The Department of Environment and Natural Resources – Biodiversity Management Bureau (DENR-BMB), in partnership with Antique Representative Loren Legarda, has completed the third season of “Our Fragile Earth.”
Now airing on the ABS-CBN News Channel (ANC) until Sept. 12, the show will highlight eight (8) Protected Areas (Pas) from Central Luzon, CALABARZON, Davao Region, and SOCCSKSARGEN.
These include the Pujada Bay Protected Landscape and Seascape, Sarangani Bay Protected Seascape, Quezon Protected Landscape, Amro River Protected Landscape, Talaytay Protected Landscape, Simbahan-Talagas Protected Landscape, Dinadiawan River Protected Landscape and Masinloc and Oyon Bay Protected Landscape.
PAs encompass the most biologically significant and pristine forests, freshwater and marine ecosystems of the country that serve as assurance for economic, cultural and ecological sustainability for the present and future generation.
Since the passage of Republic Act No. 7586, or the National Integrated Protected Areas System (NIPAS) Act of 1992, and its amendments under Republic Act No. 11038, or the Expanded National Integrated Protected Areas System (ENIPAS) Act of 2018, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) successfully set aside 244 Protected Areas all over the country primarily to sustain ecosystem services, among other non-extractive economic activities such as eco-tourism.
Amidst the conflicting interests and land uses for economic development and the impacts of climate change, the DENR-BMB has been relentless in its efforts to educate the citizenry and to gather collective support to help sustain the integrity of our country’s natural ecosystems, especially our pristine protected areas.
“Our Fragile Earth” aims to do just that.
It features PAs to educate Filipinos on its importance as repository of our diverse and unique biological heritage, for sustenance of ecological processes, provision of food, water and raw materials for many livelihoods, and for the maintenance of ecological balance and environmental conditions critical for human survival.
“How can we conserve what we do not know about, what we do not understand? Our people’s energies must be used to defend our natural heritage. We must all work together to conserve wildlife and nature and mitigate disasters worsened by climate change. Our survival also depends on how well we understand our surroundings,” Legarda, who is the principal author of the ENIPAS Act, said.
She added, “I principally authored the Expanded NIPAS Act, which seeks to conserve our protected areas. Its passage in 2018 was just the beginning. Now that we already have the legal mechanism to protect these critical areas and prevent biodiversity loss, the challenge for us is to ensure its strict implementation as well as to increase awareness of the public on the importance of conserving biodiversity and of the underlying threats thereto.”
Since its inception in 2017, “Our Fragile Earth”has featured 40 documentaries focusing solely on our protected areas.
Then there’s the Protected Area or P.A. Talk, a webinar series that focuses on the people who manage our protected areas and their experiences and commitment in ensuring the integrity of our PAs.
The P.A. Talk has streamed six (6) episodes featuring 22 protected areas since last year via the Facebook pages of Deputy Speaker Loren Legarda and the DENR- BMB.
Through these programs, the DENR-BMB continues to reach out to its stakeholders and the Filipino people about the importance of our protected areas, government programs and initiatives and the laws that protect these natural wonders.
