November 13, 2011

• Puerto Princesa, provisionally declared one of 7 New Wonders of Nature

  Travel

  The New7Wonders finally announced the provisional New 7 Wonders of Nature as voted upon by millions of people from across the globe. The contest started in 2007, right after the New 7 Wonders of the World was declared.

  One of the provisional winners, I am happy to say, is the Puerto Princesa (Palawan) Subterranean (Underground) River. Other winners are the Amazon (Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guyana, Peru, Suriname, Venezuela), Halong Bay (Viet Nam), Iguazu Falls (Argentina, Brazil), Jeju Island (Korea), Komodo (Indonesia), and Table Mountain (South Africa). (Announcement, here).

  Of course the other wonders of nature are just as exciting, and until the final announcement, the line-up can still change.

  (Check out the other finalists, here.)

  So, how were they chosen? According to N7W website, from December 2007 to July 7, 2009, there was a call for nominations. This gathered around 400 locations from more than 222 countries. Initial voting then started during the period, from which the list was narrowed to 77.

  From the top 77 sites, a global panel of experts chose the top 28, which was announced on July 21, 2009. This was then followed by a global voting which culminated on November 11, 2011. After which, the provisional list of the the world's seven new wonders of nature was released. The final seven wonders of nature will be announced early 2012.

  Here's the description of the Puerto Princesa Underground River as posted in the N7W website:

  The Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park is located about 50 km north of the city of Puerto Princesa, Palawan, Philippines. It features a limestone karst mountain landscape with an 8.2 km. navigable underground river. A distinguishing feature of the river is that it winds through a cave before flowing directly into the South China Sea. It includes major formations of stalactites and stalagmites, and several large chambers. The lower portion of the river is subject to tidal influences. The underground river is reputed to be the world’s longest. At the mouth of the cave, a clear lagoon is framed by ancient trees growing right to the water’s edge. Monkeys, large monitor lizards, and squirrels find their niche on the beach near the cave.

  I've never been to the other places, but I tell you, the Subterranean river is really something, and it is my prayer that it would really come out as one of the world's seven wonders of nature.

  My only fear is that once declared as one of the seven wonders of nature, visitors would come flocking to the site, like pilgrims. And as much as the City of Puerto Princesa and the province of Palawan may want to protect the areas rich biodiversity, it could really not be helped that enterprising interest might ruin this natural wonder. My prayer is that many well-meaning groups and individuals would help preserve this natural heritage.

  Here is my travel post on Palawan when I went there in 2008: Uncovering the Secrets of Palawan.

  (Source: N7W | Video credit: New 7 Wonders of Nature, devc123123, and VotePPUR)

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