TAYTAY, Palawan—This town in Northern Palawan can earn up to P180 million annually, including income for resort owners, once the Coral and Taklobo Gardening project takes off the ground, according to a University of the Philippines (UP) expert.
Dr. Lope Calanog, who used to head the Ecosystems Research and Development Bureau of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, said the project has the support of the local government unit, the fishermen as well as resort owners fascinated by the new concept developed in collaboration with the Asian Development Bank (ADB).
Calanog, in a recent presentation before development specialists at the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture in Los Baños, Laguna, expressed hope that the project—part of the Coral Triangle Initiative on Coral Reefs, Fisheries and Food Security—will redound to the best interest of the people of Palawan.
He said the project, implemented under “ADB-RETA 7813: Coastal Marine Resources Management in the Coral Triangle-Southeast Asia,” is being pursued by the Pacific Rim Innovation and Management Exponents Inc.
Officially, Calanog told the Searca seminar participants, the project is entitled “Coral and Taklobo Gardening: Merging Sustainable Financing and Reef Conservation in Taytay, Palawan.”
Calanog said the coral reefs surrounding the islands of Apulit, Pabellon, Noa Nmoa and Talakanen could be protected while five beaches, namely, Dinamayan, Denot, Quimbaludan and Sader could be developed to lure more tourists, in addition to the dive spots in Nabat, Pabellon Grande, Lopez Reef and Black Rock.