Bohol to host Asian
learners in Danajon
DANAJON double barrier reef and its islands communities would be an open environmental classroom of sorts for 27 Asian youth who would be in this March 25 for the Voyage of the Future 2009 edition.
Voyage of the Future is a bi-annual activity where students from participating Asian countries immerse in communities and ecosystems. It allows them to study the environment and hopefully engage them in future protection and preservations programs, explains Japanese Masao Midaira through an interpreter.
The activity is also documented for a television show in Japan through NHK, Japan’s largest television network, he added.
In the Philippines, NHK ties up with the country’s National Broadcasting Network to help in documenting the learning experiences.
After a tour among Asian countries in the past, Voyage comes to the Philippines where the learning areas would be in Puerto Galera, Danajon reef in Bohol and Apo Island in Negros Oriental.
Elated over the prospect of hosting the event, Governor Erico Aumentado and Talibon Mayor Juanario Item met with Midaira at the Jayvee Long Island Resort in Mahaba Island Talibon yesterday, January 17 to fine tune the coordination activities for the event.
The governor has been insistent in promoting the protection and conservation of the Danajon even staking his political career by relentlessly urging local governments to pursue activities against illegal; fishing, poaching and abuse of the unique ecosystem.
The resort in Mahaba Island of the inner barrier reef in Danajon would be billeting station for the students and television crew for the event.
“We are expecting about 70 students and television crew plus technical staff to come to Mahaba Island during the event, Mayor Item said as he guided the governor to the recent building activities in the resort to accommodate the students and guests.
Four of the eleven days Voyage would be spent in Bohol, the rest would be in Puerto Galera or Apo Island, and the time spent in transit, organizers said.
In Bohol, the Asian students from the Philippines, Japan, China, Thailand, Qatar, Mongolia and Indonesia study the coral reefs and the ocean environment, and with Danajon as a rare double barrier reef, it should be a very interesting Voyage segment, admits Midaira.
Through a Filipino interpreter, Midaira who is a Japanese television producer for the Voyage said that students should be able to learn from the communities how population has affected the marine environment.
“In this Voyage segment, we’d like to showcase how people and government do to preserve, conserve and protect the ecosystem,†he shared.
The Bohol activity would center on immersion activities to let students learn about sustainable island life, mangrove and its ecosystem, seahorses, gleaning, coastal watch operations, island alternative livelihood, traditional fishing and would be filled with lectures and interactive activities as supervised by marine biologists from the University of the Philippines.
The Danajon, the only one double barrier reef in Asia occupies 273 square kilometers of seas and is shared by four provinces of Cebu, Leyte, Bohol and Southern Leyte, Governor Aumentado told the Japanese producer and NBN producer Edgar Reyes.
The governor also promised the NHK and NBN support by committing Bohol resources that he could use to make the activity a reality.
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