NATURE’S HAVEN

Just an HOUR’S drive from the heat, humidity and grime of Metro Manila is a haven that is sure to provide bone-weary city dwellers a place to rest and unwind–a rain forest sheltering in its bosom a collection of wild plants, theme gardens, Philippine raptors, nature trails and recreation facilities.

Located on the northeastern slope of the Mt. Makiling Forest Reserve, the Makiling Botanic Gardens (mbg) houses an exquisite example of the diversity of Philippine flora and fauna. While offering opportunities for nature education through its living collections and thematic displays of endemic and exotic plants, it allows outdoor recreation activities at its swimming pool, picnic area and nature trails.

In 1910, alongside the founding of the country’s first school of forestry, Mount Makiling was declared as a reforestation site and a forest reserve. Students as well as university and government officials started planting trees that came from different parts of the country on special occasions, turning the place into a huge collection of different tree species.

On June 20, 1963, then President Diosdado Macapagal enacted into law Republic Act 3523, which provided, among others, "the establishment of a botanic garden at Mt. Makiling for the purpose of supporting professional instruction and research relating to forestry and plant sciences and for serving the educational and recreational needs of the general public." Thus, the mbg was born.

mbg aims to promote appreciation and increase knowledge and understanding about plants, their diversity, importance and conservation by establishing and managing living collections and providing and maintaining facilities and services for visitors.

One may be surprised to find that the outdoor recreation facilities, the picnic area and swimming pool, came to be part of the mbg merely by accident. They were already there before the garden itself was established.

To date, mbg is a self-sustaining entity with its entrance fees fully subsidizing its maintenance and operation. According to Forester Roberto P. Cereno, program leader for Ecotourism and Parks Management, the past three years has seen an increase in the number of visitors who availed of the botanical garden’s educational program.

mbg is attached to the Makiling Center for Mountain Ecosystems (formerly the Institute of Forest Conservation) under the College of Forestry and Natural Resources of the University of the Philippines. It occupies 300 hectares of forest land divided into four main sections: natural forests and plantations, arboreta, nursery and recreational areas.

Right at the entrance, different species of plants and trees welcome visitors to take refuge in its luxuriant canopies. The garden houses not less than 2,500 native species of trees, the oldest of which date as far back as 1912. Placards bearing the scientific and common names of most plants are placed beneath each for easy identification.

Under the towering trees is a picnic area and further down is a collection of Medenilla magnifica, a plant endemic to the Philippines, which embodies the uniqueness and all else that the garden is about.

From this point, the path branches out into two, with the right one leading to the Pavilion which serves as an education and information area where briefings and viewing of dioramas and video shows about Mt. Makiling and biodiversity conservation take place. For most organized groups, this serves as the starting point of their tour inside mbg. Students of UP-Los Baños (uplb) serve as guides or park interpreters at the mbg upon request.

The left path, on the other hand, leads to Molawin Creek, where nature will let you indulge in its magnificent beauty and lead you to the theme gardens, Palmetum and Bambusetum, where different species of palms and bamboos, respectively, are exhibited.

Arboreta and plantations of exotic and indigenous species are established and maintained to cater to the needs of students, researchers and other interest groups. An arboretum is a special place for specific trees.

Nature walkways will lead you further into the garden. You have the choice of taking any path you like, whether you cross the river or follow the foot path that will take you to other marvels of the garden. Signboards along the path will help you know where you are headed, while benches provide a place to catch your breath or just sit down and chat with other visitors.

Adventure seekers may pass through the "wilderness trail," a small path near the Center for Philippine Raptors (cpr) that will lead you to the wilder, more exotic, and bizarre side of mbg. Here you can have an intimate experience with wild plants and animals of the garden without the help of any park interpreters. Get up-close and personal with the alamid (wild cats), jungle fowl and birds of prey. The "wilderness" path leads to either Flat Rocks, another place to cool down, or Peak 2, a special treat for mountain hikers.

The Center for Philippine Raptors (cpr) is one of the mbg’s most popular sites. It houses a few of the remaining Philippine raptors, including the Philippine eagle.

Like the whole of mbg, the raptor area is not a typical educational site. It is a man-made exhibit of selected birds of prey nestled right in the middle of the forest. Entering the cpr gives you the novel experience of being in another realm–a kingdom where Philippine raptors reign supreme. Bird sounds will welcome you to the place, and the sight of the wide-winged birds of prey will surely captivate you.

The cpr was established on Feb. 24, 1993 as a component of the Philippine Raptors Conservation Program of the Protected Areas and Wildlife Bureau (pawb) of Department of the Environment and Natural Resources (denr). It serves as a rescue and rehabilitation center for confiscated or donated diurnal and nocturnal raptorial birds. It also serves as a venue for scientific research and public education, and ultimately, as a captive breeding facility for Philippine birds of prey, especially the critically endangered Philippine eagle.

Through a memorandum of agreement with uplb, the center was established in a two-hectare area of "densely regrowth dipterocarp forest" inside the mbg.

The cpr offers a volunteer program for students and wildlife enthusiasts who would like to assist in undertaking basic research on captive birds of prey. It also offers guided tours, film showings and lectures on biodiversity conservation, with emphasis on Philippine birds of prey.

At the cpr, birds are housed in huge individual cages where they can stretch their wings to full expanse. An array of stone slabs that serve as a foot path will also lead you to Tom and Brigada, both Philippine Hawk Eagles, and to Boobah, a Philippine Eagle Owl.

Placards identifying the birds by scientific and common names and containing a short description of the birds’ habitat and their respective diets are placed near their cages for easy recognition. Visitors can have a good view of the birds from just a few feet away. Near the end of the trail is the Live Prey Production Unit where food for the birds is kept.

At present, the CPR maintains a collection of 67 birds of prey representing ten species under two families: Strigiformes (owls) and Falconiformes (eagles, hawks and kites). Going down from the cpr, you can continue enjoying your nature walk. Or simply go back to the picnic area to relax and take a dip in the swimming pool filled with refreshing cool mountain water.

If it’s nature you are looking for, get your fill at the Makiling Botanical Garden.