The Department of Environment and Natural Resources through the Biodiversity Management Bureau and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) National Commission of the Philippines successfully conducted the First Cluster of 𝙊𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙤𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙐𝙉𝙀𝙎𝘾𝙊 𝙋𝙧𝙤𝙜𝙧𝙖𝙢𝙢𝙚𝙨 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙋𝙝𝙞𝙡𝙞𝙥𝙥𝙞𝙣𝙚 𝙉𝙖𝙩𝙪𝙧𝙖𝙡 𝙃𝙚𝙧𝙞𝙩𝙖𝙜𝙚 𝙎𝙞𝙩𝙚𝙨 covering selected protected areas in Visayas, Mindanao and the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM).

Held in Davao City from 12 to 14 September 2023, the said event served as a vital forum for discussing updates on the latest developments related to sites that are included on UNESCO’s tentative list of World Heritage Sites. Additionally, it provided a platform for exploring potential candidates for nomination as UNESCO Global Geoparks and the Man and the Biosphere Reserves.

The UNESCO World Heritage Programme’s objective is to conserve sites with 𝙊𝙪𝙩𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙣𝙙𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙐𝙣𝙞𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙨𝙖𝙡 𝙑𝙖𝙡𝙪𝙚 (𝙊𝙐𝙑) 𝙩𝙤 𝙝𝙪𝙢𝙖𝙣𝙞𝙩𝙮 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙢𝙨 𝙤𝙛 𝙘𝙪𝙡𝙩𝙪𝙧𝙖𝙡, 𝙣𝙖𝙩𝙪𝙧𝙖𝙡, 𝙤𝙧 𝙖 𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙗𝙞𝙣𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙤𝙛 𝙗𝙤𝙩𝙝 (coined as a cultural landscape) aspect. To date,the Philippines has six World Heritage sites, and three of them are under the natural category: the Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park (1993), Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park (1999), and the Mount Hamiguitan Range Wildlife Sanctuary (2014). On the other hand, the Man and Biosphere Programme designates a site as a Biosphere Reserve as a learning place for sustainable development and is considered a living laboratory for testing interdisciplinary approaches to understand and manage changes and interactions between social and ecological systems, including conflict prevention and management of biodiversity.

Three of the Biosphere Reserves in the world are located in the Philippines: Puerto Galera (designated in 1977), Palawan (designated in 1990), and Albay (designated in 2016). Meanwhile, the Global Geoparks Programme designates sites as Geoparks to serve as laboratories for sustainable development which promote the recognition and management of Earth heritage, and the sustainability of local communities. To date, there are 195 UNESCO Geoparks within 48 Member States. The Philippines has just had its first UNESCO Geopark this year – the Bohol Island Geopark.

𝙋𝙖𝙧𝙩𝙞𝙘𝙞𝙥𝙖𝙣𝙩𝙨 𝙛𝙧𝙤𝙢 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝘿𝙀𝙉𝙍, 𝙐𝙉𝘼𝘾𝙊𝙈, 𝘽𝘼𝙍𝙈𝙈, 𝙇𝙂𝙐𝙨, 𝙉𝙂𝙊𝙨, 𝙖𝙨 𝙬𝙚𝙡𝙡 𝙖𝙨 𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙘𝙝 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙖𝙘𝙖𝙙𝙚𝙢𝙞𝙘 𝙞𝙣𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙩𝙪𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙨, 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙫𝙞𝙙𝙚𝙙 𝙞𝙣𝙫𝙖𝙡𝙪𝙖𝙗𝙡𝙚 𝙞𝙣𝙨𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩𝙨 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙜𝙪𝙞𝙙𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙚 𝙤𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙥𝙤𝙨𝙚𝙙 𝙐𝙉𝙀𝙎𝘾𝙊 𝙣𝙤𝙢𝙞𝙣𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙨. Among others, the discussions underscored the crucial roles of all the stakeholders, particularly of the LGU, academe, and the national government in preparing the nomination package.
Through the UNESCO World Heritage Sites, Biosphere Reserves, and Global Geoparks, the country proudly presents to the world its 𝖗𝖎𝖈𝖍 𝖇𝖎𝖔𝖉𝖎𝖛𝖊𝖗𝖘𝖎𝖙𝖞 𝖆𝖓𝖉 𝖈𝖚𝖑𝖙𝖚𝖗𝖆𝖑 𝖍𝖊𝖗𝖎𝖙𝖆𝖌𝖊. 𝙏𝙝𝙚𝙨𝙚 𝙙𝙚𝙨𝙞𝙜𝙣𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙨 𝙖𝙡𝙨𝙤 𝙛𝙖𝙘𝙞𝙡𝙞𝙩𝙖𝙩𝙚 𝙖𝙙𝙙𝙞𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙖𝙡 𝙡𝙖𝙮𝙚𝙧𝙨 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙩𝙚𝙘𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙨𝙚𝙧𝙫𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙘𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙩𝙧𝙮’𝙨 𝙣𝙖𝙩𝙪𝙧𝙖𝙡 𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙤𝙪𝙧𝙘𝙚𝙨 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙥𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙚𝙣𝙩 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙛𝙪𝙩𝙪𝙧𝙚 𝙜𝙚𝙣𝙚𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙨.