The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) - 9 officially started this year’s National/World Wetland’s Day (WWD) Celebration with an educational and fun-filled opening program held at the Office of the Regional Executive Director’s (ORED) Quadrangle, Pagadian City. It awarded tokens to 18 employees who correctly answered various questions on wetland values; benefits; services; identification of RAMSAR sites in the Philippines and wetland areas in the province of Zamboanga del Sur; among others.
The objectives of this in-house information activity was to educate every employee regarding the significance of the Celebration motivating them as active partners in communicating programs for Environment and Natural Resources (ENR) conservation.
According to Protected Areas Wildlife and Coastal Zone Management Service (PAWCZMS) Regional Technical Director (RTD) Melana, the WWD which is celebrated every 2nd day of February marks the date of the adoption of the Convention of Wetlands established in the Iranian City of RAMSAR on the shore of the Caspian Seas.
This convention of wetlands known as the RAMSAR Convention, composed of 159 contracting parties which include the Philippines, is committed to the conservation and wise use of all wetlands through local, regional and national actions and international cooperation, as a contribution towards achieving sustainable development throughout the world.
The theme for 2012 WWD Celebration “Wetlands and Tourism” is linked to the theme of the next meeting of the 11th Conference of Parties (COP 11): Wetlands, Tourism and Recreation which will be held in July 2012 in Bucharest, Romania. For the first time, the RAMSAR Convention will be directly addressing tourism in wetlands with a Draft Resolution to be debated that will help parties move forward at the national and local levels to achieve sustainable tourism for wetlands. The great hope is that having a formal Resolution in hand will provide a solid framework for the necessary cross-sectoral planning and decision-making that needs to be done to progress towards achieving those objectives.
Wetland tourism has benefits both locally and nationally for people and wildlife- benefits such as stronger economies, sustainable livelihoods, healthy people and thriving ecosystems. At least 35% of Ramsar Sites around the world record some level of tourism activity and this percentage is consistent throughout all regions. Of course, it is important to consider tourism in all wetlands – not just those designated as Ramsar Sites – since the Contracting Parties to the Convention are committed to managing all wetlands. RAMSAR WWD 2012 Brochure
Aside from tourism and recreation, wetlands also serve as flood control; groundwater replenishment; shoreline stabilization and storm protection; sediment and nutrient retention; climate change mitigation; water purification; reservoirs of biodiversity; wetland products; and cultural value.
The Tubbataha Reef in Palawan, the Naujan Lake in Oriental Mindoro, the Olango Island in Cebu and the Liguasan Marsh in Agusan del Sur are the Philippine Ramsar Sites.
According to PAWCZMS, Region 9 has 14 protected and monitored wetlands covering an estimated area of 19,920 hectares which include that of Kumalarang, Tukuran and Labangan in Zamboanga del Sur. (H. A. Ascura/DENR-IX PR).
