Agusan Marsh: A biodiversity hot spot
LONG BEFORE 6.17-meter crocodile “Lolong” became an icon of Agusan del Sur and landed in the Guinness Book of World Records, the province was already the toast of the world’s naturalists thanks to the Agusan Marsh and Wildlife Sanctuary.
A protected area covering more than 14,000 hectares in the heart of the 250-kilometer Agusan River, it is perhaps the country’s most significant wetland and is listed in the Swiss-based Ramsar’s List of Wetlands of International Importance.
Covering the towns of San Francisco, Bunawan, La Paz, Loreto, and Talacogon, it is home to 1,332 species of birds, 112 species of flowering plants and ferns, two crocodile species and 65 types of butterflies.
Also within the Marsh is Lake Mambagongon in La Paz town, home to the floating households of indigenous Manobos. The lake is where over 200 species of migratory birds from Northern Asia and Siberia stop for the winter, making it an important avian refuge. The lake also has a woodpecker’s park located along the river channel.
Visitors can observe nesting sites in bungyas trees, and watch Javan pond herons perched on bangkal trees or darting at water hyacinths to catch small fish and insects for food.
Lake Panlabuhan is a floodplain lake in Loreto town which is a swamp habitat for freshwater crocodiles and spread across sub-lakes and river channels. Other notable wildlife within the Marsh are the golden-crown flying fox, silvery kingfisher crocodile, and Southeast Asian migratory birds.
The indigenous Manobos here, who live in floating houses on the lake, still practice the ancient panagtawag ritual offered to the spirits to ensure the safety of visitors.
Provincial Governor Adolph Edward Plaza said that the Agusan Marsh is a one-of-a-kind tourist destination, and suggests the cruise along the picturesque Agusan River to see the rich tropical biodiversity of the area.
A supplemental ecosystem is the Agusan Peatland, a swamp in Caimpugan, San Francisco, a carbon sink which stores some 22.8 million tons of carbon (52.53 ton per hectare), the highest in the country.
The province is also home of the legendary Mount Magdiwata which boasts of a virgin forest with a series of seven major waterfalls and 53 smaller cascades.
Deriving its name from the legendary fairies, it towers at 633 meters, is home to a multitude of fauna and flora, including lawaan trees and the country’s biggest tanguile and bagrass, the world’s most colorful tree.
This 1,658-hectare rainforest park is also the watershed of San Francisco town, and sanctuary to deer, monkeys, wild boars, snakes, birds, squirrels, eagles, lizards and tarsiers.
Agusan Del Sur is also punctuated with Combretodenton quadrialatum trees, locally known as to-og, a species which thrives only in Mindanao and is scattered around the marsh, the national roads, and the Provincial Capitol Compound in Prosperidad.
The most prominent tree — 65 meters high, 360 centimeters in diameter, and estimated to be around 300 years old — stands proudly in San Francisco and is regarded as the world’s third tallest.
Another natural wonder is Bega Falls in upland Prosperidad, which serves as the core of the Bega River System, comprising of seven major waterfalls, most of which are designated for biodiversity research. Situated in a 290-hectare protected area in the bosom of the Ugnop Cave landscape forest reserve, a mountain resort is being developed for eco-tourism activities.
