The Bamboo Ecopark in Baguio City has been closed after visitors have vandalized its plants, one of its caretakers announced earlier this week.
Edgar Manda, the president of the Philippine Bamboo Foundation, wrote in a Facebook post that some of the park’s visitors “do not respect the place and have defaced bamboo culms (or poles) by engraving their names and relieving themselves along the pathway.”
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Manda told Coconuts Manila in a chat interview that the park will be closed “probably within the [entire] month of November.”
“We have a meeting with our partners with Diocese of Baguio and the administrator of St Francis Seminary to iron out issues and concerns,” he added.
The park, which has been likened to Kyoto’s Arashiyama Bamboo Grove, can be found inside St. Francis Seminary. Also known as Kawayan Ecopark, it’s a joint project between Manda’s group and the Diocese of Baguio.
Manda said that to prevent vandalism, they’re looking at the possibility of offering advanced bookings to groups of visitors. “Although we’re considering other options which may be raised in our meeting,” he added.
The park was opened late last year, and most of its visitors were local government officials and other organizations. It was opened to demonstrate the capabilities of bamboo in mitigating climate change.
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