The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) has reclassified four caves in Luzon in a bid to ensure their proper management and conservation.

From Class 1, the DENR's Biodiversity Management Bureau (BMB) said the Ganway Cave in Barangay Malamsit, Penarrubia town, and the Quitinday Cave in Barangay Quitinday, Jovellar town, both in the province of Albay, are now at the Class II level

The same classification was hoisted over Sung Wan Cave in Barangays Lawigue, Tayabas City, Quezon province .

Class I caves are those with delicate and fragile geological formations, threatened species, and archeological and paleontological values, the DENR said.

Caves that fall under this classification can be used for “mapping, photography, educational, and scientific purposes” due to their natural values and hazardous conditions. Such caves are closed for ecotourism activities, it noted.

Class II caves, on the other hand, have areas or portions with hazardous conditions and sensitive geological, archeological, cultural, historical, and biological values or high-quality ecosystems.

Meanwhile, Palale Cave in Barangay Ibaba Palale in Tayabas City was moved from Class II to I.

The agency said Class II caves can be utilized for guided educational tours and visits led by experienced cavers.

Ernesto D. Adobo Jr.,DENR officer-in-charge secretary, said the classification of the caves is pursuant to the DENR Administrative Order No. 2003-29 or the Implementing Rules and Regulations of Republic Act No. 9072 or the National Caves and Cave Resources Management and Protection Act of 2001 to assess the value of the cave and ascertain its appropriate use.

The DENR is mandated by law to plan, develop, and implement a national program for the management, protection, and conservation of caves and cave resources.

“Finding the middle ground where the critical importance of caves to the country’s biodiversity and the critical role they have to the nation’s socio-cultural heritage meet demonstrates the distinct mandate of the DENR to secure the sustainability of the country’s rich natural resources and their benefits to our people,” he said in a statement.

“These initiatives set a road to more resilient and regenerative nature-based tourism practices that illustrate their natural resilience and, as a result, enable the public to enjoy these natural assets in perpetuity.”