Fast Facts: Mt. Makiling Forest Reserve
• The Mt. Makiling Forest Reserve covers 4,244 hectares of land in the towns of Los Baños and Bay, and Calamba City in Laguna province and Sto. Tomas City in Batangas province. It is divided into four subwatersheds—Molawin-Dampalit, Cambantoc, Greater Sipit and Tigbi.
• Its habitat types are mixed dipterocarp and Leguminosae to mossy forest. The reserve contains at least 2,038 species and 19 subspecies of flowering plants and ferns.
• Mt. Makiling is home to 45 species of mammals, 181 species of birds, 65 species of reptiles, 22 species of amphibians, and 7,000 species of insects. Among the endemic species found in the reserve are the Philippine calotes, the frog Philautus sardus, the Philippine warty pig and Philippine deer.
• It is a popular ecotourism destination because of its proximity to Metro Manila. Among Makiling’s most frequented sites are the Makiling Botanic Gardens, Flatrocks, mud springs, Makiling Rainforest Park and Peak 2.
• The reserve was established in 1910 and has since served as an outdoor laboratory under the management of the University of the Philippines Los Baños. In 2013, the Mt. Makiling Forest Reserve was declared an Asean Heritage Park.
Source: Asean Heritage Park booklet/Asean Centre for Biodiversity
