Quezon City, Philippines – The Department of Environment and Natural Resources – Biodiversity Management Bureau (DENR-BMB) spearheaded the annual celebration of World Wildlife Day (WWD) held on 03 March 2023 with the theme “Partnerships for Wildlife Conservation”, recognizing partners at various levels who are significantly contributing towards the conservation and protection of the Philippines’ wild fauna and flora species. This year’s celebration was exceptional as it marked the 50th anniversary of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).
The 2023 WWD celebration endeavored to give recognition to the valuable contributions of the Bureau’s partner agencies and organizations as they serve as one of the mediums in carrying out the Bureau’s mandates towards conservation and protection of our wildlife, and at the same time enforce the provisions of the Wildlife Act (RA 9147) by sharing their indispensable science-based expertise, knowledge, experiences and capacities.
Six (6) distinguished individuals were acknowledged for their outstanding contributions to wildlife conservation in the Philippines namely, Dr. Edwino S. Fernando, Dr. Juan Carlos T. Gonzalez, Atty. Elpidio V. Peria, Mr. Zhiqiang Tao and posthumous awardees, Dr. Perry S. Ong and former DENR Secretary Dr. Angel C. Alcala. Likewise, three hundred twenty (320) officers from the Bureau of Customs (BOC), National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), Philippine National Police (PNP) and non-governmental organization were commended for their dedication in enforcing the law in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic from 2021 to 2022 during the 9th Wildlife Law Enforcement Awarding.
Ms. Armida P. Andres, OIC Assistant Director and in concurrent capacity as Chief, Coastal and Marine Division of the DENR-BMB, delivered her welcome remarks and emphasized the significance of partnerships and collaborations to amplify the call for sustainable wildlife conservation and protection. She stated that “continued and strengthened collaborations enabled us to view challenges and gaps with different perspectives, and ultimately come up with science-evidence based solutions which we now implement and use to promote wildlife conservation and protection in the country.”
On the other hand, For. Marcial C. Amaro, Jr., DENR-BMB Director, in concurrent capacity as Assistant Secretary for Policy, Planning and Foreign-Assisted and Special Projects, on behalf of the DENR Secretary Hon. Maria Antonio Yulo-Loyzaga, imparted a keynote message which reiterated that partnerships are indeed crucial for wildlife conservation since they drive various science-based strategies, perspectives, resources and expertise together. Supplementary, Assistant Secretary Amaro highlighted that, “the need for strengthened partnerships in ensuring sustained partnership not only in wildlife conservation but also in the fair and equitable sharing of benefits derived from the use of genetic resources, to make sure that our resources shall be used fairly and equitably including the benefits derived therefrom.”
Apart from that, the celebration was graced by the support and presence of the Bureau’s staunch allies from law-making bodies and international organizations in sustaining wildlife conservation and protection efforts in the country.
Senator Cynthia A. Villar, Chairperson of the Senate Committee on Environment, Natural Resources and Climate Change, reiterated the need to revise the Republic Act No. 9147 (Wildlife Resources Conservation and Protection Act) through the Revised Wildlife Conservation and Protection Bill (Senate Bill No. 125), fortifying the current mechanisms for a more comprehensive conservation and protection of wildlife, and providing penalties therefor. She also added that considering that wildlife crimes have evolved, and violators have become more equipped and made use of modern technology/social media platforms, not to mention the widespread and large-scale Illegal Wildlife Trade (IWT), which somehow outface the present legislation, thus, Law Enforcement Agencies should cope up with these advancements made by offenders. Lastly, Senator Villar shared an inspiring sentiment that, “we need to be proactive in terms of wildlife conservation” and “let us make sure that the future generation will still actually encounter and co-exist with an abundance of plants and animals and not just see them in old pictures.”
Congressman Elpidio F. Barzaga Jr., Chairperson of the House Committee on Natural Resources underscored the importance of the support of all agencies in the government including the private sectors and non-governmental organizations as he stated “no government or department can stand alone”. “All programs and/or laws are useless until accomplished or realized”, Congressman Barzaga added. Being the Chairperson of the House Committee on Natural Resources, he further pledged to support all the programs affecting and protecting wildlife.
Ms. Kelia Cummins, Director of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL), US Embassy, Philippines, pointed out that, “Global challenges are country faced, and becoming increasingly complex, and that requires full partnerships to ensure that we are using various tools and leveraging our collective expertise to address environmental issues.” She further expressed her gratitude to the Department for the leadership and collaborative partnership.
Ms. Jenna Dawson Faber, Regional Coordinator of United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) – Global Programme on Crimes that Affect the Environment in Southeast Asia and the Pacific, through Mr. Tao Zhiqiang, Program Officer of the same Office, extended appreciation to the successful partnership with the Department especially the Bureau and committed to continuously support the country in combating wildlife and forest crimes. Ms. Faber signified, “UNODC stands ready to provide further support to our partners here in the Philippines and in the region and “ further reiterate our commitment to our shared values, our shared planet, and our shared future.”
The celebration was made even more remarkable through the ceremonial signing of the Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) between the Bureau and Cebu Air, Inc., which served as the formal partnership of the Parties for transporting threatened wild fauna under the custody of the Bureau’s – National Wildlife Rescue and Research Center (BMB-NWRRC) to ensure the survival and immediate release of the species.
The special occasion also featured the winners of the Access and Benefit Sharing (ABS) Project Logo Making Contest, which provided for the point of identification of the project and marked as a step to institutionalize ABS mechanism in the Philippines.
The afternoon session of the event was capped off through a webinar series to showcase the conservation efforts and initiatives of the Bureau’s Foreign-Assisted projects and conservation partners namely Mandai Nature (formerly the Wildlife Reserves Singapore), Crocodylus Porosus Philippines, Inc., and Bantay Pawikan, Inc., for some of our key Philippine threatened species. Emphasis on the importance of partnerships in advancing conservation efforts was expressed, among others.
The 2023 WWD celebration emphasized the significant roles of each and every one of us and served as a call for greater commitment not only from the awardees and their respective agencies but also from the community. As Atty. Theresa Tenazas, Officer-In-Charge of Wildlife Resources Division and Head Legal Unit of BMB, stressed in her closing remarks “collective actions from various stakeholders, including the government, local and international non-governmental agencies, NGOs, civil societies and local communities provide innovative solutions and efforts to continue to uphold the passion and commitment to protect and conserve wildlife – for sustainability, for resilient biodiversity”.
Indeed, the 2023 WWD celebration highlighted the significant roles of all individuals and served as a call for greater commitment not only from the awardees and their respective agencies, but also from the community.