Post by Registrar on Sept 1, 2013 22:59:27 GMT 8
Thanks to The Phantom for bringing this to my attention:
It's about bloody time too! The bird-watching idea, which has been floating around the traps for some time, was featured in BIRDS OF CORREGIDOR, an article I created and editorialized at least as long ago as March 2011. The article featured the nature photography of Ely Teehankee, and in it I said the following:
Corregidor needs a long hard look at itself if it is going to succeed in aspiring to ECO Credentials. There's a lot of pretenders around, and calling a place an Ecological Tourism Destination doesn't make it so. I have sent long and intemperate e-mails rabbiting on about the Resort Cycle as applies to Corregidor and attempting to point out that Eco-Tiurism is one of the least expensive, and best ROI options in recreating a tourism destination. One example, which I expect would cause some financial hurt, is that putrescible and non-putrescible wastes generated by the tourism operations on Corregidor are not being ferried back to Manila at the end of each day, and should be.
This is, of course, putting a band-aid on a gunshot wound, given that when the tides are right (that is, when they are wrong) Corregidor's shores intercept tons of Manila's garbage each day. It's not Corregidor's fault, the fault is elsewhere. Ten million people use it as a giant waste dump. (Source: Even the Supreme Court, which issued mandamus orders against ten government agencies in 2008, has attempted to redress the situation. See "Manila Bay can still be saved" and "NOT YET SUNSET - Super Toxic MAnila Bay can be saved - UP Scientists, Greenpeace."
However, looking after the trees which in turn attract and supports bird-life is a good start, CFI. Have all the cats been exported off the island yet?
“Restoring Manila Bay, as well as Philippine seas in general, is not just aesthetic,” Vince Cinches, Greenpeace Southeast Asia Oceans Campaigner says. “It brings life and livelihood to coastal communities.”
DENR to reforest Corregidor
By DJ Yap
Philippine Daily Inquirer
3:16 pm | Tuesday, April 9th, 2013
MANILA, Philippines—Some 200 hectares of land on the historic Corregidor island will be planted with trees endemic to the area to boost its biological diversity and promote the tourist spot as a bird-watching sanctuary, officials said.
Manuel Escasura, acting regional technical director for ecosystems research and development service of the Department of Environment and Resources’ office in Region IV-A, said a mix of forest tree species and fruit-bearing trees would be used to reforest the island and make it more attractive to birds.
“We will plant fruit-bearing trees which will serve as food for the birds. The regional executive director (Reynulfo Juan), during his previous visit to the island last year, saw the need of introducing fruit and forest tree species that are more attractive to birds,” he said in a news release.
Juan said the goal was to promote Corregidor in Cavite province not only as a historic battlefield but as an ecological tourism destination.
“Not just to be remembered as ‘battlefield’ and national shrine noted for the gallantry of the Filipino soldier, Corregidor will be an eco-tourism destination for bird-watching. Yes, Corregidor Island will become a bird sanctuary,” he said.
Juan pursued the idea after a visit to Corregidor last year with forestry experts to assess the situation and plan rehabilitation efforts on the island as part of President Aquino’s National Greening Program, which aims to plant 1.5 billion trees by 2016.
He said the team of forestry experts from the Calabarzon (Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal, and Quezon) would comprehensively survey, plan and map out the forest rehabilitation and tree growing activity on the island.
Initial discussions have been done with concerned agencies including the tourism business establishments in the area, he said.
On Sunday, the DENR signed a memorandum of agreement with Corregidor Foundation, Inc. and the Department of Agriculture for the reforestation effort.
In a ceremony, 50 forest and fruit-tree seedlings such as bignay (Antidesma bunius), lipote (Syzigium curanii), kalumpit (Terminalia edulis), aratiles (Muntingia calabura) and duhat (Syzigium cumini) were planted by the signatories, their staff and children of World War II veterans and war heroes.
“Initially, 50 trees will be planted in the selected area. The plantation area is preselected in consideration of its proximity to the tourism establishments and which will be tasked to take care of and nurture the planted trees,” said William Palaypayon, DENR Calabarzon regional technical director for forest management service.
But he said it was not yet the right time to plant as it was still the peak of summer. “We are still in the stage of ‘production and hardening’ of seedlings and ‘plantation site preparation.’ Actual planting will commence at the onset of rain in June and July,” he said.
By DJ Yap
Philippine Daily Inquirer
3:16 pm | Tuesday, April 9th, 2013
MANILA, Philippines—Some 200 hectares of land on the historic Corregidor island will be planted with trees endemic to the area to boost its biological diversity and promote the tourist spot as a bird-watching sanctuary, officials said.
Manuel Escasura, acting regional technical director for ecosystems research and development service of the Department of Environment and Resources’ office in Region IV-A, said a mix of forest tree species and fruit-bearing trees would be used to reforest the island and make it more attractive to birds.
“We will plant fruit-bearing trees which will serve as food for the birds. The regional executive director (Reynulfo Juan), during his previous visit to the island last year, saw the need of introducing fruit and forest tree species that are more attractive to birds,” he said in a news release.
Juan said the goal was to promote Corregidor in Cavite province not only as a historic battlefield but as an ecological tourism destination.
“Not just to be remembered as ‘battlefield’ and national shrine noted for the gallantry of the Filipino soldier, Corregidor will be an eco-tourism destination for bird-watching. Yes, Corregidor Island will become a bird sanctuary,” he said.
Juan pursued the idea after a visit to Corregidor last year with forestry experts to assess the situation and plan rehabilitation efforts on the island as part of President Aquino’s National Greening Program, which aims to plant 1.5 billion trees by 2016.
He said the team of forestry experts from the Calabarzon (Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal, and Quezon) would comprehensively survey, plan and map out the forest rehabilitation and tree growing activity on the island.
Initial discussions have been done with concerned agencies including the tourism business establishments in the area, he said.
On Sunday, the DENR signed a memorandum of agreement with Corregidor Foundation, Inc. and the Department of Agriculture for the reforestation effort.
In a ceremony, 50 forest and fruit-tree seedlings such as bignay (Antidesma bunius), lipote (Syzigium curanii), kalumpit (Terminalia edulis), aratiles (Muntingia calabura) and duhat (Syzigium cumini) were planted by the signatories, their staff and children of World War II veterans and war heroes.
“Initially, 50 trees will be planted in the selected area. The plantation area is preselected in consideration of its proximity to the tourism establishments and which will be tasked to take care of and nurture the planted trees,” said William Palaypayon, DENR Calabarzon regional technical director for forest management service.
But he said it was not yet the right time to plant as it was still the peak of summer. “We are still in the stage of ‘production and hardening’ of seedlings and ‘plantation site preparation.’ Actual planting will commence at the onset of rain in June and July,” he said.
It's about bloody time too! The bird-watching idea, which has been floating around the traps for some time, was featured in BIRDS OF CORREGIDOR, an article I created and editorialized at least as long ago as March 2011. The article featured the nature photography of Ely Teehankee, and in it I said the following:
CORREGIDOR POSSESSES A BRILLIANT - BUT AS YET UNTAPPED - POTENTIAL FOR TOURISM IN BIRD WATCHING. THIS NEW MARKET WILL NOT BE ACHIEVED WITHOUT MAKING A LONG TERM COMMITMENT TOWARDS THE IMPROVEMENT OF ITS ECOSYSTEM. THE KEY TO DEVELOPING RENEWABLE TOURISM REVENUE FOR CORREGIDOR DOES NOT END WITH RESOLVE, OR EVEN BY DETERRING ROGUE SCRAPPERS, ARRESTING THE TYRANNY OF RUST AND PROPPING UP FAILING CONCRETE. THOSE HELP, YES, BUT THE COMMITMENT MUST TRANSCEND EVEN CUTTING GRASS, AND THE SWEEPING AND BURNING OF LEAVES. IT NEEDS TO VENTURE INTO PIONEERING ECO-REBUILDING ACTIVITIES WHICH PROTECT AND REGENERATE WILDLIFE THAT CANNOT BE SEEN IN MANILA - OR THE OTHER PLACES TO WHICH TOURISTS HAVE EASY ACCESS. THE FACTORS WHICH PREVENT CORREGIDOR'S ASCENDANCY INTO THE RANKS OF THE HEAVY-WEIGHT BIRD-WATCHING DESTINATIONS INCLUDE TWO OF THE MOST POTENT AND FERAL SPECIES KNOWN TO THE ISLAND'S ECOSYSTEM -- HOMO POLLUTIS AND FELIS CATUS.
Corregidor needs a long hard look at itself if it is going to succeed in aspiring to ECO Credentials. There's a lot of pretenders around, and calling a place an Ecological Tourism Destination doesn't make it so. I have sent long and intemperate e-mails rabbiting on about the Resort Cycle as applies to Corregidor and attempting to point out that Eco-Tiurism is one of the least expensive, and best ROI options in recreating a tourism destination. One example, which I expect would cause some financial hurt, is that putrescible and non-putrescible wastes generated by the tourism operations on Corregidor are not being ferried back to Manila at the end of each day, and should be.
This is, of course, putting a band-aid on a gunshot wound, given that when the tides are right (that is, when they are wrong) Corregidor's shores intercept tons of Manila's garbage each day. It's not Corregidor's fault, the fault is elsewhere. Ten million people use it as a giant waste dump. (Source: Even the Supreme Court, which issued mandamus orders against ten government agencies in 2008, has attempted to redress the situation. See "Manila Bay can still be saved" and "NOT YET SUNSET - Super Toxic MAnila Bay can be saved - UP Scientists, Greenpeace."
However, looking after the trees which in turn attract and supports bird-life is a good start, CFI. Have all the cats been exported off the island yet?
“Restoring Manila Bay, as well as Philippine seas in general, is not just aesthetic,” Vince Cinches, Greenpeace Southeast Asia Oceans Campaigner says. “It brings life and livelihood to coastal communities.”