Mount Hamiguitan is a mountain located in the province of Davao Oriental. It has a height of 1,620 meters (5, 314.96 ft.). The mountain and its vicinity has one of the most diverse wildlife populations in the Philippines. Among the wildlife found in the area are Philippine eagles and several species of Nepenthes. Some of the latter, such as the Nepenthes peltata, are endemic to the area. The mountain has the only protected forest in the Philippines, with an estimated area of 2,000 hectares. This forest is noted for its unique pygmy forest of century old trees in an ultramafic soil, with many endangered, endemic and rare species of flora and fauna.
Mount Hamiguitan (Nephenthes)
The Mount Hamiguitan Range, with an area of 6,834 hectares (68.34 km2), was declared a national park and Wildlife Sanctuary in 2003. In 2009, the provincial officials of Davao Oriental submitted the park for listing as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Location
Mount Hamiguitan is located in the province of Davao Oriental in the southeastern part of the island of Mindanao, Philippines. It occupies the land area within the political boundaries of Mati, San Isidro and Governor Generoso.
Flora
Inventory of flora species in the mountain and its vicinity showed that its montane forest has the highest species richness of plants with 462 species, followed by its dipterocarp forest with 338 species, mossy forest with 246 species and agro-system with 246 species.
Fauna
The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List has identified at least 11 endangered vertebrate species. The Philippine Council for Agriculture, Forestry and Natural Resources and Development (PCARRD) reported that the mountain is inhabited by five endangered species, 27 rare species, 44 endemic species and 59 economically important species. The following species can be found in the area:
- Philippine eagle (Pithecophaga jefferyi)
- Giant Golden-crowned Flying Fox (Acerodon jubatus)
- Philippine Forest Roundleaf Bat (Hipposideros obscurus)
- Philippine Tarsier (Tarsius syrichta)
- Philippine Warty Pig (Sus philippinensis)
- Philippine Brown Deer (Cervus mariannus)
- Fischer's Pygmy Fruit Bat (Haplonycteris fischeri)
- Asian Palm Civet (Paradoxurus hermaphroditus)
- Tawitawi Brown-dove (Phapitreron cinereiceps)
- Tarictic Hornbill (Pinelopides panini)
- Grey-hooded Sunbird (Aethopyga primigenius)
- Giant Scops-owl or Mindanao Eagle-owl (Mimizuku gurneyi)
- Batomys hamiguitan (a yellow-brown furry-tailed rat species endemic to the area)