Mount SiburanMount Siburan is a Important Biodiversity Area - Key Biodiversity Area (by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature); Local Cultural Property - Historical Marker of the Municipality of Sablayan; Registered Property, Municipality of Sablayan, Occidental Mindoro located at Sablayan, Occidental Mindoro, Region IV-B.
Mt. Siburan is considered as the largest primary lowland forest in the whole island of Mindoro. It is recognized by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as one of the 117 Important Biodiversity Areas (IBA) in the Philippines. Its protection is under the jurisdiction of the Sablayan Prison and Penal Farm (SPPF) in Sablayan, Occidental Mindoro. Its forests are deemed indispensable to the people of Sablayan due to copious reasons- it is the source of raw materials for the people's livelihood as well as potable water and water for irrigation. It also serves as a barrier to calamities such as flash food and soil erosion..
It has 5,000 hectares of old growth or primary forest, which is the largest tract of contagious remaining virgin forest in the whole Mindoro Island. Around 14 hectares of this lies next to Libuao Lake. Siburan Forest is a home to different plants and animals. There are 31 kinds of birds, including the endemic Mindoro Imperial Pigeon, Mindoro Tarictic Hornbill, Mindoro Bleeding Heart and the Black-hooded Coucal. More than 8 species of mammals, like Pygmy Fruit Bat and Warty Pig and about 80 species of tropical plants and hardwoods can also be found in the area. (Source: sablayan.net)