Hamilo Coast and WWF further push for environmental awareness by celebrating occasions that show respect for biodiversity such as the Coastal Clean Up.
The country’s most popular beach resort town in Nasugbu, Batangas, Hamilo Coast, may be the weekend retreat of the wealthy, but it is on course to become a successful example of eco-tourism techniques that are sustainable.
Hamilo Coast, a project of SM Prime’s Costa Del Hamilo, Inc. (CDHI), has 5,800 hectares of prime beachside development and thoughtfully mixes residential, resort, leisure, commercial, and institutional land uses throughout the vast estate. But beyond its expansive scope and breathtaking views, Hamilo Coast places sustainable tourism at the center of its philosophy and demonstrates how lovely beachfront homes can coexist with the natural world.
2022 marks Hamilo Coast’s 15th year of productive partnership with the conservation group World Wide Fund for Nature Philippines (WWF). Hamilo Coast and WWF have been working together on key areas for sustainability—coastal resource management, ridge-to-reef management, solid waste management, mangrove reforestation, the use of renewable energy sources, and environmental awareness.
Hamilo Coast embraces sustainable tourism at the core of its philosophy and shows how beautiful beachfront homes can harmonize with nature and the environment.
This long-standing collaboration with WWF signifies Hamilo Coast’s determination to pursue eco-tourism and sustainability while upholding international standards for leisure property development.
Ms. Imee G. Francisco, Vice President and Head of CDHI Projects and Operations, takes pride in the partnership’s objectives. “More than building and maintaining a beautiful community, we seek to create and sustain a world that future generations can enjoy. To help serve this end, CDHI continues to develop Hamilo Coast without compromising the quality of wildlife living around it.”
This year, Hamilo Coast and WWF will focus on addressing the major components on waste management, which include assessment of solid waste, water and wastewater management practices, formulation of environmental management plan, and the promotion of food shed farming systems. Apart from these, Hamilo Coast and WWF will continuously work on programs that will help conserve, protect, and nurture the environment.
Santelmo Cove was among those declared as a Marine Protected Area (MPA) regarded as a coastal zone where human activities are strictly regulated to ensure their long-term conservation.
For one, Hamilo Coast and WWF’s Ridge to Reef program declared three of Hamilo Coast’s 13 coves–Pico de Loro, Etayo, and Santelmo–as Marine Protected Areas (MPAs). These are coastal zones where human activities are strictly regulated to ensure their long-term conservation. Declaring more MPAs would also mean expanding Hamilo Coast’s scope in safeguarding more marine ecosystem and resources.
Hamilo Coast also continues to implement a mangrove reforestation program in its 24-hectare mangrove belt—one of the largest in Nasugbu. Here, Hamilo has planted 50,000 propagules hand-in-hand with World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) Philippines.
Mangroves are the first line of defense for coastal communities, stabilizing shorelines by averting erosion and providing natural barriers to storm surges, flooding, and hurricanes. As an effective carbon storage, mangroves absorb six times more carbon than mature tropical forests, making it all the more vital in slowing down the effects of climate change.
Finally, Hamilo Coast and WWF will further push for environmental awareness by celebrating occasions that show respect for biodiversity. One is the annually held Earth Hour, during which time people are urged to shut down electricity to make a substantial difference in energy consumption. Individuals, organizations, and establishments also come together on Coral Triangle Day to shed light on ocean conservation and the ways we can protect and preserve the world’s epicenter of marine biodiversity.
Likewise, the development boasts the largest volunteer effort for the ocean’s health, made possible with the International Coastal Cleanup, where people gather on the Pico and Santelmo beaches to collect trash and record information on the collected debris.
For all of these persistent efforts, WWF has given Hamilo Coast the Longest Sustainability Partner Award, honoring the development’s dedication to environmentally friendly travel and its beneficial effects on the Philippine travel and tourism sector. “CDHI is proud of how far we have come at Hamilo Coast with the aid of WWF,” says Francisco. This motivates us to put forth even greater effort in the hopes that our efforts will allow future generations to appreciate nature’s beauty in the same way that we do.
For inquiries, call (632) 7-945-8000 or visit www.hamilocoast.com.
