78 were endemic to the country. So were 41 of the 304 plant species.

“The UP findings confirmed earlier studies that Mt. Tapulao is a natural treasure trove for Central Luzon in terms of species richness and diversity. I call on the public to protect Mt. Tapulao and the adjoining forests from poaching and human encroachment,” he said.

The nine-month biodiversity study included various species of trees, vines, lianas, herbs, palms, mammals, amphibians, birds, and reptiles.

The study also established a new distribution record for the insectivorous bat species Myotis rufopictus (Orange-fingered myotis) and Desmalopex leucopterus (Mottled winged flying fox), Dichoso reported.

“Myotis rufopictus was found in the mountain at 1,820 meters above sea level and the Desmalopex leucopterus was found at 230 and 896 meters above sea level,” he said.

Dichoso noted that seven insectivorous bats were also recorded in the area, three of which are endemic to the Philippines  – the yellow-faced horseshoe bat (Rhinolophus virgo), the large-eared horseshoe bat (Rhinolophus philippinensis), and the orange-fingered myotis (Myotis rufopictus).

“Three bird species categorized as vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) were also found in Mt. Tapulao. These were the flame-breasted fruit dove (Ptilinopus  archei), Philippine eagle-owl (Bubo philippensis), and the ashy thrush (Zoothera cinerea),” he said.

Mt. Tapulao also harbors 14 plant species found in the DENR list of threatened species, with one timber species, Tristaniopsis decorticata, considered as critically endangered.

The mountain covers more than 17,000 hectares of forest stratified into four vegetation types that include lowland, montane, pine and mossy forests.

It rises to about 2,037 meters above sea level, and is considered the second tallest mountain in Luzon, next to Mt. Pulag in Benguet.

The mountain was named after the Sumatran Pine “tapulao” which is abundant in the Zambales mountain range.

Straddling the towns of Palauig, Iba and Masinloc in Zambales and parts of Tarlac, Mt. Tapulao is one of the key biodiversity areas and new protected areas models in the country under the New Conservation Areas in the Philippines Project (NewCAPP), which is funded by the Global Environmental Facility and the United Nations Development Program.

NewCAPP, a five-year project started in 2011, seeks to expand and strengthen the terrestrial protected area system in the country by developing new protected areas models managed by local government units, indigenous and local communities.

Rare bird species found in Ilocos

Meanwhile, another rare and vulnerable bird species – the spotted imperial pigeon – has found sanctuary in a northern town in Ilocos Norte, a bird conservation enthusiast reported yesterday.

Petrus Calope said the ducula carola is included in IUCN list of threatened species. He said the birds could attract international and local bird watchers to the province.

He said flocks of the pigeons regularly appear at the shoreline of Pasuquin, as he noted that when birdwatchers learned about it, Pasuquin became a busy town.

He said that in the ’80s there were 12 spotted imperial pigeon congregation sites in parts of Luzon, Mindoro and Mindanao but these have declined.

Calope, who introduced birdwatching in Ilocos Norte, said the species which lives in the Sierra Madre mountain ranges, became rare in the 1990s.

He said a flock of 55 spotted imperial pigeons was seen recently by professional birdwatchers at their congregation sites in the coastal villages of Davila and Dilavo in Pasuquin.

He said they are puzzled by the birds’ regular migration to the two villages.

“If they need saltwater, they would have flocked in Laoag or Bacarra. There must be something in the shorelines of these two villages that attract them,” Calope said as he expressed belief that the visits are part of the birds’ preparation for the breeding season.

Calope expects international groups of bird watchers to visit the province next year to see the spotted imperial pigeons.

Earlier, birdwatchers were drawn to the province to see another bird species, the migratory great cormorant in Paoay Lake.

Comments are welcome.

Avis, critiques et commentaires, comme d’habitude sont les bienvenus.

Les articles de ce blog sont © Copyright protected. Leur reproduction, mise en réseau public ou privé, sous quelque forme sont interdites sans l'accord préalable de l'auteur.

Retrouvez moi sur :

<  http://www.expatauxphilippines.blogspot.com  > 

pour plus d'information.

Forum en français sur :

< http://www.maretraiteauxphilippines.blogspot.com >

“Épouser une Femme Philippine”

sous titré, 

Chercher Trouver et Marier une Pinay,

S’adresse à tous les hommes occidentaux  qui souhaitent trouver aux pays des 7.107 îles celle qui deviendra la compagne de leur vie.

Un livre complet qui aborde tous les sujets sans tabous.

Plus d’information sur la page ‘’livres’’

Mon petit livre 

“101 façons de Générer des Revenus aux Philippines, pour y vivre’’ est maintenant disponible. 

Vous trouverez plus d’information sur la page ‘’Livres’’