As many as 30,000 households could benefit from green jobs that will be generated by a multi-agency four billion-peso investment in three provinces that will be affected by mine closures as a result of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) mining audit that shut down mines near watersheds in Surigao Del Norte, Surigao Del Sur, and the Dinagat Islands.

This according to DENR Secretary Gina Lopez, who on Tuesday emphasized that the closure of mines would not result in job losses that could adversely affect the lives of residents dependent on mining for their livelihood.

"It is incumbent upon us in government to provide alternatives for our citizens who are affected by our policies. We want to protect the environment, and want to show that we can save lives and provide livelihood at the same time," said Lopez.

According to Lopez, the DENR together with ten other government line agencies are prepared to invest close to four billion pesos to provide employment opportunities for 25 to 30 thousand households.

The other agencies include the Department of Labor and Employment, the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority, the Department of Agriculture, the Department of Science and Technology, the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, the Department of the Interior and Local Government, the Department of Trade and Industry, the Philippine Coconut Authority, the Department of Public Works and Highways, and the Department of Social Welfare and Development.

"We have a very good, very doable plan that will provide employment in the short and long term, jobs that do not involve mining activities that will damage our much-needed watersheds," explained the DENR chief.

Short-term employment opportunities include reforestation, desilting of agricultural land, napier and bamboo farming, livestock raising, and biochar manufacturing.

Biochar is a powerful soil enhancer that holds carbon and makes soils more fertile. It can boost food security, discourage deforestation and preserve cropland diversity. Biochar systems can reverse soil degradation and create sustainable food and fuel production in areas with severely depleted soils, scarce organic resources, and inadequate water and chemical fertilizer supplies.

Medium and long-term jobs, on the other hand, will be generated by the manufacture of charcoal briquettes, ecotourism activities, infrastructure, and agro-post harvest processing.

Lopez stressed that "providing economic opportunities and protecting the environment are not mutually exclusive."

"It is not one or the other; we can and should do both at the same time, because we cannot sacrifice the welfare of future generations to meet short-term economic objectives."

The environment secretary added that even experts from the Mineral Policy Center based in Washington, D.C. have referred to water as "mining's most common casualty."

"Any competent scientist will tell you that mining affects fresh water through the heavy use of water in processing ore, and through water pollution from discharged mine effluent and seepage from tailings and waste rock impoundments," explained Lopez.

Lopez said she hoped legislators and fellow cabinet secretaries "look at the issue of protecting our watersheds in the long term because we could face a very, very serious problem with water many years down the road."

A study conducted by the think tank World Resources Institute (WRI) said in late 2015 that the country is in danger of experiencing water scarcity in 23 years. The study predicts the Philippines will experience a "high" degree of water shortage in the year 2040.

The Philippines is ranked 57th out of 167 countries that will likely be a water stressed country in 2040. The study defines water stress as “the ratio between total water withdrawals and available renewable surface water at a sub-catchment level.” ###

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Published: 07 March 2017

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The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) is collaborating with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) to enhance the protection and conservation of the country's rich biological diversity.

The DENR and USAID on Monday launched the Protect Wildlife Project, a five-year, P1.2-billion initiative that seeks to address biodiversity loss and rampant wildlife trafficking in the Philippines.

DENR Secretary Gina Lopez and US Ambassador Sung Kim led the launch of the newest biodiversity conservation project in the country, held at Sequoia Hotel in Quezon City on March 6.

The event, co-organized by the USAID and the DENR's Biodiversity Management Bureau (BMB), was part of the World Wildlife Day celebration on March 3.

Amb. Kim said that the project was part of the continuing collaboration between the two governments, along with the private sector, civil society, and individual communities to strengthen natural and environmental resource management in the country.

“It will demonstrate that protecting and managing the Philippines’ diverse habitats and species lead to improved quality of life and sustainable development,” he said.

“’Protect wildlife’ is not only the name of our project. It is also the imperative for all of us to take care of the species with which we share the planet,” he added.

Lopez lauded the project’s tagline stating, “Conservation is not protecting nature from people. It is protecting nature for people.”

She reiterated that the perspective of the DENR under her leadership was area development, and making sure that the resources, especially its flora and fauna, in an area are enjoyed by the people themselves.

Noting that the species is home to a high level of endemicity, Lopez said that nurturing the country’s endemic species was the country’s contribution to humanity.

“Wildlife is therefore an integral part of developing areas. Taking care of them will give us great ecotourism zones that can help people in the communities and lift them out of poverty,” she stated.

According to BMB Director Theresa Mundita Lim, the Protect Wildlife Project would also focus on improving benefits provided by ecosystems for food, water, livelihood and ecotourism.
"With the Philippines being both one of the world’s most megadiverse countries and a critical biodiversity hotspot, we need to see how we can communicate development programs more effectively so that people will appreciate better the benefits of conservation," Lim said.

Lim said that among the strategies to be used in the project include improving the attitude and behavior of stakeholders toward biodiversity, and intensifying their involvement in conserving and financing biodiversity initiatives.

The project will also enhance the competencies of stakeholders and implementers such as local government units, civil society organizations, the academe, and other government agencies on biodiversity conservation.

Two pilot areas have been selected for the project. These are the Palawan province including Tubbataha Reef, and the Sulu Archipelago including Zamboanga City and Tawi-Tawi province.

The USAID will ensure that the project’s impact is sustained by using an ecosystem approach in addressing threats to biodiversity within the sites. This would enable the local community to have a strong sense of ownership and promptly adapt to lessons they learn from the project.

Lim said the project also highlights the need to fight threats posed by wildlife trafficking, illegal fishing, land use conversion, irresponsible mining, and indifference of stakeholders.

"The more habitats deteriorate and wildlife existence is endangered, the less we benefit from the goods and services that ecosystems provide to sustain human life," Lim pointed out. ###

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Published: 06 March 2017

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Secretary Gina Lopez has issued the policy guidelines for two important initiatives of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) that both aimed at providing local communities with sustainable livelihood opportunities while protecting the environment.

Lopez defines SIAD as "an approach, a strategy and a guiding philosophy that weaves environmental considerations with social justice and human development."

In DENR Administrative Order (DAO) No. 2017-02 she issued, Lopez said the SIAD strategy aims to apply area-based interventions, concepts on its natural resources development programs including the Enhanced National Greening Program (eNGP), and integrated island development. eNGP is a massive reforestation program of the government that doubles as investments towards sustainable community enterprise.

Lopez said SIAD will cover, but is not limited to, river basins and watersheds, and will be initially implemented within 29 priority sites and expansion areas identified by the DENR last year.

"Beginning this year, SIAD shall be implemented in other areas of the Philippines as long as the implementers follow our guidelines and the principles behind this strategy," Lopez added.

According to the DENR chief, SIAD is pursuant to the provisions of the 1987 Constitution on the policy of the State "to protect and advance the right of the people to a balanced and healthful ecology in accord with the rhythm and harmony of nature" and on the "promotion of social justice and human rights, including the commitment to create economic opportunities based on freedom of initiative and self-reliance."

"This strategy is also in response to the clamor of the Filipino people for a system of governance that will finally reverse centuries' worth of human suffering, environmental desolation, societal discrimination, moral hazard and historical injustice toward activating the full potential of the Philippines within the next 15 years," Lopez pointed out.

DAO 2017-02 calls for the formulation and implementation of a six-year SIAD Action Plan by the government, civil society and the private sector.

In a separate directive, DAO 2017-05, Lopez laid down the guidelines on the implementation of the biochar program, which is one great example of an initiative that uses the SIAD approach.

Lopez said biochar calls for the wise utilization of abundant agricultural waste materials into marketable products created by rural communities for green energy, soil enhancement, mine revegetation, and a host of environmental products and services, making it a remarkable climate change mitigation technology with a poverty alleviation through community enterprise.

Biochar is a charred biomass strictly from agricultural wastes like rice hull and straw, bagasse, pili shell, mango seed, coconut husk and shell and corn cobs, which are produced by high heating (>500oC) with very limited oxygen.

But Lopez clarified in her order that cutting of any trees to serve as raw materials for biochar is "strictly prohibited."

"However, biomass coming from trees such as wood chips, seeds, twigs and branches can be permitted," she added.

Lopez said biochar has 52 known uses, including as feed additive in animal farming, carbon fertilizer, insulator, protection against electromagnetic radiation, water decontaminant, biomass additive, ingredient in cataplasm for insect bites and abcesses, fabric additive for functional underwear, and filling for mattresses and pillows.

Biochar also draws carbon from the atmosphere, providing a carbon sink on agricultural lands. After its initial or cascading use, biochar can be recycled as soil conditioner.

Fully depreciated when finally returned to the soil, the black carbon will slowly build up in the soil -- and over a few generations the soil's biochar content could easily reach 50 to 100 tons per hectare, as in the case of ancient Terra Preta soils.

Earlier, DENR Undersecretary for Field Operations Philip Camara said biochar has strong potential to provide alternative livelihood to local communities given that the country consumes about 22 million cubic meters of wood for fuel and charcoal per year.

The DENR's biochar program aims to remediate perennial environmental problems like unsanitary landfills, greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture, unsanitary sewage diposal and heavily degraded land from mining and overuse of fertilizer.

It seeks to address the acidification of forestlands, support better survival of seedlings and trees in the government's reforestation program and removal of heavy metals from soils, among others.

Aside from helping mitigate the effects of climate change, the biochar program also aims to create a significant new industry revolving around biochar, its derivative and associative products, promoting community enterprises as the backbone of this new industry. ###

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Published: 05 March 2017

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The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) has entered into a partnership with Japanese auto giant Mitsubishi Motors Corp. (MMC) in a bid to boost government efforts toward sustained environmental protection and sustainable development.

The DENR and MMC recently signed two agreements in which the multinational car manufacturer, under its corporate social responsibility program, vowed to support the agency's environmental projects, particularly its plan to create ecological economic zones through sustainable integrated area development (SIAD).

Both agreements were signed by DENR Secretary Gina Lopez and Undersecretary for International Affairs and Foreign Assisted Projects Jonas Leones, and MMC president and CEO Osamu Masuko.

In one of the accords, MMC agreed to cooperate with the DENR in identifying and implementing measures in support of the SIAD initiatives.

Using the SIAD approach, the DENR would assume the developmental role of providing sustainable livelihood while teaching environmental conservation to affected communities.

The MMC is expected to establish mangrove and bamboo plantations covering a total of 100 hectares within a period of 4 to 5 years.

Lopez said she was "thrilled" to sign the agreements because the MMC will "not only help make the country more beautiful, but also adapt to climate change."

Aside from planting bamboos and mangroves, Leones said the MMC also agreed to "look for other avenues to help the DENR protect the environment, specifically in tackling air pollution and solid waste management."

At the same time, Lopez disclosed that MMC will be donating an electric-powered vehicle worth US$25,000 to the DENR to promote the use of vehicles run by renewable energy in the country.

"With this kind of car, you won’t have any more gasoline expenses because you can charge it the whole night for 7-8 hours. If you charge it for half an hour, you can already go as far as 150 kilometers," Lopez said.

According to the DENR chief, the car can also serve as a generator in emergency cases when there is no electricity in a particular area.

"If we have more cars like this, we can probably clean the air in Metro Manila and save money on gas,” Lopez pointed out.
Masuko, for his part, said the MMC was more than willing to help the DENR further promote environmental protection.

He said the MMC believes that protecting the environment is an important part of corporate responsibility to society.

"As a car manufacturer, we would also want to cooperate in solving certain environmental issues and renew the resources we consume,” Masuko said. ###

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Published: 04 March 2017

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The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) on Friday honored 79 individuals for their contribution to government efforts to end wildlife trafficking and trade, marking the local celebration of the World Wildlife Day (WWD) this year.

Now in its fourth year, the Wildlife Enforcement Awards recognized law enforcement personnel and private individuals who were instrumental in the arrest and filing of cases against wildlife crime offenders, and the rescue of various wildlife species, most of them are considered endangered.

Director Theresa Mundita Lim of the DENR's Biodiversity Management Bureau (BMB) led the awarding ceremony, which was held at the BMB Training Ceremony inside the Ninoy Aquino Parks and Wildlife Center in Quezon City.

"Protecting our country's rich wildlife resources is quite a challenge for the BMB with our limited resources. These awards allow us to recognize private entities and non-DENR personnel for their significant contribution to wildlife law enforcement," Lim said.

The awardees include 34 personnel from the National Bureau of Investigation, 18 from the Philippine Coast Guard, nine from the Bureau of Customs, six from the Pasay City government, five from the Department of Justice, and two from the parcel delivery company FedEx.

Also recognized were five private individuals who provided other forms of support such as photo-documentation, species identification, and monitoring and surveillance.

In December 2013, the United Nations declared every March 3 as World Wildlife Day to celebrate and raise awareness of the world's flora and fauna.

The date coincides with the day the CITES, or the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna, was adopted. So far, a total of 183 countries are parties to the convention.

The global theme for this year's WWD celebration is "Listen to the young voices," aiming to encourage the youth to take an active role in wildlife conservation and the fight against the trafficking and illegal trade of wildlife species.

In keeping with the theme, the BMB also hosted the 2nd National Wildlife Quiz Bee contest for 30 Grade 9 students from public schools in Central Luzon, CALABARZON, and the National Capital Region.

Lim said the contest aims to encourage students to give attention to developments in wildlife, as well as raise awareness and appreciation for the country’s rich wildlife resources.

Also as part of the WWD celebration, a youth forum on crocodile conservation was held in Puerto Princesa City in Palawan province. The event aimed at educating the youth on the ecological importance of crocodiles, and threats to their existence, such as habitat conversion and overexploitation.

The forum was organized by the DENR Palawan provincial office and the Crocodylus Porosus Philippines, an active partner of the government in promoting the sustainable use of the saltwater crocodile. ###

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Published: 03 March 2017

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