Locals and tourists can soon expect another ecotourism destination in Puerto Galera with the ongoing construction of the Mindoro Biodiversity Conservation Center (MBCC).

The project is aiming to make the area one of the country’s premier environmental conservation venues and educational- cultural sites.

“It is the first of its kind in Mindoro and will be the physical embodiment of sustainability, benefitting present and future generations,” Mindoro Biodiversity Conservation Foundation Inc. (MBCFI) Executive Director Grace Diamante said.

The MBCC is a legacy project of the MBCFI and will be a focal point for nature preservation efforts and ecological research in the Philippines since MBCFI’s establishment in 2008. The MBCC’s location is strategic as Mindoro is a globally recognized biodiversity conservation area due to its abundance in endemic species and diversity of habitats, which are also threatened by human activities like poaching and deforestation.

As of June, the construction of the 600-square-meter facility on a 16-hectare property overlooking the bay at Brgy. Dulangan was nearly halfway done.

The Department of Science and Technology-MIMAROPA recently approved the provision of solar panels to help power up the MBCC’s research laboratory. Naming opportunities are also open to help fund other components of the MBCC for posterity.

Aside from being MBCFI’s future headquarters, the MBCC will feature a natural history museum; a forest restoration area for native tree species; a Mangyan heritage hall for Indigenous People (IP) groups to showcase their culture and products; a research laboratory to assist in the discovery of new species; a Nature Discovery Trail; eco-lodges with glamping areas at the view deck; and even a temporary holding facility for rescued endangered animals.