Naujan Lake is the fifth largest lake in the Philippines.  It is found in the northeast coast of the province of Oriental Mindoro on Mindoro Island; the island is in itself considered a discrete biogeographical region. The lake is 14 kilometers long and 6 kilometers wide and is bounded by the municipalities of Naujan, Pola, Victoria and Socorro.  The lake is home to rich ethnic and cultural diversity.  The population is composed of the Mangyans, indigenous people of Mindoro including the Tadyawan tribe in the area of the lake, and the “damuong” or non-Mangyans.

         Naujan Lake is a wetland known for its rich biodiversity.  Protected fish species such as Mugil dussumieri, Caranx sexfasciagus and Lutianus argentimaculojus, and various harvestable species.

         The lake is an important feeding or wintering ground for large numbers of ducks and other waterbirds such as herons, egrets, terns, rails and bitterns. The rare Amaurornis olivaceous is a resident-breeding species found in the area.  The endemic Philippine Crocodile Crocodylus mindorensis, a critically endangered freshwater crocodile, was recorded, but may now be extinct on Mindoro.

The Need to Conserve Naujan Lake

         The lake is a productive freshwater fishing site. It is also the central feature of Naujan Lake National Park established in 1956, which comprises a 2,175-hectare area of marshes and forest.  It has been included as one of the initial components of the National Integrated Protected Areas System (NIPAS) pursuant to the NIPAS Act of 1992.

         The lake is a designated Ramsar Site, a wetland of international importance, because of its biodiversity, its substantial numbers of waterfowls and its critical role in the migratory birds flyway path.

         However, the increasing human population has put a stress on the natural resources of the lake.  Intensive fishing continuously comes in conflict between preserving the National Park for wildlife and development of the area for commercial and subsistence level activities by the local residents. Further, large animals continue to be caught, including the small population of crocodiles.