Saturday,March 23, 2019

ASEAN Heritage Parks (AHPs)

The Association for Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Heritage Parks are representative of efforts to conserve areas of particular biodiversity importance or exceptional uniqueness throughout ASEAN member states. The ASEAN Ministers of Environment cooperatively signed the ASEAN Declaration on Heritage Parks on 18 December 2003. Through the declaration, countries agreed that:

common cooperation is necessary to conserve and manage the AHP for the development and implementation of regional conservation and management action plans as well as regional mechanisms complementary to national efforts to implement conservation measures.”

The ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity (ACB) serves as the secretariat of the ASEAN Heritage Parks Programme.

Currently the Philippines has 9 ASEAN Heritage Parks sites, 2 of which are designated as UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Agusan Marsh Wildlife Sanctuary was the latest site to be officially recognized during the 6th ASEAN Heritage Parks (AHPs) Conference in Pakse, People’s Democratic Republic of Laos.

Designation DateASEAN Heritage Park NameLocationUNESCO Site (Y/N)
1984 Mt. Apo Natural Park Cotabato
1984 Mt Iglit Baco National Park Mindoro
2009 Mt. Kitanglad Range Natural Park Bukidnon
2011Mt. Malindang Natural Park Misamis Occidental
2013Mt. Makiling Forest ReserveLaguna
2014Tubbataha Reefs Natural ParkPalawanYes
2014Mt. Hamiguitan Range Natural Park Davao OrientalYes
2015 Mt Timpoong-Hibok-Hibok Natural Monument Camiguin
2019 Agusan Marsh Wildlife Sanctuary  Agusan del Sur