Despite gaining worldwide attention, Masungi Georeserve has not shaken off the threat of land grabbers, encroachers, and illegal quarrying, all of which are very damaging to the precious ecosystem in the sanctuary.
Masungi Georeserve is an internationally awarded conservation project that is just a day trip away from Manila. It is the last protective shield of Metro Manila from flash floods, typhoons, and climate change.
In an interview with Esquire Philippines, Masungi Georeserve reveals the secrets of why powerful people seek to exploit mountain range, and why it is crucial to prevent them from doing that at all costs.
Throughout its existence, the reserve has ensured the survival of over 400 species of flora and fauna, protected 60-million-year-old limestone formations, planted 40,000 indigenous trees, and employed over 100 locals who are now helping protect this piece of paradise.
“Masungi is home to hundreds of native plant and animal species that are part of Filipino natural heritage. Our forest is one of the last remaining forests near Manila and the way we take care of reflects how we care for our forests throughout the country,” Masungi Georeserve tells Esquire Philippines.
According to Masungi Georeserve, the watershed areas around Masungi protect the National Capital Region and Rizal Province from the worsening impacts of climate change. According to the World Bank study on the Upper Marikina Watershed in 2017, in-tact forests can lower flood water volume by 27 percent to 48 percent versus a depleted forest.
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Through forest restoration efforts, Masungi strives to help defend communities surrounding the watershed, especially those living in low-lying areas, from extreme flooding brought by typhoons or rainfall intensified by climate change.
What is so special about Masungi that powerful people are seeking to exploit?
PHOTO: Jilson Tiu
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Masungi is located at the southern tip of the Sierra Mountain Range, a place rich in natural resources. According to the protectors at Masungi, the Province of Rizal itself, where Masungi is situated, contributed the largest output to the mining sector of the entire Region 4A-CALABARZON.
Based on data provided by the Mines and Geosciences Bureau, Rizal Province is the country’s largest producer of industrial mineral basalt, with a production value of more than P1.7 billion in 2021. Masungi Georeserve could be sitting on top of a very rich quarry that is worth hundreds of billions of pesos.
“So it is not surprising that some parts of Masungi are still under the threat of quarrying companies. They still have a presence in the area. This shows their continued interest in the land because their quarrying contracts have only been suspended and not canceled permanently,” the Georeserve says.
But more than the quarry, it is also Masungi’s beauty that attract exploiters.
“The fertile environment, composed of trees, clean waters, fresh air, and an exceptional view of the Laguna de Bay, is also what drives the illegal occupants to build massive infrastructures like resorts,” says Masungi Georeserve.
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According to Masungi Georeserve, establishments like these are not in keeping with the area because trees are cut and waterways are diverted to make way for the construction of illegal resorts. These, in turn, may cause habitat destruction, soil erosion, and water pollution, which the neighboring communities will suffer from.
What are some of the most special discoveries made in Masungi?
Ever since conservation and rehabilitation efforts were started in Masungi 20 years ago, the place has transformed from a barren wasteland to a precious paradise. Slowly through the decades, vanishing species of plants and animals began returning. Among the most special discoveries made in Masungi are the following.
JC's Vine
PHOTO: Masungi Georeserve
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JC's vine has been documented in only four places in the Philippines and has a bluish to purple color gradient, instead of the green species on the 5-peso coin. According to scientists, the most prolific blooming of the JC's vine can be found in Masungi.
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H.l. masungiensis
PHOTO: Masungi Georeserve
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Discovered in 2020, this tiny species of snail is found nowhere else in the world—only in Masungi. It is a site-endemic snail subspecies that is less than 5 mm in size, about as small as an ant. It is a subspecies of a snail previously specified in Baguio City, but they are described to be physically different from each other and only with closely identical genes.
Flying Fox
PHOTO: Masungi Georeserve
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In August 2022, scientists confirmed the presence of the critically endangered Masungi. It is the first confirmation of the existence in Rizal of the Luzon-endemic Mottle-winged Flying Fox (Desmalopex leucopterus). It belongs to a genus of bats that can only be seen in the Philippines, and are among the largest bats in the world. It is characterized by its medium to pale brown wings with white blotches, particularly on the foremost edge of the wing and around the wingtip. They typically have a total length of around 185 to 240 millimeters and weigh around 250 to 375 grams.
Prehistoric Plants Older than Dinosaurs
PHOTO: Masungi Georeserve
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In July 2020, the reserve shared how aprehistoric plant older than dinosaurscan be found in its forests.According to theMasungi Georeserve Foundation, cycads are regarded as the "Rosetta Stone" of plant biology because of the information they contain about the Earth's past. Of the 11 cycads species in the Philippines, 10 are endemic—or can only be found here.
“Masungi is a wildlife sanctuary for endangered fauna species like the Philippine Hawk Eagle, Indigo-banded Kingfisher, Philippine Hanging Parrot, and more. It is also the home of different endangered and threatened plant species like the Bagawak-Morado, Narra, Kamagong, White Lauan, and more,” Masungi Georeserve says.
How has the Masungi Georeserve Foundation improved the state of sanctuary?
In 1996, the barren land in Baras, Rizal was abused and plagued by destructive activities including lots of land speculation. But thanks to 25 years of restoration efforts, the limestone formation remained intact, and a secondary forest has now emerged.
In 2015, the Masungi Georeserve Foundation was launched and the Discovery Trail was opened to help sustainably finance the conservation efforts of the landscape through geotourism. The rope courses and temporary structures in the trail are designed to be low-impact and complementary to the natural terrain.
In 2017, through a landmark agreement with DENR, Masungi started to restore degraded watershed areas around Masungi, including portions of the surrounding watershed areas. As of 2022, there have been significant milestones in the Masungi Geopark Project, the location of the foundations’ forest restoration project.
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There have been 2,000 out of 2,700 hectares secured for conservation, 17 ranger stations established, 100 rangers engaged in meaningful work, 18 km of monitoring trails established, and around 70,000 native trees planted and nurtured.
But a lot of work still needs to be done.
Masungi's attention is focused on the protection of forests in the surrounding watershed and this protection carries risks for the safety of the forest rangers who are on the frontline of guarding and nurturing the forest land. The main deterrents to our work are the large-scale illegal occupants of the area, quarrying companies, and their cohorts. Some of the rangers were even shot, mauled, and harassed by these violators.
“Forests do not regenerate overnight, and greedy interests only slow down their rehabilitation,” Masungi Georeserve tells Esquire.
“There’s still a long way to go to bring back the life of the watershed. If damaging developments and impunity continue to prevail in the area, no matter what kind of effort Masungi, our forest rangers and partners do, a safe and abundant future for the forest and the communities who depend on it will remain uncertain. This is why we need serious law enforcement and support from the government on the ground.
But there have been successes—the project is globally renowned for ‘flipping the script’ in terms of watershed rehabilitation—showing that it is possible to change the way things have always been. We were able to stop at least 4 major illegal occupations in the past two years.
“We now have a presence in 2,000 hectares out of 2,700 hectares of the project site. This is a big deal and we hope we can get the support we need to sustain it. If we don’t, all of these gains will be lost once again,” says Masungi Georeserve.
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