The Philippines declares more than 100,000 acres as critical habitat
In November last year, the Philippines declared its largest critical habitat yet. Located in the long, narrow Philippine island of Palawan, the new Cleopatra’s Needle Critical Habitat is spread across 41,350 hectares (more than 100,000 acres). The second largest critical habitat, Carmen Critical Habitat for Marine Turtles, spans nearly 6,000 hectares. Critical habitats — portions of land outside protected areas that have known habitats of threatened or endemic species — are usually small, focusing on one or a few species. For example, the critical habitat declared for the endemic Philippine duck stands at 178 hectares, while that for a critically endangered Rafflesia flower stands at about 16 hectares. The newly declared Cleopatra’s Needle Critical Habitat is massive in comparison.
