ILOILO CITY – The city government of Iloilo is eyeing to create a 1.6-hectare beach forest as one of its future eco-parks.
(Iloilo City PIO)
Mayor Jerry Treñas has directed Engr. Noel Hechanova, chief of the Iloilo City Environment and Natural Resources Office (Iloilo City ENRO), to head the project in Boulevard of Molo district.
This is one of the plans of the Iloilo City government after inking memorandums of agreement (MOA) with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources-Western Visayas (DENR Region 6) as part of its programs to address climate change.
The beach forest will be a biodiversity conservation park that will have a botanical garden in which there will be a small demo nursery where umbrella tree, botong, bakauan, bamboo, bitaoag, agoho, and other tree species will be planted.
The Iloilo City ENRO is also eyeing to construct a small hatchery as a means of promoting marine turtle conservation. The area has been known to be a nesting place of “pawikan” (sea turtle).
Aside from the beach forest, a coastal forestland area is being developed in Barangay Hinactacan in La Paz district. It will showcase the city’s natural mangrove forests.