Post by L Roebuck on Jan 11, 2006 12:05:25 GMT -5
Philippine Information Agency Press Release
01/11/2006
IGACOS Bats for Bat Conservation
Davao City (11 January) -- A property of a prominent Davaoeño family located in the Island Garden City of Samal (IGACOS) is now a conservation park for the preservation of an endangered specie of fruit bats.
With a scientific name of Rousettus Amplexidetus, a specie of a small cave-dwelling fruit-eating bats that weighs only a bout 80-90 grams, the bat specie had been a long time residents of many caves that dot the island.
A cave situated inside the 23.9 hectare Monfort property in Barangay Tambo, babak District in IGACOS has long been famous as the habitat of the bats kown locally as Kwaknits.
Normai Monfort a scion of the Iñigo-Monfort clan which owns the property said that the land was once a little-utilized property of the family who owned large tracts of properties in the Davao mainland.
She said that they once allowed the extraction of Guano inside the caves, but discontinued it after they found out that the bats were being disturbed by the onslaught of human activities.
"We decided to convert it to a conservation park so that we could share to others the beauty of nature" said Monfort.
The whole 23.9 hectare property is now a conservation park with the bat dwelling allotted about 1.5 hectares. Monfort is welcoming proposals from well-meaning groups of how to make the park a haven of conservation and preservation.
"The park will be our legacy for the future generations," said Monfort.
Betty Cabazares Executive Director of the Kinaiyahan Foundation, one of the partners in the conservation park said that their group would try to educate the people about the benefits that these winged creatures would bring to the community.
Cabazares cited some places in which bats were slaughtered either as food or were considered as pests.
She cited their role as pollinators of fruit trees and help spread the seeds of many fruits they have eaten thereby helping forests grow.
Cleto Gales Jr. city Administrator of IGACOS said that they are promoting the Park especially the Monfort Bat caves as a must-see tourism destination particularly during this period wherein the City hosts the high level meetings of the Asean Tourism Forum.
"We will offer five tour circuits, one of which is a tour on the bat caves, the mangrove areas, inland waterfalls, beaches and fish sanctuary," said Gales. The concept of which is to expose the visitors to the pristine beauty of the island.
Gales also bared that the Monfort property is just one of the many caves that are bat habitats. He said that IGACOS has about 70 known caves and many are still unexplored subterranean chambers, making it a spelunking paradise.
During the ATF especially during the luncheon and meetings he expects many of the 3,000 foreign delegates to sneak out and tour many attractions in the Davao region.
"We expect one-third of these 3,000 delegates to tour IGACOS. Gales said citing the many wonderful attractions that IGACOS have particularly its beaches and bat caves. (PIA/RG Alama)
www.pia.gov.ph/news.asp?fi=p060111.htm&no=10
01/11/2006
IGACOS Bats for Bat Conservation
Davao City (11 January) -- A property of a prominent Davaoeño family located in the Island Garden City of Samal (IGACOS) is now a conservation park for the preservation of an endangered specie of fruit bats.
With a scientific name of Rousettus Amplexidetus, a specie of a small cave-dwelling fruit-eating bats that weighs only a bout 80-90 grams, the bat specie had been a long time residents of many caves that dot the island.
A cave situated inside the 23.9 hectare Monfort property in Barangay Tambo, babak District in IGACOS has long been famous as the habitat of the bats kown locally as Kwaknits.
Normai Monfort a scion of the Iñigo-Monfort clan which owns the property said that the land was once a little-utilized property of the family who owned large tracts of properties in the Davao mainland.
She said that they once allowed the extraction of Guano inside the caves, but discontinued it after they found out that the bats were being disturbed by the onslaught of human activities.
"We decided to convert it to a conservation park so that we could share to others the beauty of nature" said Monfort.
The whole 23.9 hectare property is now a conservation park with the bat dwelling allotted about 1.5 hectares. Monfort is welcoming proposals from well-meaning groups of how to make the park a haven of conservation and preservation.
"The park will be our legacy for the future generations," said Monfort.
Betty Cabazares Executive Director of the Kinaiyahan Foundation, one of the partners in the conservation park said that their group would try to educate the people about the benefits that these winged creatures would bring to the community.
Cabazares cited some places in which bats were slaughtered either as food or were considered as pests.
She cited their role as pollinators of fruit trees and help spread the seeds of many fruits they have eaten thereby helping forests grow.
Cleto Gales Jr. city Administrator of IGACOS said that they are promoting the Park especially the Monfort Bat caves as a must-see tourism destination particularly during this period wherein the City hosts the high level meetings of the Asean Tourism Forum.
"We will offer five tour circuits, one of which is a tour on the bat caves, the mangrove areas, inland waterfalls, beaches and fish sanctuary," said Gales. The concept of which is to expose the visitors to the pristine beauty of the island.
Gales also bared that the Monfort property is just one of the many caves that are bat habitats. He said that IGACOS has about 70 known caves and many are still unexplored subterranean chambers, making it a spelunking paradise.
During the ATF especially during the luncheon and meetings he expects many of the 3,000 foreign delegates to sneak out and tour many attractions in the Davao region.
"We expect one-third of these 3,000 delegates to tour IGACOS. Gales said citing the many wonderful attractions that IGACOS have particularly its beaches and bat caves. (PIA/RG Alama)
www.pia.gov.ph/news.asp?fi=p060111.htm&no=10