La Mesa Eco Park

One might wonder why is it important to promote awareness and conservation of the La Mesa Watershed. Simply because:

The La Mesa Watershed… is the last remaining forest cover inside Metro Manila.

The La Mesa Reservoir receives water from several streams within the watershed as well as inflows coming from Angat Reservoir to the north, it provides approximately 1.5 million liters of drinking water to Metro Manila everyday.

That’s how important this reservoir is. Losing La Mesa is losing 1.5 million liters supply of drinking water. That ill-fated situation almost happened during the ’90s, when…

…more than half of the forest was wiped out and only three foreign species of trees were left.Thanks to Bantay Kalikasan, 92 percent or 1,525 hectares of the La Mesa was reforested, while many new and returning species are starting to rejuvenate the park’s almost lost biodiversity.

To sustain Bantay Kalikasan’s conservation and environmental education efforts, the park harvests revenues through its attractions—a boating lagoon, a 50-year-old salt-water swimming pool, the orchidarium, fishing wharf, flower terraces, pavilions that can accommodate 100 to 300 people; biking and running trails, picnic grounds, and the Butterfly Garden.

Excerpts from La Mesa Eco Park: Quezon City’s next Sentosa
by Deni Rose M. Afinidad, read the full article in the Manila Standards Today

I am really not much of a forest or park person, but if the urge to commune with nature ever comes, La Mesa is a nice place to camp around the whole afternoon. Here are some sights and activities that La Mesa has to offer.

The La Mesa Ecopark is located in East Fairview Subdivision, in Quezon City and is open daily from 8am to 5pm. General park admission is 50 pesos only. For details about fees, regulations, reservations, inquiries, and on how to get there, Dexter Huinda seems to have covered this subjects all too well.

For more pictures, visit PIXELOG.