MANILA, Philippines – Oriental Magpie Robin, Olive-backed Sunbird, Rhabdornis, White-Throated Kingfisher, Yellow-Vented Bulbul, Blue-Tailed Bee-eater, Black-naped Oriole, Ashy Tailorbird, Coucal.
Reticulated python, Philippine Bat Snake, Flying Lizard,Green Crested Lizard, short-nosed fruit bat, Palm Civet, Oriental black rat.
Lamio (large tree), Takip-asin (small tree), Is-is (small tree), Niog-niogan, Antipolo (large tree), Binuang (large tree).
This list is just a sampling of some of the animals and plants endemic to the Nuvali area in Laguna. Ayala Land recently conducted a flora and fauna survey, and now they know exactly the first residents of the 1,700-hectare ecopolis project in the South. Nuvali is the property giant’s rising metropolis which includes business developments as well as residential projects of Ayala Land Premier, Alveo Land and Avida.
For a development that is 10 times the size of the Makati Central Business District, Ayala Land is making sure it minimizes its impact on the environment while building infrastructures and facilities that are sustainable.
Some developments in Nuvali, for instance, are vying for a LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) international certification. LEED grades developments according to their level of sustainability. It rates buildings in the areas of energy, power saving (such as percentage of recyclable materials and how it’s constructed), water conservation and indoor air quality.
Thomas F. Mirasol, assistant vice president of Ayala Land Premier, reveals all these environment efforts and adds: “The (Nuvali) Bird Sanctuary is one way of making sure that there’s a habitat for these species. If we’re able to preserve that in Nuvali, it won’t only benefit Nuvali, it will benefit everything.”
Nuvali, revealed Ayala Land Inc. president Antonino Aquino, is the company’s biggest development to date (even bigger than Makati Central Business District and Bonifacio Global City combined), but has the highest standard of sustainability and environmental safeguards, highlighted by bike lanes to encourage human dwellers to minimize the use of cars.
Aquino added that Ayala Land has always followed a self-imposed policy of “a level of self-control” in its developments.
The Nuvali proponents stressed that this development was driven by the theme of sustainability, guided by the objective of providing residents and locators an ecologically, socially and economically sustainable lifestyle, one with energy efficient enclaves.
Mirasol said history would later judge the developers according to what they did to nature, “knowing that 20 years down the road we may have long retired, and people will say these guys did the right thing.”
Preserving natural site
Part of Nuvali is the 60-hectare Montecito, an upscale ALP Mediterranean-themed development with only 280 lots (four houses per hectare) for sale. ALP spent close to half a billion pesos to make sure it would be as close to unspoiled nature as possible by preserving natural site conditions, efficiently using natural resources and introducing technologies that aided sustainability.
One of the natural highlights of Montecito is an artesian spring which has its source from the Tagaytay ridge. This spring also powers a mini hydroelectric plant that would generate electricity to light the community’s main streets.
Treveia, Alveo Land’s flagship dubbed as an “ecologically sustainable community” in Nuvali, recently held an activity that encouraged guests to adopt plants. It set up a special area that featured the different plants up for “adoption,” each bearing a tag of its scientific name. Children were also asked to craft fossil-looking paperweight masterpieces to life using recycled coffee grounds and other materials.
“The decisions and actions we make can affect our natural community and can be a determinant of our future existence,” says Glenna T. Galupo, senior manager for project development.
“We recognize the importance of teaching children about environmental awareness at an early stage of their lives. If we can teach them how the Earth manages to provide our daily needs, they will know that respecting the planet is an act that will also benefit them in the end,” Galupo says.
