00:00Three of the Philippines' most prized natural features have now been designated as ASEAN
00:05Heritage Parks. They are the Apo Reef Natural Park in Occidental Mindoro, the Balinsesayaw Twin Lakes
00:12Park in Negros Oriental, and the Turtle Islands Wild Dive Sanctuary in Tawi-Tawi. Their inclusion
00:17in ASEAN's list recognizes their ecological importance and qualifies them for regional
00:22cooperation and assistance. Apo Reef is the second largest contiguous reef system in the world,
00:28next to Australia's Great Barrier Reef. The Balinsesayaw Twin Lakes Park is home to several
00:34endemic and globally important endangered species of animals. The Turtle Island Sanctuary is ASEAN's
00:40only major nesting habitat of green sea turtles. It's internationally recognized as a high priority
00:46for biodiversity conservation. With these, the Philippines now has a total of 14 sites under
00:52the ASEAN Conservation Program.
Comments