Get to know the wetlands of Boracay

Boracay Island in Aklan province is hailed as one of the best beaches in the world. The Island’s main attraction, its white beach, boasts of its powder-soft white sand beaches and turquoise blue waters.

Unknown to many and frequently on the sidelines are its wetlands composed of marshes/swamps, ponds and lagoons that also have a major role to play in this island paradise such as flood control, source of food and freshwater for the locals, and home of unique biodiversity.

𝐖𝐞𝐭𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐍𝐨. 𝟒, 𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐚𝐬 𝐁𝐚𝐥𝐚𝐛𝐚𝐠 𝐖𝐞𝐭𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐤, is considered as a permanent freshwater swamp/pond and is located at the central portion of Boracay Island.

Aboitiz Equity Ventures, Inc. and Aboitiz Foundation lead the rehabilitation activities for Balabag Wetland Park along with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) as part of the DENR’s Adopt-A-Wetland Program. The Adopt-A-Wetland Program was launched in 2018 as a component of the Boracay Rehabilitation Action Plan which aims to rehabilitate, restore and enhance the ecotourism value of Boracay Island’s wetlands through partnerships with private companies.

The Balabag Wetland Park is being envisioned to be developed as an urban linear park which shall serve as the center of the wetland ecotourism circuit of Boracay. It features a low impact eco-tourism design with a small open-air, boardwalks, otterbine fountains, and decks where locals and tourists can relax, read, meditate, walk around or simply observe the beauty of the wetland park. It also features local plant species to highlight the plant diversity in Boracay and Aklan and has interpretive signages which will educate its visitors about the importance of wetlands.

The “Wetlands of Boracay” set the tone on how we can act for wetlands using financial, human and political capital to save them from disappearing and to restore those that have been degraded.

Make sure to drop by Balabag Wetland Park on your next visit to Boracay Island to learn more and experience what this wetland has to offer.

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#WorldWetlandsDay2022
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