THE Department of Environment and Natural Resources-Davao (DENR-Davao) announced the annual three-month closure of the Mt. Apo Natural Park (MANP) from June to August 2026.
“All trekking and camping activities are hereby prohibited until the closure is lifted,” DENR-Davao said in its Facebook post on June 1, 2026.
The department said that all trekking and camping activities on all open trails in the Davao Region and Soccsksargen areas of the park would be prohibited. The closure ensures rehabilitation, disaster prevention, biodiversity preservation and protection, and development.
The closure is in line with PAMB-En Banc Resolution No. 08, series of 2021.
The annual closure of Mt. Apo began in 2022 following the Mt. Apo Natural Park Protected Area Management Board (MANP-EMB) En Banc Resolution No. 06, series of 2021, which mandates a three-month yearly off-season for the area.
Activities in MANP will resume automatically after the off-season period.
Mt. Apo is the highest peak in the Philippines, with an elevation of 2,954 meters above sea level. It has a land area of 65,900.9 hectares and is geographically located between North Cotabato and the Davao Region.
The mountain was recognized as one of the heritage sites of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean).
Meanwhile, MANP was declared a protected area under the National Integrated Protected Areas System (Nipas) Act, or Republic Act No. 7586, enacted and approved on June 1, 1992, by former President Corazon C. Aquino.
The area has 800 types of flora. Of that number, 27 floral species have economic, cultural, and medicinal significance. As for fauna, there are about 272 types of birds and 54 species of mammals, including the national bird, the Philippine Eagle.
There are about 414 faunal species, of which 207 are endemic to MANP, while 146 faunal species and 27 floral species have economic and medicinal significance. RGP
