The Philippines’ Nella Lomotan has been nominated for the Favorite Landscape Hero Audience Favorite award of the Global Landscapes Forum (GLF).
Lomotan, of the environmental travel organization Eco Explorations, was named as one of the 24 nominees of the 2020 edition of the GLF recognition. GLF is the world’s largest knowledge-led platform on integrated land use that is led by the Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR), in collaboration with its co-founders United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP) and the World Bank and Charter Members.
Environmental advocate Nella Lomatan was cited for dedicating her life to the empowerment of rangers in various parts of the Philippines, in particular through her environmental travel organization Eco Explorations.
Among the noted achievements of Lomotan and Eco Explorations are the following:
Citizens tree nurturing
In some of the sites where her tours visit, rangers act as guides and educators who help to reforest degraded habitats together with the travelers. Soon, they will also be tasked to manage their own native tree nursery and to propagate endangered, native species that may be sold to other planting sites for additional livelihood. Rangers are also engaged to educate about biodiversity in the habitats they protect and to share science-based data with the general public who join the initiatives.
Tamaraw Rangers
Eco Explorations hosts Biodiversity Camps in collaboration with the rangers, in different protected & key biodiversity areas in the Philippines, to engage the general public and hopefully convert them into conservationists.
Birdwatching and biodiversity monitoring with Forest Wardens
The organization has also launched conservation financing initiatives to empower rangers and augment their needs, such as the Support-a-Ranger program, which provides food subsidies, allowances, gear, equipment, medical supplies, and more, based on a strong belief that to protect habitats and biodiversity is to protect the people that protect them.
“We believe that conservation is a shared mission thus, we engage the greater public to take part in our mission. People we take along the trails also learn about the importance of forests and native trees and hear the stories of rangers who guide them enabling them to develop a strong connection to the land,” shared Lomotan in the GLF nomination report.
The GLF Landscape Hero Audience Favorite will be announced ahead of the GLF Biodiversity Digital Conference: One World – One Health.
You can VOTE for Nella Lomotan through this link until October 22, 2020.
Filipino women who have been recognized worldwide for their environmental advocacy include Dumaguete’s Ocean 6 women swimmers and Mt. Everest climber Carina Dayondon who were honored with WWF Environmental Heroes Awards.
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