PUERTO

PUERTOPRINCESA
PRINCESAUNDERGROUND RIVER: :
UNDERGROUNDRIVER
ONE
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On November 11, 2011, Puerto Princesa
Underground River was provisionally
chosen as one of the
New 7 Wonders of Nature. This selection
was officially confirmed on January 28,
2012.
Want to know why?
Well…
 The Site features a spectacular limestone or karst

mountain landscape with one of the most impressive

cave systems in the world.
 It contains an 8.2 km long underground river that

flows directly to the sea.

 The lower half of the river is brackish and subject to

the ocean tides. This makes it the most unique

natural phenomenon of its type to exist.
 The discovery of 11 minerals, scientifically and

aesthetically unique speleothems, and a 20 million

year old Serenia fossil permanently embedded in the
walls of the cave justifies the declaration of the
Puerto Princesa Underground River as one of the
New 7 Wonders of Nature.
The river is called Puerto Princesa
Underground River or St. Paul
Underground River. The national park
is located in the Saint Paul Mountain
Range on the northern coast of the
island. It is bordered by St. Paul Bay to
the north and the Babuyan River to the
east. The City Government of Puerto
Princesa has managed the National Park
since 1992. The entrance to the
subterranean river is a short hike from
the town of Sabang.
 A Wonderful Discovery
In 2010, a group of environmentalists and
geologists discovered that the underground
river has a second floor, which means that
there are small waterfalls inside the cave.
They also found a cave dome measuring
300 m (980 ft) above the underground river,
rock formations, large bats, a deep water hole
in the river, more river channels, another deep
cave, as well as marine creatures and more.
Deeper areas of the underground river are
almost impossible to explore due to oxygen
deprivation.
 Flora
The park has a range of forest formations
representing eight of the thirteen forest types
found in tropical Asia, namely forest over
ultramafic soils, forest over limestone soils,
montane forest, freshwater swamp forest,
lowland evergreen tropical rainforest, riverine
forest, beach forest, and mangrove forest.
Researchers have identified more than 800
plant species from 300 genera and 100
families. These include at least 295 trees
dominated by the dipterocarp species. In the
lowland forest, large trees such as the Dao (
Dracontomelon dao), Ipil (Intsia bijuga), Dita (
Alstonia scholaris), Amugis
(Koordersiodendrum pinnatum), and Apitong (
Dipterocarpus gracilis) are common. Beach
forest species include Bitaog (Calophyllum
inophyllum), Pongamia pinnata, and Erynthia
orientalis. Other notable plant species include
Almaciga (Agathis philippinensis), Kamagong
(Diospyros pulganensis) Pandan (Pandanus
sp.) Anibong, and Rattan ('Calamus sp.)
Fauna
 Birds comprise the largest group of
vertebrates found in the park. Of the 252
bird species known to occur in Palawan, a
total of 165 species of birds were recorded
in the park. This represents 67% of the
total birds and all of the 15 endemic bird
species of Palawan. Notable species seen
in the park are the blue-naped parrot (
Tanygnathus lucionensis), Tabon scrub fowl
(Megapodius cumunigii), hill myna (Gracula
religiosa), Palawan hornbill (Anthracoceros
marchei), white breasted sea eagle
(Halitutus leucogates).
 There are also some 30 mammal species
that have been recorded.[4] Most often
observed in the forest canopy and along
the shoreline feeding during low tide is the
long-tailed macaque (Macaca fascicularis),
the only primate found in the area. Other
mammal species in the park are the
bearded pig (Sus barbatus), bearcat (
Arctictis binturong), Palawan stink badger (
Mydaus marchei) and the Palawan
porcupine (Hystrix pumilus)
Experiencing Puerto
Princesa
 AT
IN
‘TO
!

Thanks for listening!

Remember, this is something we should be proud of!