Mount Data

Mount Data is a mountain located in the Cordillera Central mountain range rising to a height of 2,310 metres (7,580 ft) in the north of Luzon Island, Philippines.[2] It is about 100 kilometres (62 mi) north of Baguio on the borders of the provinces of Benguet and Mountain Province along the Halsema Highway.[3][4] The mountain and surrounding area has been declared a National Park since 1936. In 1940 the park was expanded to 5,513 hectares (13,620 acres).[5][1] The slopes of the mountain are covered with pine forests and mossy oak forests.[4]

Mount Data
Mount Data in the far distance (mid-center)
Highest point
Elevation2,310 m (7,580 ft) [1]
Coordinates16°53′0″N 120°50′48″E 
Geography
Mount Data
Mount Data
CountryPhilippines
RegionCordillera Administrative Region
Province
Parent rangeCordillera Central

The national park hosts five major rivers: the Chico, Ahin, Siffu, Abra, and Amburayan rivers. The Agno River also originates from Mount Data and flows through Benguet.[6] The reserve is also a watershed, which serves towns in Mountain Province, Buenget, and Ifugao.[7]

The mountain is the site of the Mount Data Peace Accord of 1986 between the Government of the Philippines and the Cordillera People's Liberation Army.[8]

Fauna

Mount Data is formerly known for its great biological diversity and is a place that has long been in the attention of biologists. In 1895, the Englishman John Whitehead gathered a vast collection of mammals and birds from the mountain. This mammal collection was then donated to the British Museum. A research by zoologist Oldfield Thomas showed that many unknown species inhabit the area. Half a century later, a large collection of small mammals was collected by an expedition led by the Filipino biologist Dioscoro S. Rabor.[9] Some of these mammals are Carpomys melanurus (short-footed Luzon tree rat) and Carpomys phaeurus (white-bellied Luzon tree rat). In addition to several rare species of mammals, there are also some bird species like the Collocalia whiteheadi (Whitehead's swiftlet), which was only known then from a specimen that was caught during the expedition of John Whitehead on the mountain.[10]

Carpomys melanurus (greater dwarf cloud rat) was first found on Mount Data in 1896.[11]

See also

References
  1. Cairns, Malcolm, ed. (2017). Shifting Cultivation Policies: Balancing Environmental and Social Sustainability. CABI. p. 720. ISBN 978-1786391797. Retrieved 22 February 2019.
  2. "Mount Data | Protected Planet". Protected Planet. Retrieved 2018-04-22.
  3. Grele, Dominique; Jouve, Lily Yousry (2004). 100 Resorts in the Philippines: Places with a Heart. Asiatype, Inc. p. 77. ISBN 9719171979. Retrieved 22 February 2019.
  4. "Mt. Province Travel Information". Asia Travel. Archived from the original on 7 May 2001. Retrieved 22 February 2019.
  5. Perera, Jayantha (2009). Land and Cultural Survival: The Communal Rights of Indigenous Peoples in Asia. Asian Development Bank. p. 71. ISBN 978-9292547134. Retrieved 22 February 2019.
  6. "Cordilleras lose 500 hectares of forest cover yearly–Alvarez". Business Mirror. 2015-07-06. Retrieved 2020-08-02.
  7. Quitasol, Kimberlie (2016-06-13). "DENR rejects Mt. Data downgrade from protected park". Inquirer. Retrieved 2020-08-02.
  8. "Cordillera celebrates 25th anniversary of peace accord". GMA News Online. Retrieved 2020-08-02.
  9. Losing Diversity and Courting Disaster: The Mammals of Mt. Data National Park door Lawrence R. Heaney, Danilo S. Balete, Joel Sarmiento, en Phillip Alviola, Haribon.org Retrieved 13 June 2007
  10. Heaney, Lawrence R.; Balete, Danilo S.; Rickart, Eric A. (2016). The Mammals of Luzon Island: Biogeography and Natural History of a Philippine Fauna (illustrated ed.). JHU Press. pp. 5–7. ISBN 978-1421418377. Retrieved 22 February 2019.
  11. "Dwarf Cloud Rat Rediscovered After 112 Years". ScienceDaily. May 2, 2008. Retrieved 2020-08-02.


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