Embracing Ecotourism in Sibalom Natural Park
With the rise of local tourism fueled by social media, one of the things that the Sibalom Natural Park (SNP) has to offer is its popularity as a home-base for one of the world’s largest and rarest flowers, the Rafflesia speciosa, locally known as Uroy. It has already attracted interest groups to visit the park to view the wonder bloom and recently launched a familiarization tour to showcase its ecotourism offerings to be part of the Aklan-Antique tourism loop and most importantly to elevate environmental consciousness and connection to nature for its visitors.
The Sibalom Natural Park is considered as one of the last remaining lowland rainforests on Panay island and in the Philippines at 6,778.44 hectares of protected area and proclaimed a natural park on April 23, 2020 through the Republic Act 11038. It consists of undisturbed forest and constitutes a 50-year-old reforestation site. It was first established as the Tipulu-an Mau-it Rivers Watershed Forest Reserve in 1990 – with its riverbeds containing semi-precious gemstones. The highest peak located in the park’s center is Mount Porras with an elevation of 800 feet and the area extends to 18 surrounding villages of the municipality of Sibalom in the province of Antique.
Through the efforts and support of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) – Biodiversity Management Bureau (BMB) in collaboration with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) through the Biodiversity Finance Initiatives (BIOFIN) program, a series of capacity-building activities were conducted for two years to “empower the local communities and stakeholders to help manage, develop, and promote the ecotourism potentials of Sibalom Natural Park.
Louie Laud, the Community Environment and Natural Resources Officer, emphasized the significant opportunity to strengthen community collaboration by empowering Bantay Gubat (Forest Rangers) as the main guides for SNP's ecotourism. "We want them to develop a deeper commitment to conservation efforts and take pride in the wonders of their place," Laud stated.
The natural park is a habitat for endemic and critically endangered flora and fauna, including the Visayan warty pig, Tarictic hornbill, Walden's hornbill, Visayan spotted deer, Negros bleeding-heart, native nato trees, and century-old Philippine dipterocarp trees such as red and white lauan. Additionally, SNP serves as a vital corridor between two important bird areas on the island: the Northwest Panay Peninsula Natural Park and the Central Panay Mountain Range.
During the opening launch, local women showcased their creativity through performances of traditional songs and dances, culinary displays, and their caring nature. Their collaborative efforts brought joy to the guests including representatives from the regional Department of Tourism, group of tour operators, local government representatives, media crew, and social media conservation storytellers promoting and mainstreaming Philippine biodiversity conservation, Celine Murillo and her husband Danny Murillo, as well as environmentalist Gregg Yan.
The celebration concluded with an immersive hike through the forest, ending with a gathering by the river to enjoy the scenic view of the rainbow rocks, highlighting the power and beauty of the natural park.
Raz Salvarita
With the rise of local tourism fueled by social media, one of the things that the Sibalom Natural Park (SNP) has to offer is its popularity as a home-base for one of the world’s largest and rarest flowers, the Rafflesia speciosa, locally known as Uroy. It has already attracted interest groups to visit the park to view the wonder bloom and recently launched a familiarization tour to showcase its ecotourism offerings to be part of the Aklan-Antique tourism loop and most importantly to elevate environmental consciousness and connection to nature for its visitors.
The Sibalom Natural Park is considered as one of the last remaining lowland rainforests on Panay island and in the Philippines at 6,778.44 hectares of protected area and proclaimed a natural park on April 23, 2020 through the Republic Act 11038. It consists of undisturbed forest and constitutes a 50-year-old reforestation site. It was first established as the Tipulu-an Mau-it Rivers Watershed Forest Reserve in 1990 – with its riverbeds containing semi-precious gemstones. The highest peak located in the park’s center is Mount Porras with an elevation of 800 feet and the area extends to 18 surrounding villages of the municipality of Sibalom in the province of Antique.
Through the efforts and support of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) – Biodiversity Management Bureau (BMB) in collaboration with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) through the Biodiversity Finance Initiatives (BIOFIN) program, a series of capacity-building activities were conducted for two years to “empower the local communities and stakeholders to help manage, develop, and promote the ecotourism potentials of Sibalom Natural Park.
Louie Laud, the Community Environment and Natural Resources Officer, emphasized the significant opportunity to strengthen community collaboration by empowering Bantay Gubat (Forest Rangers) as the main guides for SNP's ecotourism. "We want them to develop a deeper commitment to conservation efforts and take pride in the wonders of their place," Laud stated.
The natural park is a habitat for endemic and critically endangered flora and fauna, including the Visayan warty pig, Tarictic hornbill, Walden's hornbill, Visayan spotted deer, Negros bleeding-heart, native nato trees, and century-old Philippine dipterocarp trees such as red and white lauan. Additionally, SNP serves as a vital corridor between two important bird areas on the island: the Northwest Panay Peninsula Natural Park and the Central Panay Mountain Range.
During the opening launch, local women showcased their creativity through performances of traditional songs and dances, culinary displays, and their caring nature. Their collaborative efforts brought joy to the guests including representatives from the regional Department of Tourism, group of tour operators, local government representatives, media crew, and social media conservation storytellers promoting and mainstreaming Philippine biodiversity conservation, Celine Murillo and her husband Danny Murillo, as well as environmentalist Gregg Yan.
The celebration concluded with an immersive hike through the forest, ending with a gathering by the river to enjoy the scenic view of the rainbow rocks, highlighting the power and beauty of the natural park.
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