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BMB - DENR
Ninoy Aquino Parks and Wildlife Center Compound
Quezon Avenue, Diliman, Quezon City Philippines 1101
Telefax (+632) 925-8950
bmb@bmb.gov.ph
http://www.bmb.gov.ph
ISBN 978-621-95016-2-0
Inland wetlands boundaries and their geographic locations are subject to actual ground verification and survey/
delineation. Administrative/political boundaries are approximate. If there are other wetland areas you know and
are not reflected in this Atlas, please feel free to contact us.
Recommended citation:
Biodiversity Management Bureau-Department of Environment and Natural
Resources. 2014. Atlas of Inland Wetlands in Mainland Luzon, Philippines.
Quezon City.
Published by:
Biodiversity Management Bureau - Department of Environment and Natural Resources
Argean Guiaya
Jerome P. Bonto
Foreword........................................................................................................... 4
Acknowledgement............................................................................................ 5
Introduction...................................................................................................... 6
List of Maps
Map 1. Inland Wetlands................................................................................... 7
Map 2. Lakes................................................................................................... 8
Map 3. Marshes/Swamps............................................................................... 9
Map 4. Ponds.................................................................................................. 10
Map 5. Water Storage Areas........................................................................... 11
Map 6. Rivers and River Systems................................................................... 12
Map 7. Inland Wetlands within NIPAS, CH and KBA....................................... 13
Map 8. Potential Ramsar Sites........................................................................ 14
Pocket Map 1 : NIPAS Sites ......................................................... Loose Sheet
Pocket Map 2 : Key Biodiversity Areas ........................................ Loose Sheet
Pocket Map 3 : Critical Habitats.................................................... Loose Sheet
List of Tables
Table 1. List of Lakes, Marshes, Swamps, Water Storage Areas
and Ponds............................................................................................. 17
Table 2. List of Rivers and River Systems ....................................................... 19
Table 3. List of NIPAS sites, KBAs and CHs within Inland Wetlands............... 29
Table 4. NIPAS sites, KBAs and CHs within Inland Wetlands.......................... 32
Edge Genciagan
The Philippines hosts a wide range of wetland types, classified as inland, coastal and human-made
wetlands. These diverse types of wetlands benefit the country and its people through its support to the
diversity of ecosystems and the resources within, while performing an array of ecosystem services. The
direct and indirect benefits include those critical for human survival, such as being the source of drinking
water, food, shelter, and livelihood activities, as well for adaptation and mitigation from disasters like
flood, storm surge, tsunami and drought. Few examples of these wetlands and the benefits they provide
are: the Taal Lake, is known for the “Tawilis” (Sardinella tawilis) which is found nowhere else in the
world, and the delicious “Maliputo” (Caranx ignobilis) which may be the same species as the ordinary
“Talakitok”, but is valued more when grown in the lakewaters of Taal; the scenic and geological beauty of
the wetland complex composing the Puerto Princesa Subterranean River, which has captured the attention
of both national and international tourism industry; the coastal lagoons, marshlands, and mangroves of
the Las Piñas-Paranaque Critical Habitat and Ecotourism Area, which has hosted various waterbirds,
enough to be considered a worthy bird-watching paradise in an urban setting; and the vast mangrove
stands of Guian, Samar, which studies had proven, had much dissipated the impact of storm surges during
the typhoon “Yolanda” to adjacent communities.
The Biodiversity Management Bureau, along with its many efforts to instill awareness on the importance
of these invaluable wetlands, had embarked on a Wetlands Conservation Program which includes the
identification, inventory, profiling, as well as management plan preparation and implementation of the
many wetland habitats in the country. The Atlas of Inland Wetlands in Mainland Luzon, Philippines is a
major step in fulfilling the objectives of this Program. Once the list of wetlands in the whole country is
updated, baseline information on the location and types of wetlands can better inform policies and/or site
specific management decisions or interventions.
The Atlas is intended to be a user-friendly reference presented in thematic and composite maps.
Although limited to inland wetlands, and to the mainland of Luzon, it provides an initial structure to
build on a complete nationwide wetland database and mapping system. It contains 756 inland wetlands,
classified into lakes, swamps/marshes, rivers and river systems, water storage areas and ponds which
are presented in eight (8) thematic maps, including a map of potential Ramsar sites. It is also provided
with clear maps which can be manually overlain into the thematic maps to identify locations of wetlands
within different conservation schemes and prioritization such as the National Integrated Protected Area
System, Critical Habitats and Key Biodiversity Areas.
The development of the Atlas further warranted the conduct of a more comprehensive and ground-
verified wetlands inventory. In addition, to complete the effort in mapping out all the wetlands in the
country, it is envisioned to become a continuing DENR activity, which would proceed with the inland
wetlands in Visayas and Mindanao, including the smaller islands.
With this, I would like to extend our heartfelt thanks to the Ramsar Regional Center-East Asia for the
support and for all those who extended their assistance to make this publication possible.
Let us wisely use our wetlands. Wetlands are our main source of water and water is life.
Wetlands are areas of marsh, peat or water whether natural or temporary, with water
that is static, flowing, fresh, brackish, or salt, the depth of which at low tide does not
exceed six meters. It is classified into coastal wetlands (tidal flat, reef flat, seagrass
bed, saline lagoon and mangrove), inland wetlands (estuary, river, marsh, swamp forest
and lake), and, human-made wetlands (irrigated ricefield, fishpond and dam).
The Philippines, consisting of more than 7,000 islands and islets, has a wide
range of wetland types. It is composed of three (3) major islands, Luzon, Visayas, and
Mindanao, which is divided into 17 administrative regions. Luzon is the largest island
covering eight (8) administrative regions, namely, Cordillera Administrative Region
(CAR), National Capital Region (NCR), and Regions I to V, with Region IV divided
into IV-A and IV-B.
The Atlas of Inland Wetlands in Mainland Luzon, Philippines is a preliminary
updating of existing inland wetlands in the country. It focused on mainland Luzon and
excluded Batanes and some islands in Cagayan of Region II; some islands in Quezon of
Region IV-A; all provinces of Region IV-B; and, Catanduanes and Masbate provinces
of Region V. The information in the Atlas was generated from existing BMB list of
wetlands, interview results, and published and unpublished literature. The location of
the wetland sites were mapped using Geographic Information System. Data validation
was done through consultation-workshop, coordination with concerned agencies and
DENR Regional Offices, and to some extent site visit.
A total of 756 inland wetlands were identified in mainland Luzon. Out of these,
86% are rivers and river systems; 11% are lakes; 2% are human-made (dams); and
about 1% are marshes, swamps and ponds. Four hundred ninety two (492) inland
wetlands were identified within National Integrated Protected Area System (NIPAS)
sites, declared Critical Habitats, Key Biodiversity Areas, and potential Wetlands of
International Importance or Ramsar Sites
Note: See Table 1 for the list of lakes, marshes, pools, water storage areas and ponds presented in this map 7
MAP 2
8 Note: See Table 1 for the list of lakes presented in this map
9
MAP 3
10
MAP 4
11
MAP 5
MAP 6
12 Note: See Table 2 for the list of names and the corresponding grid location of rivers and river systems presented in this map
MAP 7
Note: See Table 3 for the list of the inland wetlands within NIPAS Sites, Key Biodiversity Areas and Critical Habitats 13
14
MAP 8
DENR – PAWD 4A
Taal Lake, Batangas
Juliet C. Narte
Ran Young Im
Pantabangan Reservoir