Natural
Parc national de la rivière souterraine de Puerto Princesa
Philippines
Photo : Vyacheslav Argenberg (CC BY 4.0)
Located in Palawan in the Philippines, this national park protects one of the world's longest underground rivers. The site encompasses a complex karst landscape featuring limestone formations, cave systems, and diverse tropical forest ecosystems that extend from the mountains to the coast. The underground river flows through a series of caves, creating a unique hydrological system within the karst terrain. The area is characterized by its geological significance, with extensive cave networks and subterranean waterways carved through limestone bedrock over millions of years. The site supports varied flora and fauna adapted to both the terrestrial forest environment and the cave ecosystem, including species found in the underground river and its surrounding habitats. Its designation recognizes the geological importance of the karst system and the ecological value of the protected landscape.
