Northwest Panay Peninsula Natural Park is one of the remaining large-scale lowland rainforests in the Philippines, home to various endemic flora and fauna that can be only found in the Panay Islands.
It still harbors a significant stand of lowlands primary rainforest and is the last contiguous lowland forest in the Western Visayas (PhilinCon).
The Northwest Panay Peninsula Natural Park was proclaimed a natural park by President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo on 18 April 2002. It has an area of 120.09 km2, found within the municipalities of Nabas, Malay, Buruanga, Libertad, and Pandan (Northwest Panay Peninsula NP, Philippines).
Northwest Panay Peninsula Natural Park is a valued watershed in the Panay Islands. Through its forest, the rainwater is channeled into a network of springs and rivers that supply water to over 100,000 people. According to Our Fragile Earth the Northwest Panay watershed also provides water to Boracay Island and the hundreds of thousands of visitors that visit there each year. It is vitally important to its surrounding communities for it provides the water supply, livelihood, and protection to people from natural disasters.
The Northwest Panay Peninsula consists of forests, waterfalls, rivers, mountains, and caves that provide life to multiple living systems. It houses multiple species that are proudly native to the region.
Visayan Leopard Cat
Visayan Warty Pig
Visayan Spotted Deer
Negros Bleeding Heart Dove
Visayan Hornbill
Walden’s Hornbill
Panay Monitor Lizard
Little Golden-mantled Flying Fox
The Local Government Units of Aklan and Antique have made alliances to address sustainable management and protection of the natural resources of the peninsula. They are the Northwestern Aklan Coastal Area Development Alliance (NACADA), LIPASECU (Libertad, Pandan, Sebaste, and Culasi Bay-wide Management Council), and the NPPBMC. Their objectives are 1) to provide the LGU Alliances with tools to strengthen their collective capacities for effective and efficient management of their coastal and terrestrial resources and, 2) to provide a venue for greater community participation in natural resource profiling, services (Northwest Panay Peninsula NP, Philippines).
However,
There are still continuous local tree-cutting and lash-and-burn farming activities that are unchecked. According to PhilinCon, crucial areas of the peninsula have been substantially depleted and are in desperate need of regeneration. There is also an ongoing over-exploitation of lumber resources, conversion of forest lands to agricultural lands, cuttings, girdling, and illegal hunting activities by outsiders. A recent report of the possible inclusion of the Northwest Panay Peninsula Natural Park in a hydropower project in Malay, Aklan, came out and brought concern to nearby communities and conservationists.
What can they do?
The active participation of LGUs in both the province of Aklan and Antique can use this opportunity to give livelihood to their communities and encourage them to engage in sustaining and protecting the peninsula. Over-exploitation and illegal activities can be stopped once the people are provided with steady livelihoods. This can start by introducing the communities to forest farming, using abundant natural resources for livelihood, and by possibly making the natural park an ecotourism attraction. Together with this, the LGUs will be able to educate the communities for them to be actively involved in effectively managing the resources since sustaining the protected area needs a collective effort.
What can we do?
Be a signatory to stop the inclusion of Northwest Panay Peninsula Natural Park in the hydropower project.
Spread awareness on the importance of protected areas.
Support organizations and join activities that are devoted to maintaining these protected areas.
Kristine Claire 