Ano ang biodiversity conservation plan ng bansa? | Need to Know
Bilang isa ang Pilipinas sa 17 megadiverse countries sa buong mundo, mayaman ang bansa sa iba’t ibang species ng hayop at halaman. Sa kabila nito, kabilang din ang Pilipinas sa top 10 countries na may pinamakaraming species na nanganganib maging extinct at itinuturing din ito na hotspot for biodiversity loss.
Ano ang plano ng pamahalaan para sa biodeversity conservation sa bansa? Here’s what you need to know. Here’s what you Need To Know.
Ano ang plano ng pamahalaan para sa biodeversity conservation sa bansa? Here’s what you need to know. Here’s what you Need To Know.
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NewsTranscript
00:00 The Philippines is one of the 17 mega-diverse countries in the world.
00:05 This means that the country is rich in different species of animals and plants.
00:11 Most of these are endemic or can only be found in the Philippines.
00:16 But the Philippines is also one of the top 10 countries with the most species that are at risk of extinction
00:23 and is considered a hotspot for biodiversity loss.
00:28 What is the government's plan for biodiversity conservation in the country?
00:33 Here's what you need to know.
00:35 Biodiversity refers to the different living things in a place.
00:41 These include different species of animals, plants, insects, and even microorganisms.
00:48 Each species is connected and helps the ecosystem to maintain and support life on Earth.
00:55 The more ecosystems, the higher is the diversity of the species.
01:00 Because each group of population of each species of each ecosystem
01:06 also has a distinctive genetic diversity.
01:12 In the Philippines, there are more than 53,000 described species.
01:17 Almost 15,000 are plant species, while 38,000 are animal species.
01:23 More than half of these can only be found in the Philippines,
01:28 such as the Philippine Eagle, Tamaraw, Philippine Mouse Deer or Pilandok, Visayan Warty Pig, and Philippine Tarsier.
01:38 The problem is that some of these species are at risk of extinction
01:43 due to habitat loss, over-exploitation, invasive alien species, pollution, and climate change.
01:51 We are in danger of losing them if we do not take care of them.
01:55 So, irregardless of their status, whether critically endangered or vulnerable,
02:02 if we do not take care of them and protect them,
02:06 the basic functions that they give us and that we derive will all be lost.
02:13 Coaching is one of the biggest threats to the biodiversity of the Philippines.
02:18 It is illegal to kill and sell endangered species, such as the Philippine Pangolin in Palawan.
02:26 According to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, or UNODC,
02:32 all species of eagles in the country are endangered due to deforestation and illegal logging.
02:39 The case of large mammals and larger species of birds is a dual threat.
02:46 The combination of hunting and habitat loss are very fatal to the population of these species.
02:54 But for small animals that are not fed, not even pets, and are not associated with the pet trade,
03:01 their threat is habitat loss.
03:05 As more people are increasing, our needs for agriculture, food, land, and development are increasing.
03:14 And the extraction of resources to sustain the population in urban areas is also driving further extinction.
03:24 To protect the biodiversity of the country, the Philippine Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan, or PBSAP, was established.
03:33 It will serve as a roadmap for the country's biodiversity conservation.
03:39 The target of PBSAP is to rehabilitate and restore the biodiversity in the Philippines by 2028.
03:47 The ecosystem services are also planned to maintain communities healthy and resilient.
03:54 We have three major programs that are part of our roadmap, or what we call PBSAP.
04:01 These are Protected Area Development and Management, Protection and Conservation of Wildlife, and the Management of our Coastal and Marine Resources.
04:13 According to the DNR-BMB, there are 248 protected areas in the country under the Expanded National Integrated Protected Area System.
04:24 It covers 7.76 million hectares.
04:28 These are the portions of land or water that are rich in biodiversity and are protected against destructive human exploitation.
04:37 When you say critical habitat, it means there are threatened species that live in that area.
04:44 So far now, we already have 11 declared critical habitats.
04:48 We also have the combatting of illegal wildlife trade.
04:52 Because of these programs, some species have been saved from the threat of extinction.
04:58 What the DNR is doing, especially the regional office, Region 4B, there are conservation programs in place.
05:07 So, of course, that includes awareness raising, and they are counting correctly.
05:13 So, we can see that the population is slowly recovering.
05:17 So, this is how we know, although it's not an indication exactly that it's really working per se, but we know we are doing something because we are intervening.
05:28 According to the DNR-BMB, 15 out of 20 targets under the PBSAT have been completed.
05:36 Other programs for the remaining targets in 2028 are also being implemented.
05:42 The DNR-BMB also has a partner in their program, the conservation groups like the Philippine Biodiversity Conservation Foundation, Inc.
05:52 From the information that we gather from the field, we always work with the government-mandated agencies
05:58 so that they can also translate the conservation actions from the information generated in the joint research activity.
06:08 Everything benefits the country's rich biodiversity.
06:13 That's why each of us has a duty to protect it.
06:17 That's why we are on track to achieve because the development of the plan is practical.
06:23 There are areas that still need to be targeted because we feel that it's still on track,
06:31 but if we don't step up, we might not reach the target.
06:38 I don't want to be the target until that point.
06:41 You should surpass that so that if it goes down, you're still on track.
06:46 [Music]