First Stop : Gidday, San Vicente, La Union
La Union Aksyon Kalikasan Chapter is still
in its inception and I was fortunate enough to be invited as one of the pilot
participant for their intended program.
I prefer advocacy based tourism rather than
commercial tourism. My time is so valuable that I prefer to do it with small
contribution to the community or society I am visiting.
Sad to say, areas who have been secret gems
of the locals once discovered by commercial tourist becomes exploited. There
should be responsible tourism and the LGU’s should take active participation in
protecting their local environment. Tourism should generate fund but it should
also protect the wildlife, trees and faunas that are indigenous to the area.
One particular place that I really like is
located in San Vicente, La Union and locals call it GIDDAY. It has the
combination of plants and faunas, birds, corals, the foreshore is very rich in
animal inhabitants.
I love Mother Nature but I am not a forester
so recognizing each plant and animals in their scientific name does not apply
to me.LOL
From what I can understand, GIDDAY meant
sloping area but it is a well forested and very accessible from the main road.
We were informed that it was about 55hectares, and one local said that the
place might be owned by Senator Gringo Honasan. It will be a hearsay until the
leaders of the chapter is able to get in touch with him. There is so much
biodiversity in such an area that it must be protected.
As far as I know, a paper (study) was
written proposing that these area be made into a Marine Protected Area (MPA)
and rightly so.
Campers and visitors are the major
contributors of trash in the area. Sad to say most tourist or visitors does not
apply the principle of “ leave no trash behind”. It’s really basic when you get
to think of it. You do not visit somebody’s house and leave your trash there.
But these are my personal rants, if your
really do care for the environment help in ways that you can actually do and be
one of the movers of the green movement. Everything starts from within.
Changing your lifestyle is included. Be true to yourself and not just for a
show.
As these is my personal repository of rants
and personal views, not necessary informative in nature, you can just enjoy
snippets of videos and pictures, hopefully you will enjoy them as much as I
enjoy sharing them in the vast online verse.
Till next blubbers
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