Section 4Sec./Art. 4

Definition of Terms. -

(a) "National Integrated Protected Area System (NIPAS)" refers to the classification and inclusion of all designated protected areas into one system pursuant to Republic Act No. 7586 or the National Integrated Protected Areas System (NIPAS) Act of 1992 to maintain essential ecological processes and life-support systems, to preserve genetic diversity, to ensure sustainable use of resources found therein, and to maintain their natural conditions to the greatest extent possible.

(b) "Protected area" refers to identified portions of land and water set aside by reason of their unique physical and biological significance, managed to enhance biological diversity and protected against destructive human exploitation.

(c) "Buffer zone" refers to identified areas outside the boundaries of and immediately adjacent to designated areas that need special development control in order to avoid or minimize harm to the protected area.

(d) "Wildlife sanctuary" refers to an area which assures the natural conditions necessary to protect nationally significant species, groups of species, biotic communities or physical features of the environment where these may require specific human manipulation for their perpetuation.

(e) "Indigenous Cultural Community (ICC)" refers to a group of people sharing common bonds of language, customs and tradition and other distinct cultural traits, as further defined under Republic Act No. 8371 or the Indigenous Peoples Rights Act (IPRA) of 1997.

(f) "Natural park" refers to a relatively large area not materially altered by human activity where extractive resource uses are not allowed and maintained to protect outstanding natural and scenic uses of national or international significance for scientific, educational and recreational use.

(g) "Tenured migrants" refer to occupants within the protected area who have actually and continuously occupied such area for five (5) years before the designation of the same as protected area and are solely dependent therein for subsistence.

(h) "Biodiversity" refers to the variety of life in all its forms found on earth.

(i) "Protected Area Management Board (PAMB)" refers to a multi-sectoral body tasked in planning for the appropriate management strategy to ensure resource protection and the general administration of the protected area.

(j) "Private rights" refers to the right of individual persons to own, under existing laws, and in the case of indigenous cultural communities, rights of possession since time immemorial, which possession may include places of abode and worship, burial grounds and well-defined territories.