The boat ride from the pier to the underground river could be rough. Poaching of wildlife has been identified by NGOs and project staff working in the area as a high threat to the wildlife and reports of poaching have been made by staff. This park features a spectacular limestone karst landscape with an underground river. Resolution of the zoning of the property as well as ongoing land claims and control of tourism development are all key to ensure effective management and planning in the future. This leads to a lack of clarity regarding which activities are permitted inside the property and where they are permitted in regards to core habitat for biodiversity and subsequently hampers management efforts. Current management efforts do not appear to be sufficient to mitigate the negative impacts of ever increasing visitation. A limited annual budget, determined solely by annual tourism numbers, means that despite increasing levels of tourism, annual budgets for management remain small and insufficient. with specific and proven imminent danger (“ascertained danger”) or with threats which could have deleterious effects on the property’s Outstanding Universal Value (“potential danger”). Science-driven Management of Protected Areas: A Philippine Case Study. A number of local communities live within the boundaries of the property with the intact forest providing a number of environmental services not only for these communities but the wider Palawan population. (PPMP, 1999). Assessing the threats to the World Heritage property in the past has been difficult given the confusion as to what exactly constitutes the World Heritage property and particularly in regards to its boundaries and those of the buffer zone of Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park. The Forest within the buffer zone may be utilised for subsistence and livelihood purposes, however the level to which this is allowed and indeed monitored is unclear as is the zonation of the buffer zone. The State Party subsequently submitted a report on the state of conservation of the property on 1 April 2014, a summary of which is available at https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/652/documents. The Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park is a protected area of the Philippines located about 80 kilometres (50 mi) north of the city centre of Puerto Princesa, Palawan. PPRamsar (2012). No boundary modification has occurred. While this arrangement appears to have worked effectively to date there is some concern that changes in management perspectives may occur with changes in the holder of that Office. Unfortunately, the draft updated plan is incomplete and does not address training for staff in other areas beyond tourism and there is limited information available in this regard. While the State Party notes that this has occurred in the buffer zone of the property, the maps provided by the State Party suggest that some deforestation has in fact taken place within the property’s boundaries; The dramatic increase of tourist arrivals since the declaration of the property as one of the New 7 Wonders of Nature is confirmed. Assessing and indeed effectively addressing the threats to the World Heritage property is difficult as the management plan is yet to be updated including the recommended zoning of the property and this creates confusion as to what exactly constitutes the World Heritage property, which is key for protecting water quality and quantity and ensuring the long-term viability of the Outstanding Universal Value of the site. International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources, Overall assessment of protection and management, Assessing the current state and trend of values, Compilation of active conservation projects, 2017 Conservation Outlook Assessment (EN), 2014 Conservation Outlook Assessment (EN). Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park was declared by Proclamation No. Some degradation of the site’s biodiversity values by exploitation by the local community is recognized but the extent of the impacts of these threats is unknown given the lack of monitoring data and research. 165 bird species have been recorded in the site, including a number of rare and threatened endemic bird species including the Philippine cockatoo Cacatua haemeturopygia. This includes regular monitoring of the bat numbers within the underground river cave system, initiated after concerns about the impacts from the high number of tourist boats entering the cave system. The new management plan being developed for the site is attempting to address a number of these including development of an updated Tourism Management Plan (SOC, 2015). Tourism management should be further improved to avoid and mitigate negative impacts on the property. Committee sessions Statutory Documents Committee decisions More sessions... 44th session (2020) 14th Extraordinary session (2020) 43rd session (2019) 42nd session (2018), General Assembly 23rd GA UNESCO Paris (2021) 22nd GA UNESCO Paris (2019) 21st GA UNESCO Paris (2017), About World Heritage The Convention, Convention Text Policy Compendium Operational Guidelines The Emblem The States Parties The Advisory Bodies The Centre Employment & Internships Who's Who, The List World Heritage List World Heritage in Danger New Inscriptions Criteria for Selection Tentative Lists World Heritage List Nominations, Reporting & Monitoring State of Conservation (SOC) Periodic Reporting Questionnaires 2008-2015 Reactive Monitoring Africa Arab States Asia & Pacific Latin America and the Caribbean Europe and North America, Partnerships Become a Partner What Partners Do Our Partners, Activities All our activities Volunteer Group Tools. 835 on March 26, 1971. Would you like to share feedback to support the accuracy of information for this site? If so, send your comments below. The property is home to a number of occupants and residents who were present prior to the designation of the National Park and World Heritage property. With increasing population pressure in surrounding areas, agricultural expansion could become a more serious problem for the site if not correctly managed now. Despite the focus of management on tourism, the ever-growing numbers of visitors to the site and the resulting infrastructure to accommodate them remain key management challenges. While the issues of education and interpretation of the site are addressed in the management plan there is no indication that any of the proposed actions have been implemented. Of particular concern are the issues with land claims and illegal land sales in the property, and the planned SRPAO is welcomed in that regard. The coronavirus pandemic forced the closure of the park. Puerto Princesa Statement of Outstanding Universal Value. Community Based Environmental Restoration and Conservation of Damaged Areas of Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park. The threats to the site are significant in that its integrity is dependent upon activities within the catchment but there is no effective control of such activities, many of which are not consistent with conservation of biodiversity values and are causing measurable damage. In addition monitoring of the biodiversity of the site is limited and only recently have ongoing monitoring programmes been established. Keep cameras in waterproof bags. The threats to the site are significant in that its ongoing protection and integrity is dependent upon activities that occur anywhere within the catchment area of the subterranean river and for many of the identified current threats there is no effective control of such activities. Boat tours within the underground river cave system are provided by local community members and many of the jobs associated with the site provide employment opportunities. Switzerland: IUCN. The City Mayor has full responsibility over the property and all management decisions are made by the Mayor in consultation with the Protected Areas Management Board (PAMB). The river is also called Puerto Princesa Underground River.The national park is located in the Saint Paul Mountain Range on the western coast of the island. The World Heritage Centre and IUCN received information from a concerned party regarding a number of threats to the property. IUCN, (2015). Related to these changes are the ongoing issues with land claims and illegal land sales and development. 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