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Site description (2001 baseline):
Site location and context
Quezon National Park lies the east of Lucena City, next to the main Maharlika Highway, on a limestone plateau of 10-15 km2. It is immediately to the north of Pagbilao and Tayabas Bay (PH026). The main habitat of the park is lowland evergreen rain forest, but the forest is heavily encroached and there are areas of kaingin and small settlements. However, reasonably tall forest still remains at its core, of taller stature than the forests of Angat Dam (PH019) to the north.
Local people use the forests in the park as a source of timber and minor forest products. It is a popular destination for visiting birdwatchers, and for other forms of tourism and recreation
Quezon National Park is a popular site with birdwatchers, and many of the threatened and restricted-range birds of the Luzon Endemic Bird Area have recently been seen there, including the threatened Philippine Hawk-eagle, Philippine Kingfisher and Ashy Thrush. Although most of these species still occur in the park, the rapid decline and apparent extinction of the local population of Green Racquet-tail dramatically illustrates the negative effect that the on-going loss of habitat and other pressures are having on the populations of all of these birds in the park. If these pressures are not contained, this IBA could soon lose much of its value for biodiversity conservation.
Non-bird biodiversity: This IBA is reported to support the threatened Luzon-endemic Gray’s Monitor Lizard Varanus olivaceus.
Quezon National Park lies the east of Lucena City, next to the main Maharlika Highway, on a limestone plateau of 10-15 km2. It is immediately to the north of Pagbilao and Tayabas Bay (PH026). The main habitat of the park is lowland evergreen rain forest, but the forest is heavily encroached and there are areas of kaingin and small settlements. However, reasonably tall forest still remains at its core, of taller stature than the forests of Angat Dam (PH019) to the north.
Local people use the forests in the park as a source of timber and minor forest products. It is a popular destination for visiting birdwatchers, and for other forms of tourism and recreation
Pressure/threats to key biodiversity
The forests in Quezon National Park are under the combined pressure of conversion for agriculture by the growing number of settlers within the park boundaries, kaingin, quarrying, charcoal production and exploitation of timber. Unless measures are taken to curtail these activities, the undisturbed forests which the park was established to protect will disappear within a few years. Quezon Province suffered in the forest fires of 1983, and whole sections of the forest near the peripheral road appear to be dead.
Quezon National Park was declared by Proc. No. 740 on 25 October 1934 (535.08 ha), and Proc. No. 594 on 5 August 1940 (983.08 ha). This IBA is proposed as a protected landscape under the NIPAS.
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Quezon National Park (Philippines). Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/quezon-national-park-iba-philippines on 23/12/2024.
