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
Elevation	2,310 m (7,580 ft) [1]
Coordinates	16°53′0″N 120°50′48″E
Geography
Mount Data Show map of Luzon Mount Data Show map of Philippines
Country	Philippines
Region	Cordillera Administrative Region
Province	Benguet Mountain Province
Parent range	Cordillera 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

• List of mountains in the Philippines
• List of national parks of the Philippines

References

1. Cairns, Malcolm, ed. (2017). Shifting Cultivation Policies: Balancing Environmental and Social Sustainability. CABI. p. 720. ISBN 1786391791. 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 9292547135. 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 1421418371. Retrieved 22 February 2019.
11. "Dwarf Cloud Rat Rediscovered After 112 Years". ScienceDaily. May 2, 2008. Retrieved 2020-08-02.