The river is navigable for up to 19 kilometres (12 mi) for boats drawing 4 ft, and up to 25 kilometres (15.5 mi) for rafts.[3] Its name comes from the word abad which means to meet or to converge.[4]
At its mouth, the river opens up to an estuary, which consists of a mixed mangrove and nipa swamp. It covers about 1,000 acres (400 ha) and has 32 mangrove species growing in its estuary; as a result, it is one of the Philippines' most diverse mangrove forests and is the third largest riverine mangrove forest in Bohol; despite the presence of endangered plant and animal species, there are no conservation or protection efforts.[5][6][7]
Historically prior to road construction, the river served as a waterway for the people going to and from the interior towns. Following the success of the Loboc River tours, there are river cruises from the Abatan River Visitor Center in Cortes to various communities upstream. Kayak exploration and stand-up paddle boarding are also available.[2] The visitor center suffered severe damage from the 2013 Bohol earthquake.[6]
The river basin is home to 273 plant species and 67 species of wild animals, as well as 8 species of fireflies, including Pteroptyx macdermotti which is very rare and endemic to the Philippines. The mangrove species Camptostemon philippinense (locally known as Gapas-gapas) is globally endangered and the rarest mangrove species in the Philippines.[5][6]
The Abatan River estuary is home to the following true mangrove species (with local names in parentheses):[5]
Animal varieties include mudskippers, rats, fruit bats like the Large flying fox (Pteropus vampyrus), lizards like the mangrove skink (Emoia atrocostata) and water monitor (Varanus salvator), as well as ants, spiders and fiddler crabs. Snake species include the King cobra (Ophiophagus hannah), which is locally known as Banakon, Samar cobra (Naja samarensis), locally known as Ugahipon, and the Philippine whipsnake, locally known as Hanlulukay (Dryophiops philippina).[5] A new species of shipworm (Lithoredo abatanicus) was identified in the river in June 2019, locally known as Antingaw.[9]
^Villegas, Ramon N., ed. (2003). Tubod : the heart of Bohol. Manila: National Commission for Culture and the Arts. ISBN9718140360.
^ ab"The Abatan Life River Tour in Bohol". official website of the Tourism Office of the Province of Bohol. Bohol Tourism Office. December 3, 2014. Retrieved December 4, 2017.
^Census of the Philippine Islands – Volume I: Geography, History, And Population. Washington: United States Bureau of the Census. 1905. p. 67.
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