The story of the Mt.Hamiguitan Botanicals started when the home of the pygmy forest and other rich endemism of flora and fauna in Davao Oriental that is Mt.Hamiguitan was inscripted in the tentative list of the UNESCO WORK HERITAGE SITE. While in the process of working out conservation measures for the mountain, the need to offer alternative livelihood to the communities was recognized as the priority objective to attain the goal of perserving the mountain.The laws against the cutting of the trees and small mining were already in place but these did not offer concrete solutions to the essential problem of poverty in the surrounding areas of the range.
Luckily, the residents of the place are knowledgeable of the folk ways of curing illnesses using concocted organic and natural herbs growing abundantly in Mt.Hamiguitan. This was the opening of window for a livelihood project for the place.
Just like in any other rural areas, the residents of the mountain have their own versions of herbal medicines and liniments. To improve the folk 'medicines'of the place, ECOBEST, a social enterprise, offered to do intervention in a way of improving the product line, packaging, conducting further product research and marketing of the items.
An effort to make the residents plant more herbs followed suit to ensure sustainable supply of the raw materials.
The vision is to make Mt Hamiguitan botanicals the main industry of the place, thereby responding to the economic subsistence of the residents. Part of the proceeds of the oils and the creasm support the communities of Mt.Hamiguitan, promote conservation and protection of the foret land in Davao oriental and provide livelihood to other communtiies of the province.
For orders, please contact:
ecobest82012@yahoo.com
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