Philippines’ Suyac Island Mangrove Eco-park honoured by ASEAN

The Suyac Island Mangrove Eco-Park in Sagay City, Negros Occidental in the Central Philippines has been named among the honourees at this year’s Association of Southeast Asian Nations Community-based Tourism Awards.

Together with other awardees, the eco-park will be honoured at the ceremony scheduled for Monday, 20th January, in Johor, Malaysia.

Suyac Island Mangrove Eco-Park was cited for its exceptional eco-tourism initiatives in compliance with ASEAN’s Community-Based Tourism Standard.

Sagay City mayor Narciso Javelosa Jnr said of the citation: “This award serves as a testament to how community-based tourism has not only uplifted the lives of the Suyac islanders, but also effectively contributed to environmental preservation.”

Vice-mayor Leo Cueva, who pioneered the initiative, added: “We embarked on a challenging path towards sustainability. Now, we reap the rewards: not only this prestigious award, but also the profound positive impact on our precious mangrove forests and community.”

A pioneering ecotourism initiative

Located in Barangay Taba-ao and within the Sagay Marine Reserve, the mangrove eco-park is managed by the Suyac Island Eco-Tourist Attendants Association (SIETAAS).

When the project began in 2012, Chen Mencias of Bluewaters Consultancy served as the city’s sustainable tourism development planner for the project that underwent a rigorous community development process within the framework of sustainable tourism development.

Supervising tourism operations officer Helen Cutillar, who laid the groundwork for the Suyac Island initiatives, said: “Pursuing sustainable tourism development has the power to transform the community into an empowered, resilient, and environmentally-conscious society. Tourism is an invasive industry but if practiced sustainably, it has the potential to enrich, protect, and build communities.”

The Department of Tourism (DOT) designated SIETAAS and the Sagay city government as part of the Philippine delegation that will attend the awarding ceremony.

In 2023, Suyac Island was also recognized as a good practice story of Sagay City with its Mangrove Forest Protection through Community-based EcoTourism Project, placing second in the Nature and Scenery Category during the Green Destinations Story Awards at the Internationale Tourismus-Börse in Berlin, Germany.

The park was also included in the 2022 edition of the world’s Top 100 Green Destinations, a recognition given by the Green Destinations Foundation based in The Netherlands.