The Sierra Madre, the longest mountain range in the Philippines, is one of 221 key sites for biodiversity on the planet. The range starts in the province of Cagayan and ends in the province of Quezon, just east of Laguna de Bay.

Over 101 species of reptile and amphibian were documented by a team from the University of Kansas in a scientific paper published on February 7, 2013 in “Zookeys,” a peer-reviewed open access academic journal for the field of Zoology. The team, which included Filipino, American, and Dutch scientists, found 29 amphibians, 30 lizards, 35 snakes, two freshwater turtles, three marine turtles, and two crocodilians in their study of the Sierra Madre mountains. Two forest frogs have been declared endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

The Sierra Madre mountain range contains the largest remaining tract of old-growth tropical rainforest in the country. It has 1.4 million hectares of forest, representing 40% of the country’s forest cover. It is home to hundreds of wildlife species, which are unique to the Philippines, such as Philippine eagle and golden crowned flying fox. Its watersheds support major infrastructure, including dams that irrigate farmlands in Central Luzon and the Cagayan Valley region, the country’s rice granary, and water utilities and power plants that supply Metro Manila and nearby provinces.

A campaign by the government and environmentalists is ongoing to protect and preserve the Sierra Madre mountain range. The people of Cagayan Valley reforest the mountains through the National Greening Program. Local residents are assisted in building environmentally friendly livelihoods, such as agroforestry and ecotourism. Law-enforcement agencies, including the military, police, and Department of Environment and Natural Resources enforce Executive Order 23, implementing a log ban in the region. Proclamation No. 413, issued by President Benigno S. Aquino III, declared September 26 of every year as “Save Sierra Madre Day” to step up efforts to rehabilitate, reforest, protect and conserve the Sierra Madre mountains.

We congratulate Quezon Governor David C. Suarez and Cagayan Governor Alvaro T. Antonio, and other Officers in their support to help preserve the resources and wildlife of the Sierra Madre mountains. CONGRATULATIONS AND MABUHAY!