Sierra Madre (Philippines)

island satellite image showing the range in dark green In the north, the range starts in the province of Cagayan and ends in the south in the province of Quezon. In the province of Nueva Vizcaya, the Caraballo Mountains lies between Sierra Madre and Cordillera Central. The mountain range is widely believed to serve as a typhoon barrier for Luzon. However, it is only truly effective for Cagayan Valley where wind exposure and rainfall brought on by the typhoon are both reduced. For the rest of Luzon along its western slopes such as in Metro Manila, rainfall is actually enhanced by orographic lifting. Elevation The range's highest point is unclear, and several peaks are attributed as the highest. Mount Anacuao in Aurora province stands at , while Mount Cetaceo in Cagayan is of similar altitude. However, an expedition in September and October 2012 to Mount Guiwan (Nueva Vizcaya) preliminarily measured an altitude of on the summit. Peaks List of highest peaks along the mountain range by elevation. • Mount Guiwan – • Mount Bintuod – • Mount Mingan – • Mount Anacuao – • Mount Cetaceo – • Mount Dos Cuernos – • Salakot Peak – • Mount Cresta – • Mount San Cristobal – • Mount Otunao – • Mount Irid – • Mount Batay – • Mount Dos Hermanos – • Mount Minalunad – • Mount Oriod – • Mount Palanan – • Mount Cagua – • Mount Etnora – • Mount Lubog – • Mount Sumag – • Mount Batolusong – • Mount Mapalad – • Mount Daraitan – • Mount Maynoba – • Mount Masungki – • Mount Binutasan – • Mount Malauban – Rivers List of major rivers along the mountain range by length. • Cagayan River – • Pampanga River – • Ilagan River – • Angat River – • Agos River – • Pinacanauan River – • Umiray River – • Palanan River – • Marikina River – • Abuan River – • Aguang River – • Kaliwa River – Waterfalls • Daranak Falls, Tanay • Eva Falls, Doña Remedios Trinidad • Lucab Falls, Doña Remedios Trinidad • Secret Falls, Doña Remedios Trinidad • Talon Pari Falls, Doña Remedios Trinidad • Talon Pedro Falls, Doña Remedios Trinidad • 13th Falls, Doña Remedios Trinidad • Verdivia Falls, Doña Remedios Trinidad • Zamora Falls, Doña Remedios Trinidad • Ditumabo Mother Falls, San Luis, Aurora Ecoregions Two ecoregions cover the Sierra Madre. The Luzon rain forests cover the lower slopes of the range, and are characterized by dipterocarp trees. The Luzon montane rain forests cover the portions of the range above elevation, and are characterized by laurel forests of oak and laurel trees. National parks • Aurora Memorial National Park • Biak-na-Bato National Park • Fuyot Springs National Park Other protected areas • Amro River Protected Landscape • Angat Watershed Forest Reserve • Casecnan Protected Landscape • Dinadiawan River Protected Landscape • La Mesa Watershed Reservation • Magapit Protected Landscape • Northern Sierra Madre Natural Park • Pantabangan–Carranglan Watershed Forest Reserve • Peñablanca Protected Landscape and Seascape • Quezon Protected Landscape • Quirino Protected Landscape • Simbahan-Talagas Protected Landscape • Talaytay Protected Landscape • Upper Marikina River Basin Protected Landscape Active volcanoes • Cagua Volcano, an active volcano in Cagayan province that last erupted in 1907. Indigenous and remote communities Indigenous peoples Sierra Madre is home to Indigenous Dumagat-Remontado communities who have ancestral domain claims covering parts of the mountain range. Remote communities Some coastal communities east of the Sierra Madre mountains, especially from Palanan, Isabela heading north to near the northernmost tip of mainland Cagayan, are remote and isolated with no roads connecting them to towns west of the mountain range. Towns like Palanan, Divilacan and Maconacon, Isabela can only be reached by plane from Cauayan or a boat ride from Aurora province, south of Isabela or from Santa Ana, Cagayan, north of the province. Ilagan–Divilacan Road traversing the Sierra Madre mountain is about to be completed. == Biodiversity ==

The Sierra Madre mountain range is rich in genetic, species, and habitat diversity, supplying food, water, and shelter to millions of people. The mountain range hosts multiple watersheds and some of the Philippines' oldest forests. These forests are some of the country's largest remaining forest blocks, including an old-growth dipterocarp forest, montane forests, and extensive lowland forests. In the forest, in April 2010, the endemic lizard species Northern Sierra Madre Forest monitor lizard – Varanus bitatawa (common name: Butikaw) was described to science, although the Aeta and Ilongot indigenous peoples have known and used it as a food source. The Northern Sierra Madre forest monitor lizard is one of the three frugivorous lizards in the Varanidae family along with V. olivaceus and V. mabitang. All of the three frugivorous lizards are found only in the Philippines. Endemic mammals in Sierra Madre are the Sierra Madre shrew mouse and Sierra Madre forest mouse. Non-endemic flora and fauna Pterocarpus indicus ("Narra"), the national tree of the Philippines, Agathis dammara ("Almaciga"), and Diospyros blancoi ("Kamagong") can be found on the Sierra Madre range. Isabela oriole, Philippine eagle, and Philippine crocodile are critically endangered species that can be found in fragmented locations. ==Human activities==

damage from logging and charcoal-making. Forest-loss due to anthropogenic activities The Sierra Madre mountain range forest habitat is threatened by human activities. Settlers living at the lower portions of the slopes generally are supported by work in logging and charcoal-making. Some portions of the forest cover are already second growth forest. Forest degradation of at least per year caused by illegal tree cutting, slash-and-burn farming, fuel-wood collection, illegal hunting, and residential expansion. Oceana continues to assert a right to operate despite the expiration of its permit, and opposition by organized local residents, the Catholic Church, and worldwide environmental groups. Hydropower project The Kaliwa dam project through a project called "New Centennial Water Source" in Sitio Cablao, Brgy. Pagsangahan, General Nakar, Quezon / Sitio Queborosa, Brgy. Magsaysay, Infanta, Quezon is threatening the endangered species living in the sparse remaining forest of Sierra Madre and indigenous people's lives in that area. This project replaced the Kaliwa Low Dam that did not materialize and under the new administration, Rodrigo Duterte approved the Chinese-funded proposal. Aside from the destruction of ecologically important forests, the dam also faces controversy for fulfillment of its financial requirement through a Chinese loan with a 2.0% interest rate rather than a Japanese loan with a 1.25% interest rate. The project continues to face strong opposition from the public yet the government is eager to continue. Construction of Kaliwa dam began in 2022. Conservation efforts The Mabuwaya Foundation is a non-governmental organization that aims to protect and conserve the Philippine crocodiles and other endemic and threatened species. They mainly work in the towns of Divilican and San Mariano in Isabela. The Sierra Madre Biodiversity Corridor Program is described in national biodiversity reporting as an initiative by Conservation International Philippines focused on conserving biodiversity within the corridor. On June 19, 2012, in light of the onslaught of Tropical Storm Ondoy on September 26, 2009, Philippine president Benigno Aquino III signed Proclamation No. 413, declaring every September 26 as "Save Sierra Madre Day" in an effort to raise awareness on the benefits that the Sierra Madre brings and the risks and dangers of neglecting it. The proclamation also calls "all sectors of society and the government" to join hands in pursuing activities geared toward the conservation of the Sierra Madre, and to plan, prepare, and conduct activities in observance of Save Sierra Madre Day. ==Gallery==

File:Gabaldon,NuevaEcijajf9578 12.JPG|The mountains in Gabaldon File:Ultrabasic forests above 1200 m at Barangay Diddadungan - ZooKeys-266-001-g006.jpg|The mountains in Isabela as viewed from Barangay Diddadungan in the town of Palanan File:Northern Sierra Madre.jpg|Northern portion of the range File:Dingalan Mountain View.jpg|Mountainous coast of Dingalan facing the Philippine Sea File:Pamitinan.jpg|View from Mount Pamitinan summit in Rodriguez ==See also==