News Monitoring 03 02 2020
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DATE : 03 02 20 DAY : 1\40fricicfL tomm II PrnE, NEE-wS Strategic Communication and Initiative Service STRATEGIC PHILIPPINE DAILY LII El ALANCID NEWS e FEARLESS VIEWS urn BANNER EDITORIM CARTOON COMMUNICATION PAGE I STORY ta INITIATIVES PAGE POWER weismar SERVICE INQUIRER 03 02 20 PAGE I/ DATE PH, Southeast Asia need aggressive game plan to check wildlife trade By Thesset 0. Enano The 109-page report, released successfully intercepted. In ad- the Philippines, where there @ffiessetEnanoINQ in full in February, analyzed dition, complex and ambiguous had been several seizures of thousands of successful seizures, systems to regulate commercial endangered animals and an- Southeast Asia needs to ramp revealing stunning numbers re- trade were also riddled with imal byproducts, among the up its game plan to tackle its lated to wildlife trafficking. loopholes, the group said. biggest of which is elephant immense wildlife trafficking "Not a day goes by without ivory. problem, according to a new Staggering numbers a wildlife seizure taking place The report also noted report that assessed the illegal From 2000 to 2019, for in- in Southeast Asia," said Kanitha frequent entry of Indone- trade in the region from the stance, an estimated 899,000 Krishnasamy, Traffic Southeast sian wildlife for a thriving turn of the century. pangolins were trafficked glob- Asia director, in a statement. pet trade, as well as wildlife Published by international ally, while over 96,000 kilograms "Seizures are certainly com- laundering operations for in- wildlife group Traffic, the report of their scales were seized in mendable, but what must be ternational trade. highlighted the need for gov- Malaysia, Singapore and Viet- eradicated are the many basic To address the illicit trade ernments to address loopholes nam from 2017 to 2019. This rep- enabling factors that drive and in the region, Traffic said South- in policies and enforcement, es- resents 94 percent of the total fuel illegal trade," she added. east Asian governments and its pecially since inadequate laws, volume of scales confiscated in partners should work together poor conviction rates and poor the region during this period. Pervasive corruption to harmonize national laws, regulation of markets allow The report also revealed Inadequacies in national leg- increase penalties and identify such transboundary crimes to that over zoo tons of African islation, low rates of prosecution and shut down open markets persist in the region. elephant ivory, icio,000 pig- and pervasive corruption remain that sell protected wildlife and With io countries function- nosed turtles and over 49,000 as enabling factors for the trade. their products, among others. ing as source, consumer and songbirds were seized in the re- Poor regulation of legal wildlife For the Philippines, the re- transhipment points for wild- gion in the past 19 years. trade also contributed to the port recommended the com- life from within the region and Despite the staggering num- problem, while illicit online mar- mitment of more resources the rest of the world, Traffic bers, Traffic said these data only ketplaces, such as those in social and efforts into investigating said Southeast Asia encapsu- showed a small fraction of the media, likewise mushroomed in the trade and trafficking, par- lates the full range of global true scale of the wildlife trade, the past decade, the report said. ticularly through enhanced challenges in biodiversity man- since seizures represent only Such realities were reflect- vigilance at the entry and exit agement and wildlife trade. trafficking incidents that were ed in Traffic's assessment of points in the country. INQ k STRATEGIC 1 UPPER BANNER EDITORIAL CARTOON COMMUNICATION 141 PAGE I STORY INITIATIVES a PAGE ROWER m•Palor :PERVICE Bum' Lisa' yr or .11nalrrk 4okin'h . 03 02 I AL PAGE I/ 1 DATE ASEAN HERITAGE PARKS Gene pool of PHEs rare, endemic species BY JONATHAN L. MAYUGA yeonimayuga NE of the world's megadiverse countries, with a high rate of 0 endemism, the Philippines is also a biological hot spot because of rapid rate of biological loss. HIBOK-HIBOK crater lake AG STRATEGIC g PPER WINER EDITORIAL CARTOON COMMUNICATION PAGE 1 STORY INITIATIVES Pc PAGE LOWER SERVICE BusinessNi irr or „moos A interha litain 03 02 20 66. , le pie PAGE 1/ f DATE The enormous threats to the forts of Asean member-countries. country's environment and nat- There are a total of 41 AHPs, ural resources range from natu- five of which were designated as ral phenomena, like a volcanic United Nations Educational, Sci- eruption, forest fires and climate entific and Cultural Organization change-triggered events, like (Unesco) World Heritage Sites. severe drought, sea-level rise, salt-water intrusion, flooding Ongoing program and landslide. ENVIRONMENT Assistant Sec- Among the threats also include retary Ricardo L. Calderon, also destructive human activities, like the concurrent director of Depart- massive land conversion for real- ment of Environment and Natural estate development; commercial Resources-Biodiversity Manage- logging; mining; quarrying to ment Bureau (BM B), said the des- unsustainable agricultural prac- ignation of Al-IPs is an ongoing tices; specifically slash-and-burn program of the DENA and the ACB. farming, charcoal making, timber He said the DENR-BMB is eye- poaching for construction, and ing more sites, including the Paso- dependence to wood for fuel to nanca Natural Park that straddles hunting for food and trophy, and Zamboanga del Sur and Zambo- harvesting of animal and plant anga del Norte, if it passes the wildlife for the highly lucrative criteria of the ACB. illegal wildlife trade. An AHP, he said, is a priority Efforts to conserve and protect conservation area. 'These areas the country's rich biodiversity, are usually old national parks with nevertheless, have gone a long way, high biodiversity, which needs through laws and policies, includ- special protection. These are the ing international commitments. areas with very high biodiversity Anchored on the strength of its value," Calderon said. protected area management, the "We are also looking for more Philippines has more than 240 pro- areas that will involve [the collabo- tected areas covering more than 5 ration of] two or three countries, million of the country's 30 million and we are looking at the Turtle hectares of land area. Islands Natural Park in Tawi-Tawi as a potential AHP," he added. Asean Heritage Parks Calderon said that once an area A MEMBER of the Association of is declared an AHP, it will initially Southeast Asian Nations (Asean), get a P4-million budget for the op- the Philippines boasts of having erationalization of the protected one of the most numbers of heri- area management. tage parks in Southeast Asia. Protected areas in the Philip- As of last year, it has a total pines undergo a strict manage- of nine Asean Heritage Parks ment regime with a Protected (AHPs)—all have unique features Area Management Board in- and importance, with their pro- volving various stakeholders tection having more imperative or collaborators as the highest to prevent biodiversity loss, and policy-making body. extinction of its critically endan- geredand endemic species of plant Gene pools and animal wildlife. NINE AHPs in the Philippines The AHP is a program being are getting their much-needed implemented by the Asean Centre attention. The country's AHPs for Biodiversity (ACB). are especially important as they They showcase the best of the help maintain the gene pool of its best ecotourism sites and repre- endemic species. They are: sent successful conservation ef- Mounts Iglit-Baco Natural STRATEGIC UPPER BANNER EDITORIAL CARTOON COMMUNICATION ORA PAGE I STORY INITIATIVES PAGE ROWER IRRSIRmor SERVICE BusinessMirror -.••••• 41mrkaalwarlo IT El 03 02 20 TITLE oaAn foot PAGE I/ DATE Park is home to the Philippine Island, including species and sub- Tamaraw, or the Mindoro dwarf species of the yellowish bulbul. buffalo, which is endemic only to Agusan Marsh Wildlife Sanc- the island of Mindoro, meaning it tuary, home to the 20-foot-long could not be found anywhere else crocodile Lolong, the world's larg- in the world. est saltwater crocodile ever to be Mount Kitanglad Range Nat- caught alive, is also one of the most ural Park is where the world's big- ecologicallyimportant wetlands in gest flower species, scientifically the Philippines. Lolong died some known as Rafflesia schadenher- time after it was caught. giana, would be found, the same Mount Apo Natural Park is a with the critically endangered key biodiversity area and home to Philippine eagle. over 272 bird species, with around Mount Hamiguitan Range 111 species known to be endemic Wildlife Sanctuary is the habitat to the Philippines. The protected of a pygmy forest, Philippine eagle area is also home to the critically and alocallyendemic pitcherplant, endangered Philippine eagle. Nepenthes hamiguitanensis. Mount Malindang Range Coping with the challenge • Natural Park is home to rare and THE Philippines is coping with new records of Philippine mosses, the enormous challenge of main- and is a known natural habitat of taining its AHPs, including the endemic species of wild plants, provision of resources and dedi- such as dwarf bamboo and the cated staff to ensure that they are Benguet pine, and wild species of effectively managed, ACE Execu- birds, long-haired fruit bats, Phil- tive Director Theresa Mundita S. ippine deer and giant bushy-tailed Lim said. cloud rats. "AHPs, as with other protected Mount Makiling Forest Re- areas in the Philippines, need serve in Laguna is home to large resources and dedicated staff," flying foxes PteropusandAcerodon she said. species. The endemic Luzon pygmy ' In the past, Lim, who served fruit bat (Otopteropus cartilagono- as director of the DENR-BMB dus) may be present at higher el- for 15 years prior to her post at evations of the mountain.