After winning the recent Pathfinder Award Special Commendation from United Nations Development Programme and International Union for Conservation of Nature last year, the Masungi Georeserve, a world-class conservation project that promotes sustainable ecotourism is vying for two international awards that can bring home for the Philippines equally prestigious awards this year.
Situated in Baras, Rizal, the Masungi Georeserve Project has so far secured coveted finalist status for the 15th United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) Awards and the World Travel and Tourism Council 2019 Tourism for Tomorrow Awards.
The Masungi Georeserve was chosen as one of three world finalists in the Enterprises Category of the 15th UNWTO Awards, and is vying for the top prize, which will be awarded at the UNWTO General Assembly in Saint Petersburg, Russia, in September 2019 alongside projects from India and Italy.
The awards aim to recognize inspirational projects that have made an invaluable contribution to advance sustainable tourism.
The nominees are praised for contributing to advance the UNWTO Global Code of Ethics for Tourism and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
The UNWTO Awards recognize the contribution of public and private institutions, as well as NGOs, in the development of a more competitive, responsible and sustainable tourism sector that works toward achieving the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda and its 17 SDGs.
Meanwhile, for the 15th year of the UNWTO Awards competition, a total of 190 applications from 71 countries were received in the three categories: Public Policy and Governance, Enterprises and NGO’s.
Masungi Georeserve is also one of three global finalists for the World Travel and Tourism Council’s (WTTC) Tourism for Tomorrow Awards for 2019 under the Destination Stewardship category.
It will compete alongside Grupo Rio da Prata in Brazil and Saint Kitts Sustainable Destination Council in Saint Kitts and Nevis for the top award.
The WTTC Tourism for Tomorrow Awards, now in their 15 year, showcase business practices of the highest standards that balance the needs of “people, planet and profits” within the Travel and Tourism sector.
Following a rigorous three-phase judging process, which includes an onsite evaluation, winners of the 2019 Tourism for Tomorrow Awards will be announced during the awards ceremony at the 19th WTTC Global Summit in Seville, Spain from April 2 to 4 2019.
After twenty years of private conservation, restoration, and conservation development practices, the georeserve opened to limited visits to raise awareness and education for Masungi’s conservation and to sustain these efforts financially.
In 2018, the Masungi Georeserve received a special commendation from the UNDP and IUCN for innovation in nature conservation financing and resourcing.
Through the Masungi Geopark Project and in partnership with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, the organization aims to restore almost 3,000 hectares of vulnerable land surrounding the georeserve.
To date, more than 40,000 native trees have been planted and nurtured by its team of park rangers, and more than 100 locals have been engaged in conservation and geotourism work.
In a news statement, proponents of the Masungi said they hope that through the platform given by expert international bodies, they can speak more loudly against the threats hounding Masungi and other places of biodiversity in the Philippines.
“There are many threats to conservation that rarely reach the public eye but are felt deeply on the ground. Of specific concern to us in Masungi is the presence of land speculation syndicates and illegal quarrying activities. These lead to land-use conversion and deforestation which cause landslides, floods, depletion of water resources, the extermination of plant and animal life, and a decreased quality of life for already vulnerable communities,” Ann Dumaliang, Managing Trustee of Masungi Georeserve Foundation said.
“We hope that through our international presence and alliances, we can inspire the community at large to think bigger, speak louder and implement progressive ways of protecting our environment for the long-term,” she said.