Area 120.1 km² Nearest city Roxas, Capiz | Established April 18, 2002 | |
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Location Aklan and Antique, Philippines Governing body Department of Environment and Natural Resources Management Department of Environment and Natural Resources | ||
The Northwest Panay Peninsula Natural Park is located on the island of Panay, in the provinces of Aklan and Antique of the Philippines which was proclaimed a natural park by President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo on 18 April 2002 (Presidential Proclamation No. 186, 2002). The Northwest Panay Peninsula Natural Park has an area of 120.09 km2, found within the municipalities of Nabas, Malay, Buruanga, Libertad and Pandan.
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Fauna
The site is home to a wide range of flora and fauna of the Western Visayas, as the Visayan leopard cat, the Visayan warty pig, the Visayan spotted deer, the Negros bleeding-heart dove, the blue-naped parrot, the Visayan hornbill, Walden's hornbill, and the Panay monitor.
Watershed area
The Northwest Panay Peninsula Natural Park is also an important watershed. The forest of the Natural Park channels the water from the rains into a system of springs and rivers that provide water for over 100,000 inhabitants. The water for Boracay Island and the hundreds of thousands of tourists that visit there every year is also provided by the Northwest Panay watershed.
Protection activities
As this area is considered highly important, the Northwest Panay Biodiversity Management Council (NPBMC) was formed in 1999 to protect it. The NPBMC is made up of the local government units of Northwest Panay, Non-governmental organizations like BioCon, and National and Local Government Agencies like the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (Philippines) (DENR).
In March 2016, the German government has provided 4 million Euro (Php200-million) grant for a forest protection project.