TO OUR ESTEEMED GUESTS, PARTNERS, DEAR COLLEAGUES FROM VARIOUS AGENCIES, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, A PLEASANT AFTERNOON TO ALL. IT IS WITH GREAT PLEASURE AND IMMENSE PRIDE THAT I WELCOME YOU ALL TO THE 3RD NATIONAL PROTECTED AREA CONFERENCE.

THE PHILIPPINES AS IT IS WITH THE REST OF THE WORLD TODAY, IS FACING A TRIPLE PLANETARY CRISIS: CLIMATE CHANGE, HABITAT LOSS, AND POLLUTION. EXPERTS WOULD SAY WE HAVE ALREADY EXCEEDED MANY OF THE PLANETARY BOUNDARIES AND REACHED MULTIPLE TIPPING POINTS. THERE HAD BEEN EXTENSIVE TRANSFORMATIONS IN THE EARTH’S ATMOSPHERE, OCEANS, POLAR REGIONS, AND BIOSPHERES. BUT THE GOOD NEWS IS, THERE IS SO MUCH THAT WE ALL CAN STILL DO TO REVERSE THE SITUATION, BUT WE MUST ALL DO THIS TOGETHER.

TODAY AND OVER THE NEXT FEW DAYS, WE ARE GATHERING TO EXPLORE SOLUTIONS WITHIN OUR PROTECTED AREAS, OUR AREAS OF HOPE, AND OUR BRIGHT SPOTS. BUT IN ORDER TO DO THIS, WE NEED TO RECOGNIZE WHERE IT IS THAT WE HAVE ALSO FAILED.

OVER THREE DECADES OF MANAGING P.A.S IN THE PHILIPPINES, WE HAVE EXPERIENCED BOTH SUCCESSES AND FAILURES. BUT THIS IS IMPORTANT TO LEARN AND ACTUALLY INSTITUTIONALIZE THE KIND OF INTERVENTIONS WE SHOULD BE THINKING OF NOW. WE MUST LEARN FROM THESE FAILURES TO DEVELOP RESPONSIVE SOLUTIONS THAT ARE AGILE AND ADAPTIVE IN ORDER TO FACE THE UNIQUE CHALLENGES AS THEY DYNAMICALLY OCCUR ON THE GROUND, IN OUR WATERS, AND IN OUR SPACE.

AND AS WE FIGURE OUT THOSE SOLUTIONS, WE TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE CURRENT SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGIES, THE KNOWLEDGE THAT WE HAVE AT OUR DISPOSAL, THAT THEY ARE VERY MUCH AVAILABLE TODAY IN ORDER TO SHIFT THE COURSE OF OUR WORK, WHETHER THAT’S TO COURSE CORRECT OR ACTUALLY BUILD ON AND ENHANCE THE DIRECTIONS THAT WE’VE ALREADY INVESTED IN. THIS CAN INCLUDE THE USE OF REMOTE SENSING AND OTHER TOOLS TO DETERMINE THE EXTENT OF OUR GREEN AND BLUE FORESTS AND OUR PROTECTED AREAS, AND THEIR FUNCTION AND HEALTH.

AND AS WE DOCUMENT ALL THESE EFFORTS, WE MUST PRIORITIZE NOT ONLY RESPONSIVE SOLUTIONS, BUT ALSO THE DEVELOPMENT OF POLICIES, THE FRAMING OF LAWS THAT ARE TIMELY, RELEVANT, AND WELL-SUITED TO TODAY’S CHANGING CONDITIONS.

WITH THE THEME, “BUILDING RESILIENCE OF PEOPLE AND ECOSYSTEMS THROUGH INNOVATIONS AND ENHANCED COLLABORATION IN PROTECTED AREA MANAGEMENT”, THIS CONFERENCE AIMS TO ESTABLISH THE INTERSECTION OF HUMAN AND NATURE AND WELL-BEING OF BOTH, AS WELL AS THE CONVERGENCE OF SCIENCE-BASED ACTION AND COLLABORATION.

SPEAKING OF INNOVATION, WE ALL KNOW THAT THE DEPARTMENT HAS SIGNED A MEMORANDUM OF AGREEMENT WITH THE PHILIPPINE SPACE AGENCY TO CREATE A COMPREHENSIVE DATABASE FOR THE ENVIRONMENT AND NATURAL RESOURCES ACCOUNTING PROGRAM. THIS COLLABORATION INCLUDES MAPPING GEOSPATIAL RESOURCES USING EMERGING SPACE SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY APPLICATIONS, EMPLOYING ADVANCED TOOLS SUCH AS REMOTE SENSING AND ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE AND THE INTERNET OF THINGS. THE LATEST PROJECT ACTUALLY COVERS OUR MANGROVES ALL OVER THE COUNTRY.

ASIDE FROM THESE INNOVATIONS, THE DEPARTMENT HAS ALSO INTRODUCED TWO NEW OFFICES: THE OFFICE OF INTEGRATED ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE THAT SHOULD UNDERPIN ALL OF OUR WORK IN TERMS OF THE INTERSECTIONS BETWEEN THE WORK OF THE BUREAUS, AND THE GEOSPATIAL DATABASE OFFICE THAT NOT ONLY TELLS US WHERE THINGS ARE, BUT WHERE THEY ARE IN RELATION TO ANOTHER THING. WHETHER THAT’S OUR P.A.S AND HOW THEY RELATE TO ALL THE DIFFERENT ECOSYSTEM SERVICES THAT ACTUALLY SERVE OUR COMMUNITIES. GEOSPATIAL DATA BASING ACTUALLY ALLOWS US TO CONNECT THE DOTS AND MAKE SURE OUR POLICIES REFLECT THOSE INTERSECTIONS.

INNOVATION ALONE, HOWEVER, IS NOT ENOUGH. THE COMPLEXITY OF THE CHALLENGES WE FACE REQUIRES A COLLABORATIVE APPROACH. ENHANCED COLLABORATION, COOPERATION AMONG GOVERNMENT AGENCIES, NON-GOVERNMENT ORGANIZATIONS, ACADEMIC INSTITUTIONS, LOCAL COMMUNITIES AND THE PRIVATE SECTOR. IT IS THROUGH THESE STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIPS THAT WE CAN POOL OUR RESOURCES, SHARE OUR EXPERTISE, AND SCALE OUR IMPACT.

ADDITIONALLY, THE BMB IS WORKING HAND IN HAND WITH MANY STAKEHOLDERS TO STRENGTHEN CORAL REEF CONSERVATION AND MANAGEMENT IN THE PHILIPPINES THROUGH THE ESTABLISHMENT OF A NATIONAL PROGRAM FOR CORAL REEF CONSERVATION AND RECOVERY.

OUR CORAL REEFS ARE CRITICALLY ENDANGERED ECOSYSTEMS, FACING SIGNIFICANT THREATS FROM HUMAN ACTIVITIES AND THE UNPRECEDENTED IMPACTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE: GLOBAL WARMING, SEA LEVEL RISE, OCEAN ACIDIFICATION, AND THE EXTENSIVE CORAL BLEACHING WE ARE SEEING, AS WELL AS EXTREME WEATHER EVENTS. IT IS IMPERATIVE FOR US TO SAFEGUARD THESE VITAL RESOURCES. USING COLLABORATION AND TECHNOLOGY, WE ARE EQUALLY LOOKING FORWARD TO ESTABLISHING A PHILIPPINE CORAL REEF ATLAS TO GUIDE STRATEGIES AND ACTIONS WITHIN AND OUTSIDE OUR PROTECTED AREAS.

LET ME JUST SAY THAT AT THE INCEPTION OF THIS ADMINISTRATION, WE NOW WORK ALONG A TRANSECT. THAT TRANSECT IS FROM RIDGE TO REEF, OR AS SOME OF OUR MARINE SCIENTISTS WOULD HAVE IT, FROM RIDGE TO SHELF. AND THIS TRANSECT GUIDES THE WORK THAT WE ARE DOING IN TERMS OF CLIMATE RISK MANAGEMENT TO OUR NATURAL RESOURCES.

DURING THE COP28 IN DUBAI LAST YEAR, FOR EXAMPLE, WE SIGNED A MEMORANDUM OF AGREEMENT WITH THE WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM TO ESTABLISH A NATIONAL BLUE CARBON ACTION PARTNERSHIP AND JOIN THIS PARTNERSHIP THAT IS GLOBAL. THIS WILL DEVELOP A COMPREHENSIVE BLUE CARBON ROADMAP TO RESPOND TO THE URGENT NEEDS TO ACCOUNT, RESTORE AND STRENGTHEN CONSERVATION EFFORTS AND SUSTAINABLE USE OF MANGROVE FORESTS, SEAGRASS BEDS AND OTHER INTERTIDAL ECOSYSTEMS.

AS YOU CAN SEE, THERE IS A NEW INTEREST AND EMPHASIS ON THE WORK OF BMB IN THE MARINES AND COASTAL ENVIRONMENTS. THIS PROGRAM WILL OUTLINE STRATEGIES THAT WILL GUIDE INVESTMENTS AND EQUITABLE ACCESS TO BLUE CARBON BENEFITS THROUGH SCIENCE AND MEANINGFUL PUBLIC-PRIVATE PARTNERSHIPS. IN THE WILD AREAS, WE CONTINUE OUR EFFORTS TOGETHER WITH OUR PARTNERS TO PROTECT AND CONSERVE, FOR EXAMPLE, OUR NATIONAL BIRD, THE PHILIPPINE EAGLE.

A CORNERSTONE OF FILIPINO BIODIVERSITY REVERED AS A CROWN JEWEL OF THE PHILIPPINES’ NATIONAL HERITAGE, OUR NATIONAL BIRD SYMBOLIZES RESILIENCE AND STRENGTH. DESPITE FACING SIGNIFICANT CHALLENGES DUE TO HABITAT DEGRADATION, THE PHILIPPINE EAGLE REMAINS A BEACON OF HOPE AND INSPIRATION, REFLECTING THE PERSEVERANCE AND THE INVESTMENT IN SCIENCE REQUIRED TO PROTECT AND CONSERVE THE PHILIPPINES’ UNIQUE BIODIVERSITY.

THIS FRIDAY, WE WILL BE ACTUALLY TRAVELLING TO LEYTE, WHERE, TOGETHER WITH THE PHILIPPINE EAGLE FOUNDATION, WE WILL BE RELEASING TWO WILD-CAUGHT EAGLES FROM THE MINDANAO REGION IN ORDER TO RESTORE THE PHILIPPINE EAGLES CORRIDOR NATIONWIDE.

AS SOME OF YOU MAY KNOW, WE HAVE NOW CONFIRMED THAT THERE ARE NESTING EAGLES IN APAYAO. SO ALONG WITH THE DAVAO INVESTMENT IN THE PHILIPPINE EAGLE FOUNDATION, THIS GROUP TOGETHER WITH THE DENR IS NOW WANTING TO SEE WHETHER WE CAN RESTORE THAT PARTICULAR EAGLE CORRIDOR THROUGHOUT THE COUNTRY.

WHEN SPEAKING OF OUR WORK, ENABLING POLICIES ARE CRUCIAL. WE NEED SUPPORTIVE FRAMEWORKS TO GUIDE EFFECTIVE ACTION AND INNOVATION. BEFORE I GO INTO PENCAS, I WOULD LIKE TO SAY THAT THERE IS A NEED TO REVIEW OUR PROTECTED AREA LAWS. THE ENIPAS HAS BEEN TESTED AGAINST THE REALITIES OF OUR WORK IN THE DIFFERENT PROTECTED AREAS.

WE KNOW THAT THERE ARE GAPS. WE KNOW THAT THERE ARE PROBLEMS THAT NEED TO BE CONFRONTED. LET US MAKE THIS PART OF OUR WORK. WE NEED TO RECOGNIZE THAT THOSE GAPS MAY REQUIRE CHANGES IN THE LAW ITSELF OR CHANGES IN THE IMPLEMENTING RULES. SO LET US MAKE THIS PART OF OUR WORK AND WE HOPE THAT OUR NON-GOVERNMENT PARTNERS WILL ALSO BE PART OF THAT DISCOURSE.

THE NEWEST GOOD NEWS, HOWEVER, IS THE PASSAGE OF THE PHILIPPINE ECOSYSTEMS AND NATURAL CAPITAL ACCOUNTING ACT OF 2024 OR REPUBLIC ACT 11995 CALLED PENCAS. THIS ESTABLISHES A SYSTEM TO MEASURE THE COUNTRY’S NATURAL RESOURCES AND CURB UNCHECKED DEVELOPMENT, BUT ALSO INVEST IN BUILDING THAT NATURAL CAPITAL FOR OUR COUNTRY. UNDER THIS LAW, THE DENR SHALL WORK WITH THE PHILIPPINE STATISTICS AGENCY, THE INTERAGENCY COMMITTEE ON ENVIRONMENT AND NATURAL RESOURCE STATISTICS, AND THE NATIONAL ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY AS BOTH DATA OWNER AND PROVIDER.

PENCAS WILL SERVE AS A POLICY TO DETERMINE THE CONTRIBUTIONS OF OUR ECOSYSTEMS TO ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT. IT IS A SCIENCE-INFORMED APPROACH TO THE MANAGEMENT OF OUR NATURAL RESOURCES. IN SHORT, IT IS A VEHICLE FOR US TO TREASURE AND MEASURE WHAT IT IS THAT IS OUR NATURAL CAPITAL OF THIS COUNTRY.

THE DENR IS FULLY COMMITTED TO THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE KUNMING MONTREAL GLOBAL BIODIVERSITY FRAMEWORK, ADDRESSING BIODIVERSITY LOSS, RESTORING ECOSYSTEMS, AND PROTECTING INDIGENOUS PEOPLES AND LOCAL COMMUNITIES. WE ARE THANKFUL TO ALL PARTNERS PRESENT HERE TODAY WHO TOOK PART IN THIS PROCESS. WE ARE AWARE THAT NUMEROUS INITIATIVES ARE BEING CARRIED OUT AT THE COMMUNITY LEVEL BY LOCAL GOVERNMENTS, NGOS, THE PRIVATE SECTOR, LOCAL COMMUNITIES, INDIGENOUS CULTURAL COMMUNITIES AND INDIGENOUS PEOPLES.

THIS IS WHY WE EXPEDITED THE PREPARATION OF A POLICY TO IDENTIFY AND RECOGNIZE OTHER EFFECTIVE AREA-BASED CONSERVATION MEASURES, OR OECMS, THAT ARE MANAGED BY DIFFERENT SECTORS AND ARE ACHIEVING BIODIVERSITY CONSERVATION VALUES.

THIS IS VITAL TO THE COUNTRY’S COMMITMENT TO THE CONSERVATION AND PROTECTION OF 30 PERCENT OF THE WORLD’S LAND AND OCEAN AREAS BY 2030. UNDER THE KUNMING-MONTREAL GLOBAL BIODIVERSITY FRAMEWORK, IT HAS BEEN ADOPTED BY NEARLY 200 COUNTRIES DURING THE UN BIODIVERSITY CONFERENCE, OR CBD15, IN 2022. OECMS, SUCH AS SUSTAINABLE FORESTRY AND AGROFORESTRY PRACTICES THROUGH OUR NGP OR NATIONAL GREENING PROGRAM, MARINE PROTECTED AREA NETWORKS THROUGH THE COASTAL AND MARINE ECOSYSTEMS PROGRAM, LOCAL CONSERVATION AREAS AND CRITICAL HABITAT AREAS, INDIGENOUS AND COMMUNITY CONSERVED AREAS OR ICCAS, AND OTHERS, ARE AMONG THE NATIONALLY-MANAGED PROTECTED AREAS OR NIPAS. THESE WILL ALL CONTRIBUTE TO GLOBAL CONSERVATION AMBITION FOR BOTH PEOPLE AND PLANET.

WE URGENTLY NEED MORE SCIENCE-INFORMED DECISION-MAKING ACROSS GOVERNMENT AND PRIVATE SECTORS WHILE LEVERAGING LOCAL AND INDIGENOUS KNOWLEDGE. WE WILL ALSO NEED TO ALIGN THIS WORK IN THE CBD WITH OTHER INTERNATIONAL COMMITMENTS, NAMELY THE PARIS AGREEMENT, THE SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS, THE SENDAI FRAMEWORK FOR DISASTER RISK REDUCTION, AMONG OTHERS.

WE MUST COMMIT TO HARNESSING THE BEST AVAILABLE RESOURCES, SCIENCE INCLUDED, AND DRIVE SUSTAINABLE PRACTICES, PROMOTE BIODIVERSITY TO MITIGATE THE IMPACTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE ON OUR LAND AND OUR OCEANS. ULTIMATELY, WE WOULD LIKE TO PREVENT, HALT AND REVERSE THE LOSS OF NATURE THAT WE ARE CURRENTLY EXPERIENCING.

TO TRANSFORM OUR AMBITION INTO ACTION, WE NEED TO STOP WORKING IN SILOS. WE WILL COMBINE AND STRENGTHEN ALL EFFORTS IN OUR TERRESTRIAL AND MARINE AREAS THROUGH THE NATIONAL GREENING PROGRAM AND PROTECTED AREAS SYSTEM PROGRAM. WE WILL ENHANCE OUR CAPABILITY ON OCEAN SCIENCE IN PARTICULAR AND MANAGEMENT BY ESTABLISHING MARINE STATIONS NEXT YEAR – ACTUALLY, THIS YEAR – TO SERVE AS SENTINELS IN OUR ARCHIPELAGO.

THESE STATIONS WILL PROMOTE AND FOSTER STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIPS AND COLLABORATION WITH PARTNERS AND STAKEHOLDERS IN THE PHILIPPINES AND BEYOND OUR BORDERS. WE MUST KEEP IN MIND THAT WHATEVER HAPPENS ON LAND WILL AFFECT OUR SEAS AND VICE VERSA.

WE WILL HAVE THESE STATIONS IN STRATEGIC LOCATIONS TO REPRESENT ALL SIX MARINE BIOGEOGRAPHIC AREAS OF THE PHILIPPINES AND WE WILL ADOPT AN ECOSYSTEM-BASED APPROACH TO IDENTIFY, MAP, SECURE, OBSERVE, MONITOR AND EVALUATE THE STATE OF OUR COASTAL AND MARINE RESOURCES.

THIS WORK IS ESSENTIAL FOR THE INFORMATION AWARENESS AND ACTIVE INVOLVEMENT OF THE ENTIRE CITIZENRY AND IT IS ESSENTIAL TO THE FUNCTIONS THAT OUR OCEANS PLAY IN TERMS OF THE WHOLE WORLD IN THE PROTECTION, CONSERVATION, SUSTAINABLE MANAGEMENT OF MARINE BIODIVERSITY, AS WELL AS IN CLIMATE REGULATION IN RELATION TO CLIMATE CHANGE. WE MUST NOT ONLY BE WORKING FOR THE SCIENCE WE NEED FOR THE FUTURE WE WANT, BUT FOR THE ENVIRONMENT WE NEED, FOR THE FUTURE THAT WE WANT.

WE FIRMLY BELIEVE THAT ADDRESSING THE URGENT ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES IS INTRICATELY CONNECTED WITH THE LARGER SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS AND THE PHILIPPINE DEVELOPMENT PLAN OF OUR COUNTRY.

ENVIRONMENTAL STEWARDSHIP PLACE A PIVOTAL ROLE IN ALLEVIATING POVERTY, REDUCING INEQUALITY, ADVANCING PEACE, FOSTERING JUSTICE AND CREATING A LIVEABLE WORLD FOR ALL OF US. HENCE, THE ONLY PATH FORWARD IS TO ALIGN OUR ENDEAVOURS, TO CONFRONT THE MULTIPLE CHALLENGES OF OUR TIME, BENEFITTING BOTH PRESENT AND FUTURE GENERATIONS TO COME.

WE MUST COOPERATE, COLLABORATE, AND SYNERGIZE. OUR COMMITMENT MUST BE UNWAVERING IN ORDER TO ENSURE THAT NO ECOSYSTEM AND NO ONE IS LEFT BEHIND IN OUR WORK. WE HAVE THE POWER AND THE KNOWLEDGE TO DO THIS TODAY, STARTING WITH THE CORNERSTONE OF THE FILIPINOS’ NATURAL HERITAGE, OUR PROTECTED AREAS.

THANK YOU AND MABUHAY.