WETLANDS: KEY FOR OUR SUSTAINABLE FUTURE

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)

RPAO Chief Roservirico Tan shares about

the impact of climate change to the wetland e

cosystem during the Information, Education

and Communication campaign for World

Wetlands Day in Poblacion Comprehensive

National High School in Lakewood, Zamboanga

del Sur last January 27, 2016.

Forester Hiya Jaapar, Chief of Protected Areas

Management and Biodiversity Conservation

of DENR-IX, educates the students of Diosdado

Macapagal Memorial National High School on the

importance of wetlands during the Information,

Education and Communication Campaign for World

Wetlands Day last January 28, 2016.aptions:

Las Piñas-Parañaque Critical Habitat and

Ecotourism Area