Northwestern University Ecotourism Park and Botanic Gardens (NUEBG)
THE NUEBG is a private botanic garden established by the Northwestern University in Laoag City, Ilocos Norte, Northern Philippines. It is a member of the Botanic Garden Conservation International, and a participant to the International Agenda of Botanic Gardens in Conservation.
The NUEBG is established to uphold the International Agenda for Botanic Gardens in Conservation and the Global Strategy in Plant Conservation (GSPC) thru in-situ and ex-situ initiative.
Opened in 2007, NUEBG was the brainchild of the late Ben A. Nicolas, the president of the university. He “saw in it a rich potential of natural resources that could serve as the center of research and community extension services of the university,” wrote Erlinda Gloria, in her book, Legacy: The people, events, ideas and amazing faith that built Northwestern University. He realized that “the land [could] be developed for the production of agro-forestry crops.” Its establishment was based on a policy of achieving harmony between resource protection and public use.
True to that vision, NUEBG has, throughout the years, been able to cultivate its resources, which has translated into agricultural produce, processed goods, and research products.
Furthermore, it offers recreational activities that are closely linked to natural history and wildlife, such as bird watching, butterfly watching, nature photography, botanical study, mountain biking, hiking, camping and training.
The Ecotourism Park is unique in possessing a wide range of eye-catching natural features. Its broad spectrum of collections includes tropical forest trees, flowering ornamentals, desert-succulent plants, ferns and allies, grasses and their allies, wildflowers, vines, parasitic plants, carnivorous plants, epiphytes, cycads and palms, crops, and variegated cultivars.
Additionally, it was established as the repository of plant diversity of Northwestern Luzon, Philippines, with plant collections that conform to the latest approach in plant systematics and phylogeny, conserved, and presented in the different vegetation settings for research and education.
The NUEBG complex operation
Over the years, the NUEBG has saturated its mission and vision that has penetrated international organizations as well as funding institutions.
The NUEBG was established as a botanical institution in 2007. The EMDO was formed as a leg to the Office of the President to cater environmental and ecological protection of all special projects.
NUEBG Affiliations:
The Northwestern University Ecological Park or NUEBG is a member of the BGCI, as well as the IABG and SEABG Network. With numerous international collaborators and partners like the Millennium Seedbank, The Arboretum Network, and the Global Genome Biodiversity Network. And over 58 international linkages collaborating in botanical researches.