Bulusan Volcano National Park

Bulusan Volcano Natural Park
IUCN category III (natural monument or feature)
The lake at Bulusan Volcano Natural Park
Location in the Philippines
Location	Sorsogon, Philippines
Nearest city	Sorsogon City
Coordinates	12°46′12″N 124°03′00″E / 12.77000°N 124.05000°E / 12.77000; 124.05000Coordinates: 12°46′12″N 124°03′00″E / 12.77000°N 124.05000°E / 12.77000; 124.05000
Area	3,672 hectares (9,070 acres)
Established	June 7, 1935 (National park) November 27, 2000 (Natural park)
Governing body	Department of Environment and Natural Resources

The Bulusan Volcano Natural Park is a 3,673-hectare (9,080-acre) protected area of rainforest surrounding Mount Bulusan in the Philippines. It was first designated as a National Park by Proclamation no. 811 on June 7, 1935. Under the National Integrated Protected Areas System (NIPAS) of 1992 managed by the Department of the Environment and Natural Resources, the park was reclassified as a Natural Park by Proc. 421 on November 27, 2000. The area features the volcano itself, the Bulusan Lake, the two other mountains known as the Sharp Peak and Hormahan and Lake Aguingay . The Park is located at the South central part of Sorsogon Province Southern Luzon, Bicol Region, Philippines, bounded by five municipalities such as Bulusan, Barcelona, Irosin, Juban and Casiguran.

There are three main peaks within the park, the active Bulusan Volcano, the highest of the three, which is characterized by numerous deep ravines and caves, and Sharp Peak and the mountain called Hormahan. The center of the mountain complex forms a vast plain that is occasionally flooded area known as the Lake Aguingay, which dries up during summer. Another lake in the Park is the Lake Bulusan. A substantial area of forest remains in the park, including both forest around the peak, and lowland forest on the slopes. Other habitats include secondary grassland, freshwater lakes and pools, small settlements and rural gardens, abandoned farmland and disturbed ground. The park supports the needs of the nearby communities through its forest products, watershed and recreational values. Local communities utilize the lower slopes as agricultural land. It is the source of water for several communities and for the irrigation of surrounding agricultural land, and it provides natural protection from calamities such as typhoons and flash floods.