Northern Sierra Madre Natural Park

Northern Sierra Madre Natural Park
IUCN category II (national park)
The Northern Sierra Madre Natural Park in Diddadungan, Palanan, Isabela
Location within the Philippines
Location	Isabela, Philippines
Nearest city	Ilagan
Coordinates	17°18′29″N 122°5′10″E / 17.30806°N 122.08611°E / 17.30806; 122.08611
Area	359,486 hectares (888,310 acres)
Established	September 7, 1979 (Wilderness area) March 10, 1997 (Natural park)
Governing body	Department of Environment and Natural Resources

The Northern Sierra Madre Natural Park is the largest protected area of the Philippines covering the northern range of the Sierra Madre mountains of eastern Luzon.^[1] The park is located in the eastern part of the province of Isabela in Cagayan Valley (Region II) containing a total of 359,486 hectares (888,310 acres).^[2] It was first declared a wilderness reserve encompassing an area within a 45 kilometres (28 mi) radius of Palanan Point known as the Palanan Wilderness Area through Letter of Instructions No. 917-A signed by President Ferdinand Marcos on September 7, 1979.^[3] On March 10, 1997, the area was converted into a natural park with the signing of Proclamation No. 978 by President Fidel Ramos.^[4]

The park is considered the richest in terms of genetic, species and habitat diversity in the Philippines. It is one of the country's ten priority protected areas managed by its own Protected Area Management Board headed by the Regional Executive Director of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources for Region II under the rules set forth in Article III of Republic Act 9125, also known as the Northern Sierra Madre Natural Park (NSMNP) Act of 2001.^[1][5] In 2006, the protected area was added to the Philippines' tentative list of potential UNESCO World Heritage Sites.^[1]