Aurora Memorial National Park 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 ...

of the

Philippines 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 ...

located within the

Sierra Madre Sierra Madre (Spanish, 'mother mountain range') may refer to: Places and mountains Mexico *Sierra Madre Occidental, a mountain range in northwestern Mexico and southern Arizona *Sierra Madre Oriental, a mountain range in northeastern Mexico *S ...

mountain range between the provinces of

Nueva Ecija Nueva Ecija, officially the Province of Nueva Ecija ( tgl, Lalawigan ng Nueva Ecija , also ; ilo, Probinsia ti Nueva Ecija; pag, Luyag/Probinsia na Nueva Ecija; Kapampangan: ''Lalawigan/Probinsia ning Nueva Ecija''), is a landlocked province i ...

and

Aurora An aurora (plural: auroras or aurorae), also commonly known as the polar lights, is a natural light display in Earth's sky, predominantly seen in high-latitude regions (around the Arctic and Antarctic). Auroras display dynamic patterns of bri ...

Central Luzon Central Luzon ( pam, (Reyun ning) Kalibudtarang Luzon, pag, (Rehiyon na) Pegley na Luzon, tgl, (Rehiyon ng) Gitnang Luzon, ilo, (Rehion/Deppaar ti) Tengnga ti Luzon), designated as Region III, is an administrative region in the Philippines, ...

. The Aurora Memorial National park covers an area of 5,676 hectares stretching over 50 kilometers along the scenic

Bongabon Bongabon, officially the Municipality of Bongabon ( ilo, Ili ti Bongabon; tl, Bayan ng Bongabon), is a 2nd class municipality in the province of Nueva Ecija, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 66,839 people. It ha ...

Baler A baler or hay baler is a piece of farm machinery used to compress a cut and raked crop (such as hay, cotton, flax straw, salt marsh hay, or silage) into compact bales that are easy to handle, transport, and store. Often, bales are configured ...

road. Established in 1937 by virtue of ''Proclamation No. 220'', the park was dedicated to then

First Lady First lady is an unofficial title usually used for the wife, and occasionally used for the daughter or other female relative, of a non-monarchical A monarchy is a form of government in which a person, the monarch, is head of state fo ...

Aurora Aragon Quezon. It had an initial area of 2,356 hectares. By 1941, its size more than doubled to its current area of 5,676 hectares. The maximum altitude of the park is reported to be 1,000 m, so the main forest type inside the park must be lowland

dipterocarp Dipterocarpaceae is a family of 16 genera and about 695 known species of mainly tropical lowland rainforest trees. The family name, from the type genus ''Dipterocarpus'', is derived from Greek (''di'' = two, ''pteron'' = wing and ''karpos'' = fru ...

, with only limited areas of

montane forest Montane ecosystems are found on the slopes of mountains. The alpine climate in these regions strongly affects the ecosystem because temperatures fall as elevation increases, causing the ecosystem to stratify. This stratification is a crucial f ...

. Land uses inside the park include both permanent and shifting agriculture (

kaingin Slash-and-burn agriculture is a farming method that involves the cutting and burning of plants in a forest or woodland to create a field called a swidden. The method begins by cutting down the trees and woody plants in an area. The downed vegeta ...

) and forestry.

Wildlife

The park is promoted by the local government as an eco-tourism destination containing some of the most important rainforests in this part of the region. Its location in the Sierra Madre range provides a rich habitat to a diverse flora and fauna, including several species of amphibians, reptiles (lizards, snakes and turtles) and birds (vultures, falcons and hawks.) It is also home to the Luzon water-redstart and the endangered

Philippine eagle The Philippine eagle (''Pithecophaga jefferyi''), also known as the monkey-eating eagle or great Philippine eagle, is a critically endangered species of eagle of the family Accipitridae which is endemic to forests in the Philippines. It has br ...

References

National parks of the Philippines Protected areas of the Sierra Madre (Philippines) Protected areas established in 1937 1937 establishments in the Philippines Geography of Aurora (province) Geography of Nueva Ecija Tourist attractions in Aurora (province) Tourist attractions in Nueva Ecija {{CLuzon-geo-stub

Wildlife

See also

References