BACOLOD CITY – Himamaylan City Mayor Raymund I. Tongson called on the public to help conserve wildlife and its habitat as the province marks Wildlife Month and as the historic Tour of the Fireflies nears.
“Without wildlife, ecological balance will be affected,” the neophyte chief executive told DNX as his city hosts the fifth Tour, a 78-kilometer journey of more than 4,000 bikers this year that will take them across six towns and two cities before they reach the finish line in Himamaylan.
Veteran environmentalist Junjun Mojica also stressed the need for conservation as he pointed out that preservation of habitat is key to ensuring the survival of wildlife.
Mojica, a lead convenor of Coal-Free Negros, took note of efforts by the government to preserve habitat, such as the various tree planting programs being done that help preserve animal and plant species.
Wildlife usually refers to undomesticated animal species but is defined by international environment groups to include species of plants and animals.
The World Wildlife Fund, a reputable conservation society, stress the need to maintain “natural balance” that might be affected when wildlife disappears.
Tongson, on the other hand, said his administration will do its part to preserve habitat in their city through an eco-tourism program.
The Tour of the Fireflies kicks off early morning from the zero marker at the Provincial Capitol Lagoon on Sunday, November 24.
