The Buenavista Protected Landscape is a conservation area and an archaeological site located on Bondoc Peninsula in the southern Luzon province of Quezon in the Philippines . It conserves an important watershed area composed of secondary-growth forest, grassland and coconut land in the rural village of Buenavista within the coastal municipality of Mulanay . The area was primarily set aside for watershed protection and timber production in 1937 by President Manuel L. Quezon covering approximately 356 hectares (880 acres). In 2000, it was reestablished by President Joseph Estrada as a protected landscape area under the National Integrated Protected Areas System . The area is known as the site of an ancient village containing unique limestone graves discovered in 2011. The protected area, including the limestone tombs of Kamhantik were recommended by various scholars to be included in the tentative list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites , yet government or private entities have yet to file a tentative nomination to the UNESCO Secretariat.
20-628: The Buenavista Protected Landscape is an important watershed crossed by several rivers and streams such as the Mulanay River, Taisan Creek and Mahanao Creek which empty into the Sibuyan Sea . It is centered on Mount Maclayao (also known as Mount Kamhantik), the municipality's highest peak which rises to 1,260 metres (4,130 ft) above sea level, in the sitio of Kamhantik in Barangay Buenavista. The protected area also contains several caves in
40-520: A Spanish galleon that sunk in 1620 is located in the South of the passage. Most of the ship's cargo was salvaged from the wreckage between 1970 and 1990. Today, nothing remains of the wreck except for a few shards of porcelain and some larger pieces of terracotta jars. The keel was removed and is now located in Puerto Galera for conservation. However, some timbers from the keel remained and were left to rot at
60-552: A corridor from the Port of Manila to the Visayas and Mindanao in the south. A network of ferry routes cross the passage and connect the surrounding provinces of Batangas , Marinduque , Occidental Mindoro , Oriental Mindoro and Romblon . The Verde Island Passage is identified as a site of highest marine biodiversity importance in the Coral Triangle . The 1.14 million hectare passage
80-529: A depth of 6 meters in front of Sabang Beach. A team of marine conservationists declared in 2006 that the Philippines is the Center of Marine Biodiversity in the world and Verde Island Passage as the "Center of the Center of Marine Shorefish Biodiversity". Many threatened species which include sea turtles like hawksbills, olive ridleys, and green turtles; humphead wrasses, giant groupers and giant clams are present in
100-499: A drop in diversity. The Verde Island passage is located next to Batangas Bay which is rapidly becoming a major refining and petrol chemical center in the Philippines. Until now, no infrastructure is in place to contain a major oil, or chemical spill. The Passage is recognised for its marine diversity with an awareness for the need to protect the strait from over fishing through conversation programs and talks from academics. Marine parks and ocean guards have also been created to increase
120-409: A human tooth found in one of the graves. An ancient canal drainage system is also profound in the area, where some canals go under centuries-old balete trees. Numerous limestone coffins are also located under centuries-old trees. In addition, archaeologists have also discovered shards of earthen jars, metal objects, and bone fragments of humans, monkeys, wild pigs, and other animals in the tombs. The site
140-578: A location in the Philippines is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Isla Verde Passage The Verde Island Passage is a strait that separates the islands of Luzon and Mindoro in the Philippines, connecting the South China Sea with the Tayabas Bay and the Sibuyan Sea beyond. Traditionally, the sea lane has been one of the busiest in the Philippines because it acts as
160-492: Is extremely rich in marine biodiversity and has been called "Center of the Center of Marine Shorefish Biodiversity" with various conservation groups and local government units pushing for its nomination as a UNESCO World Heritage Site . Verde Island , located right in the center of the strait, is a popular diving location in the Philippines due to its clear waters and renowned biodiverse marine life. Daily trips for scuba divers are made from Puerto Galera . The wreckage of
180-487: Is unique in the Philippines in that it is the only ancient burial site with tombs made of stone material carved by metal tools. In 2015, the National Museum of the Philippines sent another team to do archaeological work in the site. The NM team found more human bone fragments, glass beads, gold artifacts, a small bell, and many others, however, the missing covers of the sarcophagi were not found. More than seventy percent of
200-513: The karst area extending to the village of Amuguis. The grasslands within the park are dominated by cogon grass and talahib . In the hilly areas grow forest tree species such as ipil-ipil , madre cacao and hauili . They provide the habitat for many migratory bird species such as the great egret , little egret , little heron , striated heron , plover , charadrius sp. , whimbrel , common redshank , common greenshank , common tern and whiskered tern . Other wildlife known to inhabit
220-492: The Philippines , the limestone coffins are "similar to ancient sarcophagus with round holes where wooden posts of houses or sheds may have stood" but the covers are missing, probably due to irresponsible treasure hunters during the Yamashita hype in the late 20th century. These rectangular tombs carved into limestone outcrops from the forest ground are said to be at least 1,000 years old based on US carbon dating tests carried out on
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#1733084824351240-531: The Verde Island Passage. However, there are no enforcement of ordinances and over-fishing is common. A short-lived 'park fee' scheme for the Verde Island drop-off dive site was soon dropped when it was discovered that the revenue was being used to buy better fishing gear and hence removing fish at a higher rate. Several species such as the humphead wrasse have low catches frequently reporting 0 catches. It
260-526: The area include monitor lizards , wild cats, hornbills , owls, wild doves and bats. The landscape is also home to Strongylodon juangonzalezii discovered in 2016. On the forest-covered summit of Mount Maclayao in Sitio Kamhantik, at least 15 limestone coffins dating to approximately the 10th to the 14th century have been unearthed by Filipino archaeologists in 2012. According to the National Museum of
280-680: The base camp in Buenavista from the Mulanay town proper. Sibuyan Sea The Sibuyan Sea is a small sea in the Philippines separating Luzon to the Visayas . It is bounded by the island of Panay to the south, Mindoro to the west, Masbate to the east, and to the north Marinduque and the Bicol Peninsula of Luzon. The Sibuyan Sea is connected to the Sulu Sea via the Tablas Strait in
300-577: The diversity of the Verde Passage and the dire need for its protection. There are other major issues that affect the sustainability of the Verde Passage. The heavy use of agro-chemicals (pesticides and chemical fertilizer) in the up-stream of Batangas River and the resultant wash off down the river and finally into the Batangas Bay is a serious issue that warrants attention. The discharge of urban waste and grey water in Puerto Galera and other urban areas into
320-469: The numerous bays around the passage is yet another major issue. The treatment of grey water and septic effluent is not practiced which is a huge concern. The growing tourism aggravates this problem. The area has more than 300 species of corals, which is considered one of the largest concentrations of corals in the country, or possibly, the whole world. Coral health is generally good, though the effects of global warming and increased pollution, may still lead to
340-399: The passage on a daily basis. It is common that commercial vehicles discharge various pollutants into the waters on which the municipalities and other local bodies have no control. In stormy times, large vehicles are seen anchoring to the corals in the area causing damage to them. The conservation message has to be put cross to major commercial shipping lines and the crews need to be educated on
360-635: The site have yet to be studied and surveyed. The Buenavista Protected Landscape is located about 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) east of the poblacion or town proper of Mulanay and some 135 kilometres (84 mi) southeast from the Quezon provincial capital of Lucena . It is accessible via the Pan-Philippine Highway (AH26) and the Miguel Suarez Highway (Bondoc Peninsula National Road) from Lucena and Manila to Mulanay, and through an access road to
380-782: The west, the South China Sea via the Isla Verde Passage in the northwest, and the Visayan Sea via the Jintotolo Channel in the south-east. The Romblon Islands lie within the Sibuyan Sea. The sea was the site of the Battle of the Sibuyan Sea on October 24, 1944, where the Japanese battleship Musashi was sunk and other ships were damaged. [REDACTED] Media related to Sibuyan Sea at Wikimedia Commons This article about
400-479: Was particularly noted the rare red fin wrasse ( Cirrhilabrus rubripinnis ) thrives in Verde Island. There is a complete moratorium of all types of fishing in the Batangas Bays and around Mindoro island. The fish sold in the markets of Puerto Galera comes from distance places such as Romblon. The other main contributor to sustained marine diversity is the damage caused by commercial vessels and other ferries using
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