who saves who

September 26 is Save Sierra Madre Day. Once again the mountain range has saved the Philippines from another major storm - Karding/Noru. Yet this valuable resource is constantly under threat, sorely lacking conservation and protection.

Sierra Madre's forests and watersheds are home to some of the country's richest wildlife communities. More than 291 species of birds and 25 endemic mammals live within the Northern Sierra Madre Natural Park alone.

forest cover as of 2010

The Kaliwa dam project is threatening the endangered species living in the sparse remaining forest of Sierra Madre Range and indigenous people's lives in that area. 

The "New Centennial Water Source" project is in Sitio Cablao, Brgy. Pagsangahan, General Nakar, Quezon / Sitio Queborosa, Brgy. Magsaysay, Infanta, Quezon.  

Sierra Madre doing what she does best when typhoons hit

This project replaced the Kaliwa Low Dam that did not materialize. Under his administration, Rodrigo Duterte approved the Chinese-funded proposal. 

The project continues to face strong opposition from the public yet the government is eager to continue. Under public protest construction of Kaliwa dam began in 2022.

vanishing forests of the Philippines

The previous image shows the extent of forest cover loss in the last century. To put emphasis on how Sierra Madre acts as a natural shield, several online users shared a screenshot of the wind conditions in the Philippines at the time of Karding’s arrival last Sunday. The screenshot was from Earth Nullschool. 

photo credit: Jose Ma Lorenzo Tan, WWF-Philippines

Sierra Madre is the longest mountain range in the Philippines that covers the northeast coast of Luzon from Cagayan to Quezon. It is the barrier or backbone of Luzon that protects the island from storms. Save Sierra Madre today and every day.