Image courtesy of Green Destinations

BACOLOD CITY – Inspiring initiatives in four component cities of Negros Occidental made it to the global Green Destinations Top 100 Stories 2024 list released on Wednesday.

Bago, Sagay, Sipalay, and Talisay cities, the only entries from the Philippines, got into the final roster of the annual competition, organized by the Green Destinations Foundation based in The Netherlands, which celebrates and promotes sustainable tourism stories from destinations globally.

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They are listed under the Environment and Climate Category. Bago City’s entry is titled “Regenerative Agritourism: Cultivating a Sustainable Future for Bago City” –Going towards Bago City’s Climate Positive Tourism”.

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“To support Bago City’s economic recovery, the local tourism and agriculture agencies launched the ‘Booming Green AGritOurism’ (BAGO) program,” its good practice story said.

Such initiative transforms farmers into “agri-entrepreneurs”, maximizes farm resources, and promotes sustainable tourism, prioritizing the triple bottom line: planet, people, and prosperity, it added.

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Sagay City’s story, which involves the Sagay Marine Reserve, is about “Illegal Fishers Turned Sea Guardians: A Ground-up Eco-Tourism Initiative to Sustain Sagay’s Protected Seascape”.

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“Currently, 35 sea guardians are deputized by the Sagay Marine Reserve, with nearly 150 ecotourism stakeholders directly involved in sustainable livelihood and co-managing the destinations. Additionally, 53 fisherfolk associations are organized and are local champions for conservation,” it said.

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Sipalay City’s “Turning Environmental Risks to Green Wins” focuses on the Green Belt Eco Park and Critical Habitat (Green BEaCH) initiative formalized in 2020 and flourishing over the years.

“In 2005, residents began a modest tree-growing initiative on an open beachfront to shield the coastal community from monsoon winds and waves. Today, this effort has transformed into a vital mangrove and beach forest conservation area at the heart of the city,” according to its good practice story.

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The three cities were also included in Green Destinations Top 100 Stories lists in the past two years, making it to the finals of various categories for their other “innovative and effective initiatives and projects, working towards more sustainable global development.”

This year’s new story from Negros Occidental was submitted by Nature’s Village Resort located in Talisay City.

Its good practice story “Nature’s Way: Fostering Sustainable Practices and Positive Environmental Impact” shows that the resort’s “strongest gains have been the reduction of economic leakage by producing compost material through vermiculture, our eco-bricks program, the reduction of electricity bills by installing solar panels, and selling excess food waste to local hog growers”.

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Now on its 10th yearsmash bet, the Green Destinations Top 100 Stories competition “shares and promotes stories that recount innovative and effective initiatives and projects from destinations working towards more responsible tourism development”. (PNA)

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