Google celebrates the 7th anniversary of the designation of the Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park as a Ramsar Wetland of International Importance with a special Doodle that features the renowned destination.
The Doodle illustrates the entrance of the underground river as it welcomes a small boat of sightseers. The river is one of the world’s longest underground waterways at 8.2 kilometers and is famous for its stalactite and stalagmite formation.
On this day in 2012, Ramsar Convention, an international body created for the conservation of important wetlands, designated the Puerto Princesa Underground River as “unique in the biogeographic region because it connects a range of important ecosystems from the mountain-to-the-sea, including a limestone karst landscape with a complex cave system, mangrove forests, lowland evergreen tropical rainforests, and freshwater swamps.”
A UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the New 7 Wonders of Nature, the underground river has a 24-kilometer matrix of caves which houses more than 800 endemic plant and animal species. Its unique habitat is also home to few critically-endangered species including the Philippine cockatoo, Hawksbill turtle, green sea turtle, and Nordmann’s greenshank.
"We are glad to showcase one of the country's most treasured natural wonders through a special Doodle on the Puerto Princesa Underground River," said Ben King, interim Country Manager for Google Philippines. "Aside from celebrating the destination, we hope that this effort serves as a reminder to do our part in conserving it."
Google Doodles aim to celebrate a diverse mix of topics that reflect Google's personality, teach people something new and are meaningful to local culture. Recently, Google Philippines celebrated the country’s 121st Independence Day with a Doodle featuring the Philippine flag and honored the Philippine national hero Jose Rizal on his 158th birth anniversary.