An Ecotourism Development Plan for Minalungao National Park, General Tinio, Nueva Ecija

AUTHOR(S)

Marie Jel D. Bautista

ABSTRACT

This study assessed the implementation of the Ecotourism Management Plan of Minalungao National Park (MNP) outlined by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR). MNP, located in Barangay Pias, General Tinio, Nueva Ecija, with a land area over 2,000 hectares, is a protected area under the initial component of Republic Act 7586, also known as the National Integrated Protected Areas System (NIPAS) Act. Based on the conducted Protected Area Suitability Assessment (PASA) on August 23, 1994, MNP has been recommended under Protected Landscape, where activities provide opportunities for the public through recreation and tourism. Respondents of the study included the designated DENR staff at the park, 71 officers and members of the Samahang Makakalikasang Minalungao (SaMaMi), and the 214 visitors. The research was a mixed study, and data among the focal implementers were gathered through a structured survey questionnaire and interview, and the observation of the visitors were gathered through the same outline of survey questionnaire conducted among the focal implementers which have triangulated responses among all respondents using Analysis of Variance. Minalungao National Park reflects to be a feasible ecotourism destination, and in the long run, MNP was perceived as one of the ecotourism destinations in the country which showcases the majestic beauty of water resources and rock formation, wildlife and adventure activities, and culinary skills of Novo Ecijanos. However, results on the study reflected that there were existing drawbacks in the implementation of the current ecotourism management plan of MNP in terms of environmental and socio-economic aspects thus, the study showed that there was significant difference in terms of the implementation of ecotourism management plan of MNP and the conformity of the Samahang Makakalikasang Minalungao which were validated through the observations of the visitors. An Ecotourism Development Plan for Minalungao National Park was developed based on the park’s current situation and on the data gathered among the respondents.