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Aboitiz Cleanergy Park welcomes two Hawkbill Seat Turle nest

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DAVAO CITY — The Aboitz Cleanergy Park has again housed two nesting ground for “Pawikans.”

The Aboitiz Cleanergy Park, a known nesting ground of the critically endangered Hawksbill Sea turtle (pawikan), welcomed its first pawikan nest in 2023 last June 17. After two weeks, a second batch of eggs was validated on June 28 by Davao Light’s team headed by Fermin Edillon. 

The incubation period of pawikan eggs is between 40 to 60 days and the eggs are expected to hatch sometime in August 2023. Since 2014, over 7,400 sea turtle hatchlings have been released into the sea. 

The second pawikan nest was discovered on June 28, 2023, two weeks after the first nest was verified. The eggs are spherical and have a leathery texture, and are about the size of ping-pong balls. They are believed to be the eggs of a Hawksbill sea turtle.

The park is a conservation sanctuary that has a turtle habitat, mangrove and coastal forest, and a rich coral reef surrounded by a 37-hectare Marine Protected Area (MPA) located in the urban area of Davao City. The conservation effort of the park is supported by different partner organizations, the government, the barangay, and individuals. Davao Light and Power Co., Inc. and Aboitiz Foundation Inc. manage Aboitiz Cleanergy Park with objectives aligned with the United Nation’s Sustainability Goal 14 which is to conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas, and marine resources for sustainable development.

Davao Light continuously encourages activities like coastal clean-ups and mangrove/beach forest tree planting as collective efforts promote a better world for the pawikans.