Zambo drafting biodiversity management plan to curb wildlife trafficking
- Source: http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?nid=8&rid=970326
- Thursday, March 9, 2017
- (PNA), LAP/BS/TPGJR/DARWIN WALLY T. WEE
ZAMBOANGA CITY, March 9 (PNA) -– A comprehensive Biodiversity Management Plan (BMP) is being drafted by a team of experts to combat the illegal trade of wildlife species as well as to protect the rich biodiversity of this city.
Eduardo Bisquera Jr., Assistant City Environment and Natural Resources Officer, on Thursday told the Philippines News Agency that their main objective in drafting the plan is to guide the city government and the stakeholders "to strike a balance over the usage of natural resources for sustainable growth."
Bisquera, who is leading the technical working group (TWG), said that there is a need for the city government to actively implement environmental conservation efforts amid the threat of climate change brought about by global warming.
“As a result, this plan will also try to achieve sustainable food security, and the survival of flora and fauna endemic in Zamboanga City," he said.
The plan also seeks to mainstream conservation efforts with the city’s Comprehensive Land Use Plan that is currently being updated, he said.
The development of the BPM started in late 2014, after the city government beefed up its measure to curb illegal wildlife trafficking and promote biodiversity with the assistance of the United States Agency for International Development’s (USAID) Partnership for Biodiversity Conservation Project.
Currently, the TWG is in Palawan for a week-long writing workshop to draft the plan.
Bisquera said they chose Palawan since it pioneered the establishment of such environment plan in the country.
“We are here to get first-hand information on how the province is implementing its own BMP. It is vital for us to know the best practices so we can apply it in Zamboanga City,” he said over the phone.
The BMP is expected to be released and implemented in May, pending a series of community consultations next month.
The budget for the implementation of plan, funded by various government agencies and non-government organization, is around Php45 million.
Recently, this city has been named as one of the beneficiaries, along with Palawan and the southernmost province of Tawi-Tawi, of the four-year Php1.2 billion US-funded Protect Wildlife project.
A statement from the U.S. embassy said that the project chose these areas because of the richness their biodiversity.
With the realization of the plan, Bisquera noted that this city will no longer be tagged as a “transshipment hub” for illegal wildlife traffickers in the region.
For years, endangered species are being shipped to the neighboring countries through this city.
The BMP, Bisquera said, is also a parallel effort to preserve this city’s several ecological jewels, such as the 17,414-hectare Pasonanca Natural Park, which is a major watershed providing clean water supply to the over 800,000 residents, and breeding ground for endemic bird species and forest animals such as wild boars, deer, wild cats, reptiles and various insects.