DENR hosting July 10-14 BIMP-EAGA environment cluster meeting in Palawan

• Source: http://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/999403
• Saturday, July 9, 2017

(DENR/PNA)

MANILA -- The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) is hosting a meeting of the environment cluster of the Brunei Darussalam-Indonesia-Malaysia-Philippines East ASEAN Growth Area (BIMP-EAGA) slated July 10-14 in Puerto Princesa City, Palawan.

DENR senior officials led by Undersecretary Demetrio Ignacio will comprise the Philippine delegation to the sixth BIMP-EAGA environment cluster meeting, which will focus on the best practices and guidelines for sustainable ecotourism, farming and fishing among member countries.

During the meeting, updates on the two BIMP-EAGA projects of the Philippines will be presented. Engr. Wilson Trajico, Environment Management Bureau Region 13 Director, will apprise the cluster on the Inventory of Greenhouse Gas Emissions in Potential Entities while DENR Region 9 Director Felix Mirasol Jr. will take up Turtle Conservation and Ecotourism Development in the Turtle Island Heritage Protected Area.

There will also be discussions on the BIMP-EAGA Green Cities Initiative and the lessons learned by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) in its implementation, and presentations on various projects adopted by each member country.

Other BIMP-EAGA projects include Indonesia's Sustainable Ecotourism Best Practice Contribution to Climate Resilience in Critical Ecosystem; and Malaysia's Mantanani Island-Integrated Low Carbon Island; and Development of Environmental Education Module and Board Games on Marine Environment for Communities in Sabah.

Some 15 delegates from four member countries are expected to attend the meeting together with representatives from the ADB, BIMP-EAGA Business Council and the BIMP-EAGA Facilitation Center based in Kota Kinabalu.

Ignacio is the environment cluster head of the Philippine-EAGA. Joining him in the delegation are his deputy, DENR Region 11 Director Ruth Tawantawan, the Environment Management Bureau (EMB) regional directors, assistant regional directors for technical services and chiefs of planning and management division in Regions 4B, 9, 10, 11, 12 and 13.

Representatives from the Mindanao Development Authority and the Palawan provincial government will also attend the meeting.

The BIMP-EAGA was formed in March 1994 with the goal of increasing trade, investment and tourism in the region. It consists of the entire Sultanate of Brunei Darussalam; 10 provinces on the islands of Kalimantan, Sulawesi, Maluku and Irian Jaya in Indonesia; the states of Sabah and Sarawak, and the Federal Territory of Labuan in Malaysia; and Palawan province and Mindanao region in the Philippines.

In the environment cluster, the focus of cooperation includes sustainable management of critical ecosystems, climate change adaptation and mitigation, clean and green production technologies; addressing transboundary issues; and environment mainstreaming.