The Kan-Irag Nature Park

In 2008, Kan-irag Nature Park was opened to the public. It hosted 27 tours spread out in seven schools and three local government units outside Cebu. These visits were for educational or research purposes. The rest of the visitors at the nature park were families and individuals whose sole purpose was to experience a natural environment entirely different from landscaped mountain resorts.

Improving biodiversity by replacing previously planted exotic species with indigenous species

There are about 71 tree species in the inventory list, of which nine species are exotics and widely distributed. If these exotic species will not be replaced, there will be less biological diversity. However, if the restoration process is sustained, tree species variety is expected to increase roughly up to 400 species covering the park’s entire 71 hectares in 10 years.

Densely planted exotic species were gradually thinned and pruned to allow lower indigenous plants and trees to grow. Gradual thinning and pruning would mean a period of six months while under-storey indigenous plants and trees from natural dispersers start to grow. Assisted Natural Regeneration (ANR) is essential in this type of habitat restoration where natural processes take their course. Approximately 20 hectares out of the 71 hectare lot is covered by this restoration process. After four months from the first thinning and pruning activity conducted in early 2008, lower vegetation had started to show signs of growth. More indigenous species not present in the previous inventory had grown as observed but have not been technically identified. Over time, the indigenous species will replace the exotics.

Other than ANR growth, dipterocarp species were also introduced and were planted in different gradients to facilitate studies on where these species thrive well. The effort is to discover different ecological niches which will be enhanced over time. Dipterocarp species are rarely found in existing Philippine forests. Introducing these species in the park would mean that in the future, they will serve as mother trees, and may be dispersed by natural means in the nearby wildlife corridors connecting to other forest patches of protected areas and watersheds.

Protected Wildlife Habitats

This directly pertains to the natural vegetation situated at the north-eastern boundary of the park, where a part is heavily vegetated and a part, composed of grasslands that are presently under restoration through ANR. This area is not open to the public but is monitored frequently by maintenance workers and security guards to ensure that encroachment is prevented. A Biodiversity Monitoring System (BMS) was set using one of the park trails that passes through the site. The monitoring is at its testing stage and is done internally by the park personnel thru ocular species inventory, Focus Group Discussion (FGD) and photo monitoring to observe vegetation change. However, training should be given to the park rangers, guides and local inhabitants for them to carry out the activity on a monthly or quarterly basis. Data collection is informal at present but is already providing positive results. Based on the birds’ inventory list taken before the park opening that bared 27 species have increased, dramatically adding four more new species, with two yet to be technically identified.