BAGUIO CITY, July 10 -- The Apayao provincial government has opened a research center aimed at supporting scientists studying the province's UNESCO-designated biosphere reserve.

The yApayao Biosphere Reserve (yABR) Research Center in Eva, Calanasan is ready to accommodate researchers conducting biodiversity, environmental and ecological studies in the province, Governor Elias Bulut Jr. said Friday.

"The biosphere research center can accommodate researchers conducting various studies. We are willing to help them through the center, which will benefit not only our province but also the world," Bulut said in a phone interview.

The facility, inaugurated July 7, coincided with the second anniversary of Apayao's inscription as a UNESCO (Unit...