Site Nomination for Peat Site Profiles in Southeast Asia
Category:
Protected Area
Name of Site: Naujan Lake National Park
Country: Philippines
GPS Point: Latitude: 13°09’ 2.1” N Longitude: 121°18’34.5” E
Location & Access: Barangay Road (Bambanin) 100 meters from the national highway; Brgy Leido less than 1 km from the highway; Brgy San Narciso 2.5km from the highway, Brgy Batong Dalig 2km from the highway
Total Area: 100.00 hectare(s)
Background of Site: The catchment area of NLNP is being subjected to indiscriminate land use conversion for agriculture and agroforestry.The uplands or catchment area of NLNP are beyond the park boundaries and are largely privately owned.

Almost half of the Naujan Lake watershed has level to undulating slopes (0 to 8%). Approximately 90% of these lands are used for paddy production and the remaining 10% are identified as swamp areas adjacent to the lake. The moderate slopes (8% to 25%) are limited to strips of footslopes and toeslopes, which represent the break or transitional landform between the steep hills or mountains and the floodplains. These moderately sloping areas of the watershed are under intensive cultivation of mixed crops. Almost two thirds of the watershed can be described as hilly to mountainous with slopes ranging from 25% to more than 50%.

Naujan catchment drains by two main rivers such as Malayas River and Subaan River with numerous intermittent creeks. The level to nearly level areas composed of peatland or marshes, lacustrine plain, alluvial plain, river terraces and residual terraces; upland, hillyland to mountain composed of sedimentary and volcanic hills.

Site evaluation of existing land use within NLNP showed that settlement areas adjacent to the lake are expanding.   At present, with the geometric increase in population due to in-migration, the prevailing condition in Naujan Lake National Park requires a modification of its boundaries for a more efficient management and administrative control. Whereupon, a large portion of the terrestrial catchment under the present total land area of 21,655 hectares are occupied and cultivated. Most of which are built – up areas such as the town proper of Pola, Barangay’s Tiguihan ,Batuhan, Pahilahan, Calubasanhon , Casiligan, Maluanluan, and Matulatula in Pola ; Matungao. Mabuhay I, Leuteboro II, Subaan, Happy valley, Mabuhay II, Batong dalig, Pasi I, and Pasi II in Socorro

Areas irrigated via rivers and tributaries of the lake are devoted to paddy rice. The western portion of the national park which is considered marshland from Merit, Bambanin, Leido, Pakyas, Canaan, Bethel, Balauan, San Narciso, Urdaneta in Victoria to Brgys. San Pedro, Dao, Laguna and Bayani in Naujan are dominated by rice paddies except for the sedges which are near the shorelines. These rice paddies are fully developed, some of these areas are titled and had long been cultivated and in existence as such for a number of decades. Further, there has been a large increase in the areas planted to banana, rambutan, lanzones,citrus and other fruit bearing trees. These findings were based on changes in vegetative cover, as areas previously mapped as forest are now extensively grown to perennial crops.
Areas mapped in 1985 as forests were noted to have changed significantly based on recent ground survey. Forests in the catchment area of the national park are currently limited to only a few patches.

The few remaining forest stands occupy very steep slopes which makes cutting very difficult.

Many trees along the hilly to mountainous areas of the watershed have already been cut. What remains are few individuals or patches of trees in ravines. The trend in terms of land use was found to be towards further encroachment of the few remaining secondary forests, and their subsequent cultivation to perennial trees. Settlement areas are expected to expand further with increasing population growth.
Significant Value of Site:
- Biodiversity
- Hydrology
Designated use (status/legal classification):
- HCVF

Major Issues: Peatland in the area has been released as A and D
Conversion to agricultural areas and these areas are ultimately abandoned.
Abandoned agricultural areas due to decreasing yield.
Site Jurisdiction & Administration: The national park is bordered by the municipalities of Naujan in the north, Victoria in the west, Socorro in the south and Pola in the east.The four municipalities in Naujan Lake National Park (NLNP) account for approximately 29% of the total population of Oriental Mindoro. There are 18 lakeshore barangays surrounding the lake namely:Montelago, Bayani, Laguna and San Pedro of Naujan; Urdaneta, San Narciso,Malabo, Duongan, Leido, Bambanin and Merit of Victoria; Pasi I, Pasi II,Batong Dalig, Mabuhay II and Lapog of Socorro; Matulatula and Tagbakin of Pola.
Peatland Type: Lowland
Management activities: a) Past
Prior to the proclamation as Naujan Lake National Park (NLNP) on year 1956 these areas were already classified as Alienable and Disposable land since year 1924 and so some portions of NLNP were issued land title and developed as agricultural area on the western and eastern side of the lake . After the proclamation, applications for land title were not already entertained by the Bureau of Lands since the area was reverted to national park, however, settlers remained in their positioned area and continued developing/converting the land. Bureau of Land records shows that there were approved isolated surveys and issuances of land titles before the proclamation.

b) Current
Proclaimed as Naujan Lake National Park in year 1956. It has been included as one of the initial components of the National Integrated Protected Areas System (NIPAS) pursuant to the NIPAS Act of 1992.

c) Potential
The Anatidae Site Network in the East Asian Flyway of the Japanese Association for Wild Geese Protection (JAWGP) has considered the NLNP as one of its site networks. The site network is a co-operative international program for the conservation of Anatidae populations and their habitat and their goal is to ensure the long-term conservation of the migratory Anatidae populations in the East Asian Flyway through recognition and appropriate management of a network of sites of international importance. Naujan Lake supports more than one percent of total biogeographical population estimate of tufted ducks (Dendrocgyna arcuata) wintering in the East Asian Flyway. Likewise, the lake also sustains an appreciable number of Anas luzonica and the Aythya fuligula
Facilities & Activities Available on Site:
Institution Responsible for the Site:
Name of Organization: Biodiversity Management Bureau
Postal Address: Ninoy Aquino Parks and Wildlife Center
Quezon Avenue, Diliman
Quezon City
Philippines
Phone: +6329258950
Fax: +6329258950
Website: http://bmb.gov.ph/
Nominated by:
Name: Armida P. Andres
Organization: Biodiversity Management Bureau