Preserving a place for the benefit of both man and animal, local and visitor, is a nascent concept in the Philippines. Conservation efforts have only seen a lot of action in the late part of the 1990s and early 2000s, and even then, it was slow going. The process that calls for the establishment of legal framework to protect endangered ecosystems is at best labyrinthine, enough to frustrate a determined conservationist alarmed at the critical rate with which endemic species are disappearing.
The National Integrated Protected Areas System or NIPAS was only enacted in 1992, but it was only last year that an Executive Order was released identifying 78 areas and protecting them from mining and other ecologically upsetting activities. Delayed by two decades it may be, it is not too late.
Vested interests, however, always find a loophole or two to get their way into choice locations to set up shop. And Philippines has plenty of choice locations, which also happen to be sites intended for preservation. So before these areas fall into corporate hands and get treated as commodity, you would be safer to tick these off your bucket list as early as now (because there are still 71 more!).
1) Palawan
Kayangan Lake in Coron Island, Palawan (Photo by rhoelilagan)
Two heritage sites, 54,000 hectares of marine sanctuary, millions of underwater denizens, limitless adventure possibilities.
2) Batanes
Batanes Landscape (Photo by jlgavino)
Jaw-dropping mountainscapes, wide open seas, uncompromising culture of honesty, “boring” nightlife, zero crime rate.
3) Zambales
Mt. Pinatubo (Photo by Marc Reil Gepaya)
Recently active Mt. Pinatubo, achingly beautiful crater lake, tribal Aetas (Filipino aborigines), mother lode of copper, gold and silver.
4) Batangas
Taal Volcano (Photo by Stefan Krasowski)
Taal Volcano, “island in a lake on an island in a lake on an island in the ocean” fame. To say that it is picturesque is an understatement.
5) Cagayan de Oro
Cagayan de Oro (Photo by jojo nicdao)
Recently leveled by Typhoon Sendong, CDO is all a-glitter down below. “Oro” is Spanish for gold, in reference to the gold mining operations that the Spanish observed in the “City of the River of Gold.” Whitewater-rafting and river-trekking hotspot of the Philippines.
6) Siargao Islands Group
Siargao Islands (Photo by jojoscope)
Bucas Grande Island enchants with Sohoton Lagoon where endemic flora and fauna await the brave of heart who waits for the low tide to stoop (“sohot”) into the lagoon inside. Stingless jellyfish swim by in millions. Ninety thousand (90,000) hectares divided into disposable and preservation areas; 22,000 hectares allotted for the latter. The rest is likely to be “disposed” to vested interests who are hungry for chromite.
7) Ligawasan Marsh
North Cotabato (Photo by Constantine Agustin)
North Cotabato, Maguindanao, Sultan Kudarat. These are the provinces that the marsh encompasses. At 288,000 hectares, this swampy Eden is home to a multitude of ponds, 92 species of birds, 22 species of freshwater fish, six species of reptiles, 5 species of amphibians and 194 species of plants. It is currently on UNESCO World Heritage Tentative List, so get there first before the UNESCO designation makes it a crowded destination.
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Article by Chris
Chris had a passion to contribute to society especially to fellow travelers like himself. He also had a passion for Southeast Asia and frequently visited. While brainstorming ideas, he decided that a travel blog dedicated to his favorite countries, Thailand and Singapore, could be more beneficial than any guidebook. Only one year later did the blog’s success bring in more writers, more countries, and more readers.
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