DENR to help LGUs strengthen protection of IPs, habitats
GUIDING the local government units (LGUs) in the promotion of environmental management and climate change mitigation is a must in order to strengthen the protection of indigenous species and their habitats.
Jonas Leones, Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Undersecretary for Policy, Planning and International Affairs, said that they need to guide and collaborate with LGUs in implementing their respective environmental conservation and protection programs to enable them to implement their own environmental programs.
Leones explained that the move is in response to the directive of Secretary Maria Antonia Yulo Loyzaga to capacitate LGUs in their environmental management.
He also emphasized the need to enhance programs that “protect our very own indigenous practices and species by developing several livelihood programs, indigenous practices, systems and procedures.”
“If we can harness our native knowledge, these have the potential to also boost our economy,” Leones said, citing that some countries and foreign companies come to the Philippines to learn from indigenous peoples particularly in managing natural resources.
Just this year, the DENR-Biodiversity Management Bureau and the United Nations Development Programme held a national inception workshop for a Global Environment Facility-funded project—“Implementing the National Framework on Access and Benefit Sharing of Genetic Resources and Associated Traditional Knowledge in the Philippines.”
The activity was conducted to increase economic opportunity and biodiversity conservation of local communities and indigenous peoples in the Philippines, stemming from fair and equitable sharing of biodiversity benefits.
It was also expected to address biopiracy which is defined as the unethical or illegal appropriation or commercial exploitation of biological resources that are native to a country or territory without providing fair financial compensation to its rightful owners.
Loyzaga had cited the need to protect continuously the Philippines’ indigenous species.
Leones said the DENR’s priorities also include establishing a nationwide geospatial system containing environmental information, accounting of natural resources, implementing climate change mitigation and adaptation measures, and anchoring DENR programs on sustainable climate action.
