Another nest of endangered marine turtles was found at the Aboitiz Cleanery Park in Davao City, according to officials.
The nest was discovered last December 20, and was the third nest discovered inside the park. It is expected to hatch on the second or third week of February.
The first and second nests were discovered last November 26 and December 3, respectively. These discoveries continues to boost the company’s environmental sustainability program.
The marine turtles, or locally known as pawikan, are considered to be an endangered species due to habitat loss and illegal wildlife trade. They are hunted for their meat and shells, while their eggs are harvested for domestic consumption.
The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) is pushing its efforts to protect the endangered species by promoting the establishment of several marine turtle hatcheries and sanctuaries where they can reproduce and thrive.
Aboitiz Cleanergy Park is located in Punta Dumalag, Davao City. Launched in 2014 as an urban-based biodiversity conservation site, the park has released 4,811 hatchlings from 40 discovered nests, and five rescued pawikans in the park’s repository.
The park is also home to the critically endangered hawksbill turtle, other marine species, and almost 100 endemic and migratory bird species.
“This is very commendable considering that hawksbill turtles are considered as critically endangered among the five marine turtle species in the Philippines. We commend the Aboitiz Foundation and the Davao Light and Power Company for ther unending efforts in protecting the nesting sites of marine turtles as well as their conservation initiatives in order to increase the pawikan population in the area,” Bagani A. Evasco, DENR Region 11 executive director, said in a statement.
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