Working together in the critical task of biodiversity
conservation
Subtitle:
Participants in biodiversity confab reaffirm commitment to joint protection of
the environment
By Jerry J. Alcayde
Three-hundred environmental
enthusiasts and scientists, composed mostly of representatives from the academe
and NGO community, have reaffirmed their commitment to protect the environment
thru enhanced research initiatives and concrete actions to protect biodiversity
in the recently concluded 25th Philippine Biodiversity Symposium
hosted in Calapan City, Oriental Mindoro. Orgnised annually by the Biodiversity
Conservation Society of the Philippines, this year’s event was co-organised by
the City Government of Calapan and the Mindoro Biodiversity Conservation Foundation,
Inc. (MBCFI), one of the social arms of the Malampaya Joint Venture, operator
of the Malampaya Deep Water Gas-to-Power project.
Mindoro is a fitting place
for holding the silver anniversary of the biodiversity symposium, with the
province considered as one of the global biodiversity conservation priority
areas, particularly in terms of the number of endemic species, diversity of
habitat and degrees of threats.
Facunco S. Roco, Chairman of
the Board of Trustees of MBCFI said in his speech during the opening rites at
Filipiniana Hotel in Calapan City last April 5, that there has been a dramatic
loss of approximately 36,000 hectares of forest cover every year in Mindoro for
a span of seven years (2003 to 2010).
“If nothing is done, Mindoro
will have no more forests in the coming years and there will be a time when
important species of both animals and plants will be at the point of
extinction,” says Roco, who enjoined all participants from the various sectors
to help stop the loss of biodiversity, not only in Mindoro but also in other
parts of the country.
MBCFI, through funding
support from Shell Philippines Exploration and its Malampaya Joint Venture
Partners, has been involved in the work of biodiversity baseline research,
information dissemination, and community training on conservation in Mindoro.
The foundation will be intensifying efforts to work with government and
non-government organisations in the area of forest conservation, recognising
its criticality in preserving the rich biodiversity of the island.
The symposium, which carried
the theme, “25 Years of Collaborative Biodiversity Conservation in the
Philippines: Global Relevance, Local Realities,” is held annually in a
pre-selected venue with the aim of bringing together Filipino and international
researchers and practitioners working in the fields of wildlife studies and
biodiversity conservation in the Philippines.
Delivering a message on
behalf of Shell and its Malampaya Joint Venture Partners, Sankie Simbulan,
Social Performance Manager for Shell Philippines Exploration BV, emphasized the
importance of multi-sector collaborative action in the area of biodiversity
conservation. “This symposium is a good platform for the public, private and
civil society sectors to work together in synergy, sharing knowledge and
expertise to win the fight against biodiversity loss. The threats are real and
the need to act is urgent.”
Cynthia Adeline A.
Layusa-Oliveros, President of Biodiversity Conservation Society of the
Philippines (BCSP) which annually organises the event said that for the past 25
years, more than 270 new species of fauna and flora were discovered in various
parts of the Philippines which have been embraced in national policies and laws
formulated and enacted for wildlife management and conservation.
Calapan City Mayor Arnan C.
Panaligan was thankful to the event organizers for choosing Calapan as this
year’s venue of the annual event as he also lamented that the rich biodiversity
of Mindoro is under threat due to rapid development and human abuses.
“Development is not bad after
all but we must proceed without compromising our environment,” Mayor Panaligan
emphasized.
The mayor commended BCSP and
MBCFI for initiating awareness programmes among the public on environmental
protection such as the holding of the said symposium which is also geared for
networking of research scientists in their thrust to contribute to policy
development on conservation.
Layusa-Oliveros said they
have chosen Mindoro, particularly Calapan City, because it has been maintaining
marine protected areas and the island has a number of notable endemic species
such as the iconic Tamaraw, the Mindoro Bleeding heart and Mindoro
Striped-faced fruit bat, among others.
This year’s participants came
from the academic and research institutions, government agencies,
non-governmental organizations, independent researchers, high school,
undergraduate and graduate students from Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao, and
international experts.
