Landuse and Landcover Changes in Mount Malindang Range Natural Park, Philippines

Abstract

Mt. Malindang Range Natural Park (MMRNP) is one of the Key Biodiversity Areas (K.B.A.) in the Philippines. One of the major threats facing MMRNP is land-use change and habitat loss. Landuse and landcover changes in the MMRNP were determined from 1992 to 2015 using Geographic Information System (G.I.S.). Human settlements and agricultural land uses were increasing and often directly bordered the protected area boundaries. Results also showed that human settlements in MMRNP are creeping towards the core zone, potentially increasing human activity and threatening the protected area's biodiversity. Urban expansion around MMRNP varied but increasing as much as 10%. Forest cover varied both within the buffer and core zones with possible evidence of deforestation throughout the MMRNP. Comparison of spatial data from 1992 and 2010 survey reveals a reduction of 10,588.80 hectares in forest cover. Spatial analyses of forest cover data between 2010 and 2015 indicated an increase of ~157.2 hectares of forest cover due to the National Greening Program (N.G.P.) of DENR. Increasing human impacts and continued loss and fragmentation of wildlife habitats inside the protected areas strongly affect their effectiveness as conservation sites. Promoting awareness of biodiversity conservation among residents should be one of the major focuses of the management plans. It is essential to continue efforts to protect and manage protected areas such as Mt. Malindang Range Natural Park. The findings of this research provide a valuable contribution to support biodiversity conservation. It is highly recommended that periodic monitoring, both spatial and ground truthing activities of the land cover across the MMRNP is essential to better understand the trends in land use impacts to protected areas. Keywords : biodiversity, conservation, forest cover, G.I.S., protected area