Only local residents and determined trekkers used to be aware of the pygmy forest in Davao Oriental. Now the whole world knows, after the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization approved the designation of the pygmy forest and wildlife sanctuary on the Hamiguitan mountain range as a World Heritage Site.
Mt. Hamiguitan is the sixth site in the country to be classified as a world heritage by UNESCO. The others are the Subterranean River and Tubbataha Reef Natural Park in Palawan, the Cordillera Rice Terraces, the historic town of Vigan, and four 16th-century baroque churches.
Such a classification not only brings prestige to a country but also draws tourists. The travel industry is generally a boon to local communities, but the excesses of tourism must be curbed to prevent the destruction of what attracts visitors to a particular destination.
Several tourist sites have been ruined by the surge of visitors. Souvenir hunters have been chipping away at the hanging tombs of Sagada. Overdevelopment is also threatening top tourist destinations.
Palawan, which relies heavily on the travel industry, has learned the value of eco-tourism and community involvement in preserving natural attractions. Visits to Tubbataha Reef are tightly regulated. But the province was still not prepared for a surge in visitors to the Underground River in Puerto Princesa after the site was included among the New 7 Wonders of Nature.
An increase in visitors need not be bad news for travel destinations. Wetlands, protected under international conventions, are covered by rules that, if properly implemented, can protect the habitat not only for wildlife but also for human activities.
Now the century-old pygmy trees of Mt. Hamiguitan should be protected from trampling by visitors or, worse, from being transplanted to private gardens. The local and national governments should work together to ensure that the new World Heritage Site is preserved. The trees now belong to the world and we are simply their keepers.