CALAPAN CITY, Philippines – The province of Palawan is indeed fast becoming a premier province in many aspects, both nationally and internationally.
The other day, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), through Secretary Ramon Paje, declared Snake Island in the province a prime research center for the country’s coastal and marine resources.
In DENR Administrative Order (DAO) No. 2011-12, Paje said Snake Island will be the site of the department’s National Coastal and Marine Center for Research, being an ideal and strategic site for research as it represents the “mega-diversity” of the Philippines.
Paje said the establishment of a research center on Snake Island “is a step toward a more effective and efficient conservation of our country’s vast biodiversity.”
“We need to implement clear interventions in protecting and rehabilitating our coastal and marine ecosystems as they provide food and livelihood to millions of Filipinos,” he said.
Under the DAO, the research center on Snake Island would serve as a field station for applied research on marine and coastal ecosystems, ecotourism and biodiversity.
The center would also house a laboratory for researchers to study interventions for coral reefs, sea grass and mangroves.
The selection of Snake Island came after two other tourist areas in Palawan – the Puerto Princesa City Underground River, and Ariara Island in the municipality of Linapacan – both made it to the world’s best in two categories.
The Underground River is now included in the New Seven Wonders of the World, while a British publication cited Ariara Island as among the World’s Top 10 Private Islands.