The Quirino Protected Landscape is a

protected area Protected areas or conservation areas are locations which receive protection because of their recognized natural, ecological or cultural values. There are several kinds of protected areas, which vary by level of protection depending on the ena ...

in the

Philippine The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

island of

Luzon Luzon (; ) is the largest and most populous island in the Philippines. Located in the northern portion of the Philippines archipelago, it is the economic and political center of the nation, being home to the country's capital city, Manila, as ...

that covers a large portion of the province of Quirino. It was established in 2004 to preserve the watershed area containing the headwaters of the

Cagayan River The Cagayan River, also known as the Río Grande de Cagayán, is the longest river and the largest river by discharge volume of water in the Philippines. It has a total length of approximately and a drainage basin covering . It is located in t ...

, also known as the Rio Grande de Cagayan, which supports major irrigation systems in the entire

Cagayan Valley Cagayan Valley ( ilo, Tanap ti Cagayan; fil, Lambak ng Cagayan), is an administrative region in the Philippines, located in the northeastern section of Luzon Island. It is composed of five Philippine provinces: Batanes, Cagayan, Isabela, Nue ...

region. From an initial area of , the protected area now forms a total aggregate area of divided into three parcels after a 2005 amendment opened up a few areas to mining. It is a key biodiversity area of the Sierra Madre Biodiversity Corridor.

Geography

The Quirino Protected Landscape covers 67% of the total land area of Quirino province. It is located in the Upper Cagayan River Basin in central Sierra Madre and

Caraballo Caraballo is a Spanish surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Edward Caraballo (born c. 1961), American photojournalist * Erwin Caraballo (born 1981), Venezuelan sport wrestler * Francisco Caraballo (born 1983), Venezuelan baseball pla ...

ranges and extends into five municipalities of Quirino:

Maddela Maddela, officially the Municipality of Maddela ( ilo, Ili ti Maddela; tl, Bayan ng Maddela), is a 1st class municipality of the Philippines, municipality in the Philippine Province, province of Quirino, Philippines. According to the 2020 census ...

Nagtipunan Nagtipunan, officially the Municipality of Nagtipunan ( ilo, Ili ti Nagtipunan; tl, Bayan ng Nagtipunan), is a 1st class municipality in the province of Quirino, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 25,399 people. Na ...

, Cabarroguis, Aglipay and Diffun.

Rainforests Rainforests are characterized by a closed and continuous tree canopy, moisture-dependent vegetation, the presence of epiphytes and lianas and the absence of wildfire. Rainforest can be classified as tropical rainforest or temperate rainforest ...

covers most of the area, of which 76% is second growth and 24% is old growth forests. The protected area consists of three major river systems: Upper Cagayan River, Addalam River and Ganano River.

Biodiversity

The protected area is home to a wide array of endemic and endangered flora and fauna. At least 41 threatened animal species have been recorded in the area, including the

Cantor's giant softshell turtle The Asian giant softshell turtle (''Pelochelys cantorii''), also known commonly as Cantor's giant softshell turtle and the frog-faced softshell turtle, is a species of freshwater turtle in the family Trionychidae. The species is native to South ...

. Other animals that inhabit the watershed include bird species such as the Philippine eagle and Isabela oriole, gecko species such as the Sierra Madre fringed gecko, and freshwater fish like the

lobed river mullet The lobed river mullet (''Cestraeus goldiei''), also known as ludong or banak, is a freshwater mullet. While it is claimed to be endemic to Cagayan River and tributaries extending through the watersheds of Cagayan Valley and the Santa-Abra River ...

. In 2009, a new rafflesia species, the ''

rafflesia aurantia ''Rafflesia aurantia'' is a member of the genus ''Rafflesia''. It is a Parasitic plant, parasitic flowering plant endemism, endemic to Luzon Island, Philippines in the Quirino Protected Landscape. See original publication and a review of Philipp ...

'', has also been discovered in the area.

References

{{Protected areas in Cagayan Valley Protected landscapes of the Philippines Geography of Quirino Protected areas of the Sierra Madre (Philippines) Protected areas established in 2004 2004 establishments in the Philippines