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]
Comments