The rehabilitation of Wetland 4, a one-hectare lagoon in Boracay, is now underway.
In August, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) signed a memorandum of agreement with Aboitiz Group to rehabilitate the one-hectare lagoon through its social development arm-the Aboitiz Foundation.
READ: Aboitiz Group to help DENR rehabilitate one-hectare lagoon in Boracay
The rehabilitation and development of Wetland 4 is a three-year project that started in 2018.
According to the group, Wetland 4 is currently being fitted with various structures to enhance and develop its ecological footprint, including water plants, fishing areas, and water aerators to increase or maintain the lagoon’s water oxygen saturation.
Moreover, an automated weather station (AWS) was also installed at Wetland 4.
The AWS, the group explained, will gather localized weather information through rain probability, wind direction, wind speed, temperature, heat index, among others.
This is important in making decisions relating to tourism, like scheduling of water activities and tours, it added.
“We are pleased with the progress we have achieved so far with the Boracay rehabilitation, yet we still have so much to accomplish,” Erramon Aboitiz, President and Chief Executive Officer of Aboitiz Equity Ventures, said.
“We would like to thank DENR, DOT (Department of Tourism) and the Boracay Inter-Agency Task Force for giving us an opportunity to co-create a community that is safe, sustainable, and empowered,” he added.
The group also noted that more than ecotourism, the project will convert the lagoon into a linear urban park with a plaza, a perimeter boardwalk, a speed table to promote road safety in the vicinity, and indigenous plant species to rebuild the land’s biodiversity. /muf