PAGADIAN
CITY, Zamboanga del Sur ---Wetlands are essential for human health and
prosperity as they provide fresh water, ensure food supply, sustain
biodiversity, protect against flooding and store carbon dioxide. As a major
source of employment globally, they are also ideally place to showcase truly
sustainable livelihoods.
In an
effort to provide the framework for national action and international
cooperation for the conservation and wise use of wetlands and their resources,
the Convention on Wetlands of International Importance, commonly known as the
Ramsar Convention, was signed on February 2, 1971. It is the only
inter-governmental treaty to focus on one single ecosystem.
As a
signatory of the convention, Department of Environment and Natural Resources
(DENR) Regional Public Affairs Office (RPAO) Chief Roservirico Tan said the
Philippines supports the mission of Ramsar Convention which is the
“conservation and wise use of all wetlands through local, regional and national
action and international cooperation, as a contribution towards achieving
sustainable development throughout the world.”
Tan
said during the presidency of Fidel V. Ramos, the Philippine government issued
Presidential Proclamation No. 74, dated February 2, 1992, recognizing also that
every 2nd of February as Philippine National Wetlands Day.
Tan
added that under the banner of “Wetlands for our Future,” this year’s theme for
the World Wetlands Day is “Sustainable Livelihoods.”
What are wetlands?
Wetlands,
as defined by the Ramsar Convention, are land areas that is saturated with or
flooded with water, either permanently or seasonally, along with all beaches
and shallow coastal areas no deeper than six (6) meters at low tide, as well as
man-made wetlands such as fishponds, salt pans, rice paddies, waste-water
treatment ponds, reservoirs, etc.
Examples
of wetlands include marshes, peatlands, ponds, fens, floodplains, and caves
with waters, rivers, lakes, swamps and coastal areas such as saltmarshes,
estuaries, mangroves, lagoons, seagrass beds, coral reefs and other marine
areas.
In the
Philippines, there are six (6) identified Ramsar sites: (1) Olango Island in
Lapu-lapu, Cebu;
Olango Island in Lapu-lapu, Cebu; |
(2) Naujan Lake National Park in Oriental Mindoro;
Naujan Lake National Park in Oriental Mindoro |
(3) Agusan
Marsh Wildlife Sanctuary; (
Agusan Marsh Wildlife Sanctuary |
4) Tubbataha Reefs National Marine Park located in the middle of the Central Sulu Sea;
Tubbataha
Reefs National Marine Park
located
in the middle of the Central Sulu Sea
|
(5) Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park in Palawan;
Puerto
Princesa Subterranean River
National
Park in Palawan
|
(6) Las Piñas-Parañaque Critical Habitat and Ecotourism Area.
Las
Piñas-Parañaque Critical Habitat and
Ecotourism
Area
|
As part
of the global and national celebration of Wetlands Day, the Department of
Environment and Natural Resources – IX conducted Information, Education and
Communication (IEC) campaigns in Poblacion Comprehensive National High School,
Diosdado Macapagal Memorial National High School in Lakewood, Zamboanga del Sur
last January 27-28.
The
regional office also conducted an in-house symposium highlighting the importance
of wetlands during its Monday convocation last February 1 with employees from
the regional office, Zamboanga del Sur Provincial Environment and Natural
Resources Office and Ramon Magsaysay and Guipos Community Environment and
Natural Resources Offices in attendance.
Photo
Contest
Your
photo could take you to a famous wetland of your choice. Simply take a picture
of how a people make a living from wetlands and upload it to the World Wetlands
Day website (www.worldwetlandsday.org) from February 2 – March 2, 2016. This
contest is open to anyone aged 15-24. You may also visit the website for the
full contest mechanics and other information of World Wetlands Day. (PR-MT
DENRIX RPAO)
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