turtle swimming towards nesting beach

Images courtesy: John Smart

If you visited Puerto Galera in 1981, it would not have been uncommon to see turtles swimming along the shallow waters off the beaches and in the bays. The turtles would feed on the sponges and swathes of sea grass. Turtles would lay their eggs along the almost deserted beaches, especially along the peninsular beaches (from Coco Beach to Sabang Beach) and their young would stumble back into the water upon hatching, to commence their years of cruising the oceans.

idyllic anchorage at Banton Island

Image courtesy: John Smart

A sailing cruise aboard S/Y Naya

Fancy a sailing cruise in the Philippines? We will have to be friends first . . . in return you will enjoy some of the prettiest sailing cruise destinations in the Philippines and chance to meet some of the ocean’s most astounding creatures.

We set sail from Laiya, Batangas, with the intent of starting our five day sailing cruise by crossing to the island of Marinduque; to be specific, to the Tres Reyes island chain, off the southwest of Marinduque Island. However, the wind did not favor this plan and so, fairly early, we changed course for the volcano island of Sibale (also known as Conception and Maestre de Campo, depending on the map you use).

Blue Marble Asia-Pacific

Image courtesy: NASA

A New Hope For The World! As Harrison Ford said in a recent interview: “Nature will take care of itself — Nature doesn’t need people, people need Nature to survive,”.

The climate change conference (COP21) in Paris, earlier this month, was deemed a success for government cooperation, insomuch as it showed that Man’s survival was an important agenda. Finally! But what can you and I do to make the agreement The framework for The solution to many of the World’s ills?

one of the Top 10 Subic Bay sports activities

Photo by: Juliet Solar

Sports tourism is expected to bring the next million, first-time tourists to the Philippines. In discussion with Directors of Department of Tourism in Makati City this is the real expectation. But what sports and where?

One example: Subic Bay Freeport

Australasian Grass Owl (Tyto longimembris) in the Philippines

Photo by: Romy Ocon

Professor Nigel Peake observes: ‘They’ve done this for millions of years before we ever thought of it.’ The good professor, although he does not make the specific connection in his statement, is referring to just one aspect of biodiversity and how it helps humans do more with less by observing how Mother Nature (biodiversity) has all the answers if we can just keep her alive long enough to show us. The article, in which owls and biodiversity are the object, was focused on improving the design of aircraft and wind-turbines.

Philippine Eagle severely threatened by habitat loss

Photo courtesy: John Smart

“Biodiversity is important to Man” I stated, during a discussion with business acquaintances last week. I was shocked that more than half the group asked, “Why?”

Here are the 3 reasons why biodiversity is important to Man.

Dahican Beach as you may never see it again

Photo courtesy: Girlie Cervantes

The first and most obvious reason to save Dahican Beach is that very few people have ever been here and imbibed its beauty on a sunny afternoon, with a gentle Pacific Ocean breeze bringing the sounds of dolphins frolicking in front of a beach that they know is protected by Man . . .

Hugging a 700 year old Tiga (Iron Wood) Tree

Photo courtesy: Juliet Solar

For many years Ecotourism in the Philippines has had bad-press, and justifiably so, e.g. tourist attractions that allow the visitor to observe the natural environment from the comfort of a gas-guzzling SUV traveling a concrete road, riding a zipline through a manicured portion of forest or, visiting a theme park, set in a portion of cultivated land beside the forest (from which it was hewn), to observe a selection of caged animals. Not exactly “Eco”!