Amphibians and Reptiles in Protected Areas in Ilocos Norte Province, Luzon Island, Northern Philippines

We report here a sample-event dataset of our herpetofaunal surveys in Protected Areas (PAs) in Ilocos Norte Province, Luzon Island, the Philippines, conducted from 2017 to 2018. We used a combination of systematic sampling using standardized techniques and opportunistic sampling to survey the diversity of amphibians and reptiles in three Protected Areas -- (1) Paoay Lake National Park, (2) Metropolitan Ilocos Norte Watershed Forest Reserve, and (3) Kalbario Patapat Natural Park, and their environs in Ilocos Norte Province. Our survey resulted in distribution records of 38 alien and native amphibian and reptile species (including new provincial records of seven reptile species), bringing to a total of 65 amphibian and reptile species for the province of Ilocos Norte (see Brown et al., 2012, Check List 8[3]: 469-490). This survey is part of an invasive alien species-targeted survey and a long-term monitoring programme of HerpWatch Pilipinas, Inc., and respective Protected Areas. The dataset will be updated annually by HerpWatch Pilipinas, Inc. The development of this dataset was made possible through the project of Arman N. Pili with the National Geographic Science and Exploration Asia (ASIA 57-16): "Aliens versus natives: understanding the dynamics of competition in food and habitat resources between invasive alien frogs and endemic frogs in a global biodiversity hotspot”; and a project of HerpWatch Pilipinas, Inc. (HWP), in collaboration with the Biodiversity Management Bureau of the Philippine Department of Environment and Natural Rersources (BMB-DENR) and The University of Santo Tomas – Biodiversity, Ecology, Systematics, and Taxonomy Group (BEST): “Alien Amphibians and Reptiles, a Threat to Philippine Biosecurity: Developing a National Invasive Alien Amphibian and Reptile Species Inventory and Occurrence Database and an Observation and Monitoring System” Project (BIFA03_26) funded by the Ministry of the Environment, Government of Japan.