TEXT AND PHOTOS BY OVCPD-SDRP, VABI, DURP Class 2023
THERE’S more to explore in Iloilo aside from the Dinagyang Festival – trails.
Trails provide educational opportunities for people of all ages. They give firsthand experiences that let users learn about the importance of the natural environment and participation in preservation activities through unique or common flora or fauna that thrive in the area.
Trails let users explore their local environments such as rivers, forests, or vegetation, and discover their history, changing uses, and cultural artifacts.
Hiking on trails also provides health benefits, ranging from physical exercise to emotional or mental relief that comes from being with nature.
Trails, however, can also open areas to wildlife disturbance, soil damage, plant trampling, or even harm to cultural sites. Finding a balance between the educational and health benefits of the trails and reducing the negative impact of trail use pose as key challenges in recreational ecology.
It is in this context that the University of the Philippines Visayas (UPV) has been maintaining the Nature Trail in its Miag-ao, Iloilo campus.
A new set of trails not far from the Nature Trails, called Eco Trails, has been identified by the university together with the alumni of the Validus Amicitia Brotherhood, Inc. (VABI).
Forging partnerships with organizations that share the University’s core values on nature preservation is important in managing UPV’s extensive property.
The ecotrail has easy to moderate difficulty and walking may take an hour to finish, from its entrance near the Vice Chancellor for Planning and Development – Site Development and Reforestation Project (OVCPD-SDRP) nursery to its exit in the dorm area.
VABI’s commitment includes the construction of trail checkpoints made of natural, temporary, and local materials, establishment of a wooden footbridge along the two-kilometer-eco trail, and trail maintenance.
The sheds will be in areas with interesting sea, mountain, and landscape views while one takes a rest.
The trails are relatively distant from the sites where the ground orchids were discovered by the Bio Sci faculty researchers.
Since the trails are primarily used for educational purposes, risk assessments and consultations with key stakeholders will be made on the opening and closing schedules for specific activities and development projects according to the species’ natural cycles of growth./PN
