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Editorial Article by Enoia Puyat, Kurt Steven

 


EDITORIAL ARTICLE

 Preserve Our Geological Heritage: Rocks Are Our Roots

🖼️ [Image from Google]


Preserving Our Geological Heritage: Why Rocks Should Be Seen as More Than Resources

The Philippines is a country rich in geological wonders - from the wave-sculpted rock formations of Biri Island to the marble veins of Romblon, and mineral-rich igneous rocks in Benguet. Yet despite their beauty, history, and economic value, many of these geological treasures face threats from over-extraction, environment degradation, and lack of protection.


The National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP) has highlighted that many mining and geological sites should be included in heritage mapping, asserting that these places are part of the nation's identity. In a 2024 article, NHCP Secretary-General Dr. Ivan Anthony Henares appealed to local governments in Benguet to formally document mining sites as heritage areas, emphasizing that mining is part of the region's history and development.


Take Biri: its rock formations, aged 15-20 million years, are already under protection as part of the Biri Larosa Protected Landscape and Seascape. Efforts are underway to have them declared a UNESCO Global Geopark, which would help protect, educate, and sustain them. Philippine News Agency +

But designation is not enough. Heritage means more than titles. It means:

  • Ensuring sustainable tourism that respects ecosystems and communities
  • Regulating mining and quarrying so as not to degrade landscapes or water systems
  • Educating locals and visitors about geological history: how igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic rocks formed; what they tell us about Earth's past; how they continue to impact our present

We need policies that bind conservation with community benefit. If a rock formation becomes a UNESCO Geopark, local people should gain employment, education, and infrastructure - not only outside developers.

Finally, let us remember: When we walk on stone pavements, use marble counters, or see limestone cliffs, we walk, live, and breathe Earth's history. To preserve the story, we must protect the stones.


📚 Sources:


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