DENR Prohibits Visitors From Zambuanga’s Turtle Isle To Save Pawikans
DENR PROHIBITS VISITORS – The Department of Environment and Natural Resources closed Panikian Island to save the nesting grounds of endangered green sea turtles or locally known as “pawikan”.
Authorities from DENR put up signages which stated the temporary closure of the island to tourist. This is until vulnerability assessments and cleanups are done.
According to DENR Regional Director, Crisanta Marlene Rodriguez, the island houses a large number of nesting sea turtles. Therefore, the beaches need to be protected from human activities.
Rodriguez lamented the fact the green turtles are faced with various threats. This included poaching, habitat loss, pollution in nesting sites, and the effects of climate change.
The island, being a nesting ground for these endangered species, has become a hot spot for tourists. Because of this, the local dubbed Panikian as the “Turtle Island”.
Based on an article from Inquirer, Cipriano Caupit, a worker at the turtle hatchery said that people came to Panikian to see turtles lay their eggs on the beach. The hatchery is owned by the Pitogo town government.
Because of the popularity of travel vlogs online, images and videos of turtles seen on the island has attracted more and more people. With that, comes a lot more humans disturbing their natural habitat.
With the temporary closure in play, Caupit said that it would be a great time to revisit the island’s management practices. This is due to the surge of tourists increasing the volume of trash on the beaches.
He added that humans have become a distraction to the pawikan’s egg-laying ritual. Due to human activities and the added garbage, temporary closure is a necessity.
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