In this undated photo, a diver fins through a field of pristine soft leather corals at the Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park, a protected area. On Thursday, March 14, 2024, the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) said it added a special section in their digital library that discusses matters on the preservation of protected environmental areas in the Philippines. Photo by Yvette Lee
MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Science and Technology (DOST) added a special section in its digital library that discusses matters on the preservation of protected areas in the Philippines.
Gilbert Arbon, the Director of the Negros Oriental Provincial Office of the DOST, explained that the Science and Technology Academic and Research-Based Openly Operated Kiosks (Starbooks) is a digital library with research journals from the Science and Technology Information Institute.
Arbon said 94 computer units with the Starbooks Nature feature are deployed throughout Negros Oriental, and they plan to add more soon.
“This Starbooks Nature is like an add-on to the original Starbooks. So it only focuses on information related to the protected area like the one about the Apo Island,” Arbon said in a mix of Filipino and English during Thursday’s edition of the Bagong Pilipinas Ngayon public briefing.
READ: Apo Island: Diver’s haven
Apo Island is rich in marine life and is known as a diver’s haven.
Other protected areas included in the Starbooks Nature are Balinsasayao Twin Lakes Natural Park and Tañon Strait Protected Seascape.