DENR to business sector, government: Invest in wetlands conservation

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) has urged the business sector and government leaders to invest in wetland conservation, citing the success of the Boracay Wetland Conservation Park rehabilitation project.

“The Boracay Wetland Conservation Park illustrates the value of multi-sectoral convergence in conservation work. The wetlands of Boracay are now under different phases of rehabilitation,” Environment Secretary Roy Cimatu said during the celebration of World Wetlands Day 2022 on Feb. 2.

“Thanks to our wetland adopters, the Energy Development Corp. (EDC), Aboitiz Equity Ventures Inc., Boracay Tubi System Inc., J.G. Summit, Olefins Corp. and San Miguel Corp.,” he said.

Adopter EDC has formally turned over to the DENR the newly rehabilitated Boracay Wetland Conservation Park.

Cimatu lauded the EDC for being the first private entity to respond to the DENR’s Adopt-A-Wetland Program, which aims to recover and restore Boracay Island’s nine wetlands.

Cimatu, who is also the chairman of the Boracay Inter-Agency Task Force (BIATF), said that he witnessed the transformation of the Boracay Wetland Conservation Park or Wetland No. 2 “from a degraded wetland to what it is now – an arboretum of native trees, an ecotourism site and an educational center for conservation.”

The DENR said that wetlands, dubbed as the “kidney of the Earth,” are vital in the ecosystem as they “filter water through vegetation and substrates, help mitigate the effects of climate change and provide healing through their recreational uses.”

World Wetlands Day is celebrated annually on Feb. 2 to raise global awareness of the wetlands’ vital role for people and the planet.

The date also marks the anniversary of the Convention on Wetlands, which was adopted as an international treaty in 1971.

Presidential Proclamation No. 74, Series of 1999, also declares Feb. 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.”