By Kitty Amante
"The goal of maintaining the health of our fragile ecosystem depends on our pragmatic approach to conservation," said Rainier Manalo, president of the Biodiversity Conservation Society of the Philippines (BCSP).
Manalo made the statement during the 28th annual Philippine Biodiversity Symposium attended by hundreds of conservationists, scientists, independent researchers, government representatives and students at the Visayas State University, Baybay, Leyte, last month.
With the theme, "Conservation Without Borders," this year’s symposium sought to highlight the interconnection among various conservation efforts, such as species protection, the ridge-to-reef approach and biodiversity management.
Manalo emphasized the importance of ensuring the sustainability of all conservation actions and the vital role of all stakeholders, including the public and business sectors, in upholding environmental and sociocultural development.
During the four-day event, high-school and undergraduate research reports, scientific paper presentations, and simultaneous talks and workshops were held.
The symposium encompassed various biodiversity conservation topics, including taxonomy, flora and fauna (plant and animal life), threats and issues, and conservation management.
Anson Tagtag, chief of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources Biodiversity Management Bureau, Wildlife Management Section, and Juan Carlos Gonzales, zoology professor and director of the University of the Philippines Los Baños Museum of Natural History, presented the updated Philippine Red List for terrestrial fauna, or the list of threatened land-based wildlife species in the country.
During the plenary talk, Tagtag and Gonzales also explained the criteria used for the categories assigned, the basis of the threats, and challenges and issues arising from its implementation across archipelagic Philippines.
We at Haribon gathered conservation experts in a workshop that aimed to assess current and identify new priority areas for conservation in the country, also known as key biodiversity areas (KBAs), using the updated global guidelines by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
Unlike the previous versions, the new IUCN criteria for KBA includes the identification of threatened ecosystems, preservation of ecological integrity and preservation of biological processes.
Besides the overall KBAs, the workshop also aimed to identify sites under the Alliance for Zero Extinctions (AZE) framework, which are said to be the most important site among all KBAs.
AZE sites are critical to the sustenance of global biodiversity as they provide homes to threatened wildlife that are found nowhere else on the planet.
Participants also joined an exposure trip to the Leyte Sab-a Peatland, one of the two major peatland sites in the country. It covers four barangays of the municipality of Santa Fe and Alangalang, Leyte, and considered important in climate regulation and wildlife conservation.
Symposium activities included exhibits of groups involved in biodiversity research and conservation, including the Asian Species Action Partnership; Buhay-ilang Research, Education and Conservation Inc.; Center for Conservation Innovations Philippines Inc.; Center for Centered Conservation; Crocodylus Porosus Philippines Inc.; Energy Development Corp.; Forest Foundation Philippines; GIZ Ecosystem-based Adaption in River Basins Project; Haribon Foundation for the Conservation of Natural Resources Inc.; International Institute of Rural Reconstruction; Isla Biodiversity Conservation; Katala Foundation; Mindoro Biodiversity Conservation Foundation Inc.; Talarak Foundation; TeaM Energy Foundation Inc.; Traffic Southeast Asia; United States Agency for International Development Protect Wildlife Project; UP Diliman Institute of Biology Biodiversity Research Laboratory; UPLB Museum of Natural History; Wetlands International; Wild Bird Club of the Philippines; and Zoological Society of London.
The event was organized by the Biodiversity Conservation Society of the Philippines or BCSP, a professional organization of wildlife researchers, scientists and conservationists, in partnership with the Leyte Sab-a Peatland Forest Restoration Initiative, and Visayas State University.
