Siargao Island wetland takes center stage in World Wetlands Day 2023 celebration
BUTUAN CITY -- A wetland located within the Siargao
Island Protected Landscape and Seascape (SIPLAS) will take center stage as the
Department of Environment and Natural Resources’ (DENR) Biodiversity Management
Bureau led this year’s Philippine celebration of the World Wetlands Day (WWD).
Presidential Proclamation No. 74, series of 1999,
also declares February 2 of every year as National Wetlands Day in recognition
of the immense importance of wetlands to the welfare of the Filipino people and
the protection of global biodiversity.
This year’s WWD theme, “It’s Time for Wetland Restoration,” highlights the
urgent need to prioritize wetland restoration and the steps needed to revive
and restore degraded wetlands.
According to the Ramsar Convention, wetlands are disappearing three times
faster than forests as more than 35 percent of wetlands globally have been
degraded or lost since the 1970s.
If this trend continues, the world will lose
valuable ecosystems which deliver unrivaled benefits to humanity such as source
of fresh water, natural carbon sink, livelihood and food, and increased
protection against storms and floods.
In line with this year’s global theme, the WWD 2023 national celebration will
be held at SIPLAS to highlight the role of wetlands in disaster risk reduction
and post-Typhoon Odette wetland restoration and rehabilitation efforts.
Highlight of the event is the national declaration
of the Del Carmen Mangrove Reserve, a portion of SIPLAS situated in Del Carmen,
Surigao del Norte as a Wetland of International Importance. This is a precursor
to its nomination for inclusion in the Ramsar List of Wetlands of International
Importance, or as a Ramsar Site.
Wetlands of International Importance are wetlands that hold significant value
not only for the country in which they are located but for humanity as a whole.
By being recognized as such, the government must commit to take the necessary
steps to ensure the maintenance of the wetland’s ecological character.
The WWD 2023 national celebration is in collaboration with DENR–CARAGA, PENRO
Surigao del Norte, Protected Area Management Office of SIPLAS, and the
municipal government of Del Carmen, as well as the United States Agency for
International Development (USAID) - Sustainable Interventions for Biodiversity,
Oceans, and Landscapes project, DENR-United Nations Development
Programme/Global Environment Facility (UNDP/GEF) Integrated Approach in the
Management of Major Biodiversity Corridors in the Philippines project, the
Eastern Mindanao Biodiversity Corridor project and the Foundation for the
Philippine Environment-UNDP/GEF Seventh Operational Phase of the Small Grants
Programme in the Philippines or SGP7 project.
All DENR regional and field offices led the
celebration of WWD in their respective localities.
Other national government agencies, local
government units, the private sector, non-government organizations, people’s
organizations, the academe and the Filipino community celebrated WWD to show
support for wetland restoration and to inspire action for Philippine wetlands.
(DENR/PIA-Surigao del Norte)
#ActForWetlands #RestoreOurWetlands #WorldWetlandsDay2023 #ExplainExplainExplain
