DEPARTMENT of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Secretary Maria Antonia Yulo-Loyzaga has called on all stakeholders to help preserve the old-growth forest at the Pasonanca Natural Park (PaNP) in Zamboaga City.
Yulo-Loyzaga made the call as she led the unveiling of the Pasonanca Natural Park-Asean Heritage Park Monument on Castro Drive, Sitio Canucutan in Pasonanca village, this city on Monday, May 13.
The unveiling of the monument marked the designation of PaNP as the 52nd Asean Heritage Park, the 10th in the Philippines, and the first Asean Heritage Park in Zamboanga Peninsula.
“As you know, this is a protected area already and so what we are doing is actually working with the local government and we hope to work with the ZCWD (Zamboanga City Water District) and the communities as well in order to make sure that this old-growth forest remains intact as much as possible,” Yulo-Loyzaga said in an interview after she led the unveiling of the Asean Park Monument.
The monument’s design features a pyramid structure, similar to the trophic pyramid, which serves as a visual depiction of the park’s great natural diversity.
There is also an eagle icon that represents the Great Philippine Eagle. Notably, the roof symbolizes the stakeholders’ efforts to safeguard and conserve the park. Roofing design is inspired by major sites in Zamboanga City, bringing a sense of local identity to the entire style.
“As an old-growth forest, it (PaNP) stores a lot of carbon and because of that, it can be a weapon in terms of fighting climate change,” Yulo-Lorzaga said.
She said the old-growth forest can also be a weapon in terms of flood control and an irrigation source for agriculture and other needs.
Yulo-Loyzaga noted that the PaNP is a natural gem that stands as the primary source of clean, fresh, and potable water for nearly a million residents of the city.
The PaNP is one of the remaining secondary and old-growth Dipterocarp Forests in Zamboanga Peninsula.
“The PaNP, with its ecological completeness, unspoiled beauty, and profound conservation significance, proudly earns the distinction of being declared an Asean Heritage Park,” Yulo-Loyzaga said. (SunStar Zamboanga)