Protecting our protected areas

By: Atty. Gloria Estenzo Ramos January 31,2016 - 11:06 PM

Mindfully Greenie

What is a protected area? “A protected area is a clearly defined geographical space, recognized, dedicated and managed, through legal or other effective means, to achieve the long-term conservation of nature with associated ecosystem services and cultural values.” https://www.iucn.org/about/work/programmes/gpap_home/pas_gpap/

Protected areas are described by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as a “mainstay of biodiversity conservation.”

In the Philippines, the Tubbataha Reefs National Park is a source of pride and an illustrious example of a well-managed protected area. It is described as an “excellent example of a pristine coral reef with a spectacular 100-meter perpendicular wall, extensive lagoons and two coral islands.

It is home to a great diversity of marine life, such as whales, dolphins, sharks, turtles and Napoleon wrasse. The reef ecosystems support 360 species of corals – almost 90% of all coral species in the Philippines – and an estimated 600 species of fish.

The reserve also protects one of the few remaining colonies of breeding seabirds in the region.” https://www.iucn.org/about/work/programmes/wcpa_worldheritage/?22362/Watching-over-the-universal-worth-of-Tubbataha-Reefs-paradise-of-blue

Protected areas can be sources of people’s livelihood, such as the artisanal fisherfolk which are considered the poorest of the poor. By safeguarding them, we are also helping strengthen their resiliency and the ability of the ecosystems to continue to provide essential services such as food, clean water, medicine and protection from natural calamities.

The Tañon Strait Protected Seascape is one such protected seascape by virtue of a presidential proclamation. But, a national law to intensify its conservation is essential as the protection offered by a national legislation is more stable and less subjected to the whims and caprices of changing political setting.

Environment leaders at the Senate and House of Representatives, the environmental agency and civil society organizations (CSOs) and citizens are urging the Lower House to pass the proposed Expanded National Integrated Protected Area System Act of 2015 (E-NIPAS), before the 16th Congress adjourns.

While the Senate version of the E-NIPAS was passed in July 2015, the counterpart measure at the HOR was stalled for six months, and scheduled for second reading on February 1, 2016.

It proposes amendments to the 23-year-old National Integrated Protected Areas System (NIPAS) Act, to integrate practical measures to strengthen the implementation of our country’s law on protected areas.

The bill widens the coverage of protected areas, adding 96 more protected areas to the existing 13 legislated national park under Republic Act No. 7586, otherwise known as the NIPAS Act.

Senator Loren Legarda, the principal sponsor in the Senate Bill, has strongly pushed for and recently renewed her call for the passage of the E-NIPAS to actively help areas that remain underprotected, including open seas, coastal areas, wetlands and tropical forests.

Senator Legarda stresses that “Great challenges face us in the task of protecting and preserving our rich biodiversity. Through this proposed measure, local communities and stakeholders will be able to do more to participate in the management and protection of our forests, oceans, flora, fauna and the indigenous peoples that reside in these sanctuaries. I hope our colleagues in the House of Representatives will be able to pass the E-NIPAS Bill before session adjourns.”

Moreover, Senator Legarda introduced a provision on the protection of biodiversity under the 2016 General Appropriations Act (GAA). Under the GAA provision, all government agencies and offices and local government units (LGUs) shall earmark a portion of their budget to ensure that protection of biological diversity is integrated and mainstreamed into their development projects and programs.

For Senator Legarda, the E-NIPAS Law ensures that the conservation of specific protected areas in the country is prioritized, strongly supported, and incorporated in development plans and programs of both the national government and LGUs.

It is heartwarming that Congresswoman Josephine Ramirez Sato has taken up the cudgels for the enactment of the House bill together with her 106 co-authors-colleagues.

She shared the challenges and the hurdles such as the problematic technical description of Pas, lack of sense of urgency, the need to establish economic significance and the myth of taking away from local government the control over the management of the Protected Areas.

She understands that the passage of the bill into law will enable the Philippines to comply with its commitment under the Convention on Biological Diversity, and position the country in terms of financing in the advent of the recent Climate Change Agreement in Paris. Further, the E-NIPAS will provide more management lever level for the Protected Area Management Boards (PAMBs) to design, develop and implement programs and projects in their respective areas.

Biodiversity Management Director Mundita Lim emphasizes that the proposed E-NIPAS does not run counter to current environmental laws, but rather, complements and strengthens their implementation.

If and when enacted, the E-NIPAS Act will enhance conservation efforts for unique, rare and threatened species of plants and animals and their habitat, thus ensuring the sustainable use of our natural resources and cultural diversity. In addition, the proposed bill will also delineate the boundaries of the terrestrial and marine protected areas, and provide a regular annual budget for the upkeep and protection of the 113 protected areas in the country.

It is important that the E-NIPAS Bill be given the utmost sense of urgency and serious attention it deserves, considering the unrelenting pressures on our environment, the looming food security issue and, of course, the challenges of a changing climate.

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