The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Region 2 through PENRO Cagayan enlisted around 100 students for the protection and restoration of wetlands in Buguey, Cagayan.
In an environmental education held today, the students and teachers from Leron Elementary School and Minanga Elementary School committed to join in the Department's effort to protect the Buguey wetlands which is about 500 hectares or about 80 percent of the total land area of the municipality.
With the help of Pinas: The Basura Buster, the students pledged to practice solid waste management by proper segregation at source, proper disposal and recycling to keep away wastes from going to the different bodies of water.
The activity which kicked off this year's celebration of World Wetlands Day is part of the Buguey Wetlands Awareness Campaign or BWAn. It was launched in 2019 and funded by Ramsar Regional Center-East Asia.
Meanwhile, a tree growing activity was conducted around the Bangalao lake in Sta. Teresita, Cagayan. Spearheaded by CENRO Aparri, the activity was participated in by local government unit personnel, barangay officials and residents, and CENRO employees.#
The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) in Nueva Vizcaya and the Raptorwatch Network Philippines (RNP) have sought for the conservation of the Grey-faced Buzzard through a future collaborative project research entitled โAssessment and Conservation of Roosting Areas of Grey-faced Buzzard in Nueva Vizcaya.โ
In a recent meeting, Alex Tiongco and Tere Cervero, president and director of RNP, respectively, presented to forester-lawyer Junny Vic Andaya, CPL protected area superintendent (PASu), the organizationโs mission of expanding their network for the conservation of Grey-faced Buzzard in the north, also called a migratory bird.
The said species was sighted within the CPL during one of the DENRโs conduct of Biodiversity Monitoring System through transect walk and field diary activities.
โIt is important to note that CPL is located along the convergence of traditional routes of these raptors in the Sierra Madre and Cordillera mountain ranges. We would like to partner with you on the conservation of these raptors,โ said Atty. Tiongco adding the importance of said bird species in natural pest control.
For the part of the CPL, Atty. Andaya thanked the effort of the RNP in its conservation campaign for the Grey-faced Buzzard.
โWe will encourage the community to help us conserve this species and monitor other life forms thriving inside the PA,โ the superintendent said.
Meanwhile, Dr. Jayson Caranza, dean of the College of Forestry, Environment and Resource Management of Nueva Vizcaya State University (NVSU), also supported the said undertaking. He also committed for other conservation programs and projects in the province.
Aside from controlling pests, a Grey-faced Buzzard locally named 'Sawi' helps in maintaining ecological balance. They control population of species that harm humans and pets and are potential for ecotourism activity like bird watching.
The presence of migratory birds also indicates improved wetlands which contribute to water quality and land productivity.#
The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) has turned over on Jan. 30-31, this year, over 70 million pesos worth of completed Agroforestry Support Facilities (ASF) to the local government of Nueva Vizcaya and Quirino and Peopleโs Organizations (POs).
The activity aims to strengthen the Departmentโs forest conservation activities and improve the socio-economic condition of local communities.
Funded by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) through the Forestland Management Project (FMP), the three facilities turned over in Nueva Vizcaya include the concreting of 3.151-kilometer Access Road Sections 1 and 2, and construction of 13 linear meter Flat Slab Bridge in Barangay Parai; and the construction of 7.97 kilometers Molave, Keon and Guijo Pathway in Barangay Bitnong; both located in the municipality of Dupax del Norte.
In Quirino, two ASF were turned over to LGU Diffun and Don Mariano Perez Farmers Consumers Cooperative (DMPFCC), namely; concreting of Access Road phase 2 and construction of Irrigation Pipeline System.
DENR officials awarded the Certificate of Sub-Project Turnover and Acceptance to the recipients.
Parai Upland Greeners Association, Inc. (PUGAI) and Bitnong Guijo Greeners Association, Inc. (BGGAI) in Dupax del Norte; and Don Mariano Perez Farmers Consumers Cooperative (DMPFCC), together with the concerned Municipal and Barangay LGUs accepted the projects.
During the turnover ceremony, a tripartite Memorandum of Agreement was signed between and among the DENR, LGUs and POs to define responsibilities of the parties in sustaining the said infrastructure projects.
In her message, Director Gwendolyn Bambalan of DENR Region 2 thanked the JICA officials for the support they have extended particularly in implementing comprehensive site development for Nueva Vizcaya and Quirino provinces integrating the conservation and development interventions within the 24 sub-watershed areas with 147 POs involved in the project.
โThese agroforestry support facilities support social and economic advancement in the local level while we engage with the local communities considering their nearness and capability to protect and conserve our remaining natural resources to address climate change crises,โ the regional environment chief emphasized.
For his acceptance message, Mayor Timothy Joseph Cayton of Dupax del Norte said the project is a big help to his constituents.
โWe are thankful because we really felt the support of the DENR in its campaign to improve its reforestation program, rest assured that we will take care of these projects,โ local chief executive Cayton said as he committed additional funding support for development projects to be implemented in the municipality.
Meanwhile, JICA Senior Representative Soichiro Ide recognized the beneficiaries for extending their support to the 10-year DENR-JICA partnership project. โMaximize running this project with enthusiasm for sustainability as its benefits are expected if you are there to maintain the forests and ensure the availability of social services,โ he said as he congratulated the local communities.
The provincial governors in said provinces and district representative of Nueva Vizcaya were equally represented during the turnover ceremony.
For her part, Mayor May Calaunan of Diffun thanked the DENR and JICA for bringing development projects in Diffun town. "Rest assured of our commitment to these projects," she said.
The FMP is a watershed management intervention that seeks to address solutions to climate change.
The event was also witnessed by ARD for Technical Services Marcos Dacanay, Central Project Management Officer Marlon Atienza, JICA Program Officer Christian Vic Perez, members of the Philippine National Police, other DENR and local government officials, and local communities.
After the turnover ceremony, the staff and personnel of the FMP Provincial Project Management Office in Nueva Vizcaya and Qurino held a Sustainability Action Planning Workshop to discuss among themselves strategies on how to maintain the FMP activities even after its completion in June, this year.#
Youth for Environment in Schools Organization (YES-O) leaders and students of Manaring Integrated School (MIS) in the City of Ilagan, Isabela, recently launched a Project called Building Ecological Reinforcements and Developed Enthusiasts (BERDE).
MIS Teacher III Leliz R. Soriano said the project launch aims to implement awareness and take action on proper waste management within the classroom.
"We urged the students to avoid prepackaged produce, minimize waste, and convert "waste" back into usable supplies," she said.
In his Opening remarks, Master Teacher I Antonio Tarayao emphasized the celebration of Zero Waste Month as an essential event to call them out to drop the practices that will continue to pose threats to, such as the continued production and consumption of single-use plastics.
School Principal II Arturo P. Dumlao, Jr. joined forces with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Isabela to rid the great barrier reef of single-use plastics by conducting a symposium to instill awareness among learners and institutionalize participation.
Forester II Erma G. Tarayao, focal person of the Ecological Solid Waste Management (ESWM) of PENRO Isabela, encouraged the students and teachers during her lecture on Zero Waste to continuously be mindful and be aware of properly segregating and disposing of their wastes.
She said waste segregation is the first step in the zero waste advocacy wherein every household can determine disposed material that can be reused or recycled and recovered through other waste management programs.
PENRO Isabela distributed receptacles and posters on ESWM for the students to know the proper waste disposal and systematically prevent and eliminate the amount of toxicity of waste and to participate in its programs and advocacies to become eco-friendly social media influencers.
Isabela Oriole Mascot was also presented to promote the bird's relevance and to inspire and motivate the students to protect the species and their habitat.
Proclamation No. 760 in 2014 by President Benigno Aquino III declared January of every year as Zero Waste Month. The celebration also aims to guide people in changing their lifestyles and practices to emulate sustainable natural cycles where all discarded materials are designed to become resources for others to use.#
The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) recently showcased its brand Ambassadors at the Bambanti Festival of the Provincial Government of Isabela.
The presence of Pawi, Isa, and Pinas Basura Buster (PBB) resembling a Hawksbill turtle, a Bird, and Ecological Solid Waste Management (ESWM) mascots in various activities to boost communication, education, and public awareness on the protection and conservation of terrestrial and marine resources and the prevention of mismanagement of waste calls for a progressive and active involvement of the community.
Pawi was developed to represent the Hawksbill Sea Turtle by the Coastal and Marine Ecosystems Management Program (CMEMP) through a survey with Northern Sierra Madre Natural Park (NSMNP) and consultation with various sectors in the municipalities of Palanan, Maconacon, Divilacan, and Dinapigue.
Hawksbill turtles are typically found in coastal reefs, rocky areas, estuaries, and lagoons. A female turtle will come out of the water every two or four years to lay eggs along the seashore. Each female turtle could nestle eggs on average four times at an interval of 15 to 18 days.
Isa got her name through an online voting contest conducted over social media. The DENR, through the Biodiversity and Watersheds Improved for Stronger Economy and Ecosystem Resilience (B+WISER) Program, launched Isa to share the relevance of the bird.
Isa is a critically endangered Isabela oriole, or kiyaw in the local language, endemic to Luzon in the Philippines. The bird was presumed to be extinct for many years until its rediscovery in December 1993 near Diffun, Quirino, and in Mansarong in September 1994. Additional sightings were made in San Mariano, Isabela. and Baggao, Cagayan Valley, Cagayan and Isabela Provinces.
PBB is the image of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources in its ESWM advocacy campaign,
In a designated booth of the NSMNP prepared by the Mabuwaya Foundation, the two mascots which depict the flagship species of the NSMNP, the largest protected area in the country, were seen dancing and performing together with the PBB and Krokey Mascots.
Mabuwaya Foundation Chief Operating Officer Marites Gatan-Balbas said Krokey represents Philippine crocodile and wetland conservation in Isabela.#
