DENR report admits Philippines is
way behind biodiversity protection
MANILA, Philippines—In its first report in 20 years since the
enactment of a law aimed to ensure the conservation of the country’s
biodiversity, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR)
acknowledged that much has to be done even as there have been gains in its
efforts in protected areas management.
The
48-page report entitled “Communities in Nature: State of Protected Areas
Management in the Philippines” admitted that the country’s biodiversity has
remained threatened.
It said:
“Many scientists have expressed the concern that despite the significant gains
in protected areas management, the Philippines is still losing its remaining
forest and coastal ecosystems at an alarming rate.”
“In other
words, the country is either not effective in conserving its resources, or not
fast enough in protecting ecosystems at risk,” the report said.
Nonetheless,
the DENR was able to establish “a system of protected areas for biodiversity
conservation and has rehabilitated and restored degraded ecosystems,” according
to DENR Secretary Ramon Paje.
Dr.
Mundita Lim, national project director of the New Conservation Areas in the
Philippines Project (NewCAPP), said the government might have been “slow” in
addressing biodiversity conservation because there have been gaps in the
identification of protected areas nationwide, funding constraints as well as
the capacities and awareness gaps among people, including DENR employees
themselves.
“Management
is a problem itself. We want to sustainably manage the protected areas
themselves,” said Lim, who is also the director of the DENR Protected Areas and
Wildlife Bureau (PAWB).
She
stressed the need for the participation of stakeholders, particularly the local
governments, which could invest their money in conservation efforts.
“They know
that if they invest in protected areas, the returns would be huge. Everything
would come in later. There should be the recognition of the people of the value
of biodiversity to them, even the national government. Once the national
government recognizes that (biodiversity) is actually the foundation for
development, they would invest more than what we are getting at the moment,”
Lim said.
Between
2005 and 2009, the PAWB was allocated less than P1 million to support
activities for protected areas system management, according to the report.
But Lim
also said that recognizing the problems in protected areas management was
already a “good step towards addressing (the issue).”
While he
has yet to see the report, Jose Ma. Lorenzo Tan of the conservation group
WWF-Philippines told the Inquirer by phone that “generally, protected areas
management is insufficiently funded.”
“There is
much room for improved management and enforcement. The rules of the NIPAS ACAT
have by and large proven to be cumbersome, throwing, in many cases, too many
roadblocks that would allow for improved effective management,” he said.
He added:
“The situation is a slope. There are protected areas that are truly called
leaders globally in protected areas management while there are areas that are
laggards in protected areas management.”
Tan said
that among the successes were the Tubbatha Reef in Palawan and the Mt.
Iglit-Baco National Park in Mindoro Occidental, which has been home to the
endangered tamaraw, while much can be done for the Penablanca protected area in
Cagayan, the Agusan Marsh in Agusan del Sur, and even Mt. Makiling in Laguna.
“There
should be a sense of ownership among the people… Governance is not government…
It is the quality of local ownership, seeing private sector interest, support,
and money (in the protected areas management),” Tan said.
One of the
17 mega-diverse countries, the Philippines hosts about 70 to 80 percent of the
world’s biodiversity. Ironically, it is also one of the hottest biodiversity
hotspots in the world.
Two
decades after the implementation of the National Integrated Protected Areas System
(NIPAS), a total of 240 protected areas have been established, covering 5.4
million hectares of land and sea. Of the figure, the total land area consists
of 13.6 percent and only 0.64 percent of the country’s vast marine territory.
Eventually,
228 key biodiversity areas covering 7.6 million hectares, including 128
terrestrial and 100 marine sites, were identified.
Agusan Norte port project opposed
Affected area is ‘world-class diving site,’ ‘protected fish sanctuary’
Tubay, Agusan del Norte – Local residents and officials of a coastal barangay and the municipal council here have expressed strong opposition to the construction of a multimillion-peso port project in the area, citing potential destruction to the environment, even as the contractor has reportedly been cleared by authorities to go on with the project.
In separate resolutions and petitions, copies of which were obtained by Manila Bulletin (MB), the Tubay Municipal Council and the Sangguning Pambarangay and residents of Payong-payong, a sitio in Barangay Tinigbasan, cited that the area of the port project construction is a “world-class diving site” within the protected “fish sanctuary.”
ENVIRONMENT-’UNFRIENDLY’ – This aerial shot captures the ongoing construction of the municipal port (lower left corner) in Payong-payong, Barangay Tinigbasan, Tubay,
EnvironmentIn the 17th Tubay Municipal Council’s regular session held recently, Tubay Vice Mayor Jimmy Beray disclosed that the establishment of the port in Payong-payong has “no proof of publication/posting and/or proper public consultation, which is in violation of the Local Government Code.”
“The potential tourism area is also a fish sanctuary, and it is inevitable that the said natural habitat of the endangered species of flora and fauna will be disrupted by the construction of the said structure (port),” Tubay Municipal Council’s resolution stated.
“The [Municipal Council] is not against the establishment of a municipal port. What it does not approve of is the present location of the proposed port,” it added.
An eight-page petition “opposing the construction of the municipal port in Payong-payong for environmental protection and coral reefs preservation” adopted and signed by officials and 205 residents of the affected barangays, and forwarded to the municipal board members and Beray also appealed for the stoppage of construction of the municipal port, saying it will lead to “the destruction of the environment and marine ecosystem.”
“The establishment of a port in Payong-payong will destruct our environment, and will also block the development of our fish sanctuary,” their petition stated in the Visayan dialect.
The Tubay Municipal Council has created a technical working group chaired by Beray that will conduct a comprehensive study and investigation on the port project.
Beray said the ongoing construction of the port, particularly its causeway, must be probed despite two resolutions unanimously passed by the concerned parties.
“You can now visibly see the extent of damage in Payong-payong, the beautiful coral reefs in the area fading away… and barangay residents and fishermen already complaining of small catch due to scarcity of fish and other marine resources in the area,” he added.
A separate document gathered by MB disclosed that on December 17, 2012, the Tubay Municipal Council approved Ordinance No. 2012-40, establishing the Municipal Port of Tubay in Payong-payong, Tinigbasan, Agusan del Norte. The ordinance was forwarded to the Provincial Board (Sangguniang Panlalawigan) on June 21, 2013 and was approved by the same on Sept. 16, 2013.
“In its review, the committee finds the establishment of the municipal port consistent with the general welfare clause found under Section 16 of the Local Government Code wherein municipalities are empowered to provide infrastructures intended primarily to service the needs of their residents,” the two-page Sangguniang Panlalawigan Resolution No. 043-2013 stated.
Upon completion, the port will be used by Agata Mining Joint Venture, it was learned. The firm is reportedly shouldering the project cost, which was initially pegged at P10 million.
One of Agata’s officials, who requested anonymity as he is not authorized to issue any statement regarding the matter, said Agata followed all the necessary procedures and complied with the requirements, including the environmental compliance certificate, before “we started our ground works for the port.”
He added that the company had already received a clearance to develop a port facility for the proposed direct shipping ore operation of the high-iron laterite resources at the Agata project.
Meanwhile, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources Regional Office (DENR-13) has already started its ground investigation on the matter.
“Our government is campaigning [nonstop] on environment preservation and protection, [so] we will [find out] if the protected area and fish sanctuary are affected by the establishment of this port,” DENR-13 Executive Director Nonito Tamayo said in a separate interview.
On the other hand, Department of Tourism Regional (DOT-13) Director Leticia Tan said Payong-payong is “not” included in DOT’s tourism development plan due to mining activities within the area.
“Tourism potential, yes, but it will contradict our Republic Act 9593 on ‘No Mining’ if declared a tourism development area,” Tan said.
