The Aboitiz Cleanergy Park, an eight-hectare biodiversity park jointly managed by the Aboitiz Foundation and Davao Light that is home to 66 species of wildlife, is fast becoming a sanctuary for birds and a nesting site for hawksbill turtles or pawikan.
Thirty-six bird species, some of them endangered, were found to be living in the park by the Davao Wild Bird Photographers and the Philippine Eagle Foundation.
The presence of two more bird species, the endangered Spotted Imperial Pigeon (Duclua Carola) and the Brown Noddy (Anos Stolidus), were observed. The former is native to the Philippines while the latter has never been seen in Davao City before.
Aboitiz Foundation executive vice president and chief operating officer Sonny Carpio said “we believe in creating a sustainable environment for nature to thrive. We will try to ensure our feathered friends will call the park their home for years to come.”
The park in Punta Dumalag showcases urban-based habitat conservation and biodiversity management. It is one of the few nesting places of the endangered pawikan.
The Aboitiz Foundation earlier this year launched “#BetterWorld for the Pawikans” to raise funds for the protection and conservation of the turtle. Part of the funds goes to information dissemination on climate change and environmental degradation.