MANILA, Philippines – The Masungi Geopark Project won the 2022 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDG) Action Award under the Inspire category, the UN announced on Tuesday, September 27, in Bonn, Germany.

Masungi managing trustee Billie Dumaliang, who accepted the award in behalf of the management, dedicated the award to the people who doubted the success of the project.

“To the people who have said that we are dreaming too big, that this is the way things have always been, and that we are pushing too far. This is for you,” Dumaliang said during her acceptance speech. 

“This is a reminder that we will not stop. That we will win in the end with our energy and creativity.”

The geopark project is a separate initiative from the more famous georeserve. 

In the geopark, visitors can hike the Legacy Trail, which leads them to areas where reforestation efforts of some 3,000 hectares of degraded land in the Upper Marikina Watershed are ongoing. This was also where forest rangers were shot last July 2021.

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The UN SDG Action Awards celebrates “changemakers across the world who have been rethinking ways to drive progress towards the 2030 Agenda.” 

“Our judges commended this youth-led movement that protects our most precious natural resources, for being strong and bold enough to participate in national legislative inquiries and direct lobbying,” the UN said through its website. 

Masungi bested 3,000 entries from 150 countries around the world. – Rappler.com