By Brian Jules Campued
Get to know more about the rich biodiversity of Siargao Island through a game application developed by the Department of Science and Technology-National Research Council of the Philippines (DOST-NRCP).
The “Siargao Flora & Fauna Puzzle” is an offline game inspired by the popular tile-matching game “Candy Crush” and features animal and plant species endemic to the tourist destination’s rich landscape including its wide expanse of mangrove forests.
In a press release, the DOST said children will learn about creatures such as Mindanao Tree Squirrel, Paka Gadikit, and Platymantis Paka through the app feature called “Siargao Journal”.
The NRCP-funded project was led by environmental researcher Dr. Cecilia Banag-Moran, who conducted research, assessment, inventory, and a biological field survey of the Mangrove Forest in Del Carmen, Siargao Island.
Their research yielded a total of 110 species of plants and 403 species of animals from both aquatic and terrestrial habitats of Del Carmen which provided data for the game’s flora and fauna features.
Meanwhile, Surigao del Norte 1st District Rep. Francisco Jose Matugas II recommended the game app for both children and parents, noting that it is a visually fun and safe to be used as an educational tool.
“Let us explore Siargao Island through this game app, especially for our children, and learn more about the types of plants and animals that continue to thrive in Siargao’s rich biodiversity.” – avds
