PPUR is one of the provisional New 7 Wonders of Nature!

The New 7 Wonders Foundation in Zurich, Switzerland has announced the first count of the global vote to elect the New7Wonders of Nature. The good news is that the Puerto Princesa Underground River has achieved its provisional New 7 Wonders of Nature status.

The results of the voting which ended at 11:11 yesterday will still be checked, validated and verified before the announcement of the final list in early 2012. Organizers warned that there may yet be changes between the provisional winners and the final list.

Other participants which were included in the provisional New7Wonders of Nature are South Korea's Jeju Island, Indonesia's Komodo Island, the Amazon rainforest, Vietnam’s Halong Bay, Argentina’s Iguazu Falls and South Africa’s Table Mountain.

Bernard Weber, Founder-President of New7Wonders, said: “I would like to thank the many champions, citizens, voluntary organisations, public bodies and governments that have helped promote the New7Wonders of Nature campaign over the past four years, starting with over 440 locations from over 220 countries and all the way to the 28 Finalist candidates from whom the New7Wonders of Nature have been chosen.”

I am hoping that the inclusion of our very own Puerto Princesa Underground River will help boost Tourism in the country. But more than that, I hope that the authorities will also work on strengthening policies to preserve the beauty of the underground river and the ecosystem around it. We should all be concerned with the protection of our country’s natural resources.