*

Lake Lanao is located in the Province of Lanao del Sur, an

Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao,
Philippines surrounded by volcanoes and towns.

It lies between 8 N. Latitude and 124 E. Longitude.

Lake Lanao has an immense watershed of approximately
147,460 ha. It has an area of 354.60 square kilometers and a
mean depth of 60 meters, with the deepest part at 112
meters.

It is the largest lake in Mindanao, the second largest in the
Philippines, and is considered one of the 17 ancient lakes of
the world that is little known and seldom visited by tourists.

The lake is fed by four rivers contributing water to
Lake Lanao which consist of Taraka, Gata, Masiu, and
Bacayawan.

The lake's only outlet is the Agus River, which exits
southwest into Iligan Bay by the Maria Cristina Falls
and Cinnamon Falls. Lake Lanao serves as a
reservoir for the Agus hydroelectric power plants
tapped by the National Power Corporation
(NAPOCOR) which generates about 75% of Mindanaos
power. Maria Cristina Falls is very beneficial in that it
has a very strong surge of water and powers
the hydroelectric power plant that supplies the
electricity.


On the other hand, a variety of waterfowl now live at Lake Lanao
because it is well-supplied with wetlands providing excellent
breeding habitats for shorebirds. They include egrets, bitterns,
herons, ducks, geese, rails, and Eurasian coots found in large
numbers. Also wild pig and deer inhabit the shoreline as well, which
is also used for livestock grazing. The ecoregion is also home to 41
endemic freshwater crab species.
Lake Lanao used to be home to 18 endemic fish species, Cyprinids,
which is a large family of freshwater fish that include carps,
minnows, and barbs, with 3 endemic species left.

Unfortunately, changes in water levels and the introduction of other
non-native species of fish have reduced the number of endemics as
well.



LOCATION AND MAP
OF LAKE LANAO:


HISTORICAL STATE OF
LAKE LANAO:
Lake Lanao never originally existed as a lake
before so there's not really much to say how it
historically looked like. However, it was believed
to have formed by a collapsed crater of a
volcano now surrounded by farming villages and
towns. Lake Lanao fills the crater of the volcano
at an elevation of 2,300 feet above sea level. It
has been theorized by David G. Frey that the
lake developed as a result of "the tectonic-
volcanic damming of a basin between two
mountain ranges and the collapse of a large
volcano.

The formation of the basin could
have resulted from depressed fault blocks
caused by the movement of the underlying
magma." (David G. Frey) According to Frey of
Indiana University in Bloomington, the
establishment of Lake Lanao might have
happened during the late Tertiary Period. The
Tertiary Period ended about 10,000,000 years
ago therefore making Lake Lanao about 10
million years old.
HUMAN IMPACTS OF LAKE LANAO:
* Lake Lanao and along the rivers
has suffered from logging timber, extensive
land use, and also from farming in the
water catchment area.
*Logging in the water catchment area
is slowly increasing soil erosion, and this is
causing increased siltation and affecting
water quality in the lake.
* Soil erosion also contributes to the decline
of the lake due to increasing sewage
and agricultural run-off which have added
greatly to the deterioration of water quality
in the lake.
*Pollution from insecticides and herbicides
from hunting, over fishing, and the
introduction of exotic species of fish such as
the white goby and milk fish all contributed
to the extinction of the 18 endemic species
of cyprinid fish with only the Puntius lindug,
P. sirang, and P. tumba species left.

Extensive logging practices around Lake Lanao

Algae contamination in the lake
LAKE LANAO AND IT'S BENEFITS:

*Lake supports a major fishery including goby, tilapia,
catfish, and many more fish.
*It is important for recreational activities including
boating, swimming, sport fishing, and commercial
fishing.
*Lake is used extensively by Maranao people as a
primary transportation route to transport
farm products, goods to sell, and also people to the
settlements along the shore lines as well.
*Maranao people grow rice and other crops on their
farming plots and use the lake water for bathing and
drinking water and being the primary source of power
in Mindanao.




Aside from fishing, Lake Lanao was used extensively to transport
farm products and people.