ILOILO CITY — To be further equipped with the necessary skills and knowledge to conserve and rehabilitate mangrove ecosystems, the Ministry’s Biodiversity, Ecosystems, Research, and Development Services (BERDS) engages in a five-day training on science-based mangrove rehabilitation methods and policy roll-out organized by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Biodiversity Management Bureau (BMB) from August 19 to 23 in Iloilo City.
The training emphasizes the importance of mangrove ecosystems, highlighting their critical role in empowering communities, coastal protection, sustainable livelihood, promoting biodiversity conservation, climate change mitigation, and improving water quality and ecosystem health. Further, the training also underscored the importance of policy and governance in ensuring the long-term conservation of these coastal ecosystems.
During the training, the participants reviewed the milestones of mangrove management from 2019 to 2024 and discussed the harmonization of mangrove management practices. A briefing on the history of reversion initiatives for abandoned, undeveloped, and underutilized fishponds (AUUF) was also presented. Further, the participants visited Leganes Integrated Katunggan Ecopark, Iloilo, and experienced mangrove planting and identification of mangrove species.
Representatives from MENRE were Biodiversity Resource Management Division Chief Baharodin B. Baulo, Chief of Ecosystems Research and Development Division Annie D. Dumamba, and Focal for Protected Area Section Bairaiya U Salipada.
The MENRE, through BERDS, plans to strengthen its coordination with partners and stakeholders for the immediate assessment of Abandoned, Undeveloped, and Underutilized (AUU) areas for Fishpond purposes, pursuant to DENR Memorandum Order No. 2024-01. The AUUF Program, to be funded by the government through the Biodiversity Management Bureau, aims to support mangrove rehabilitation in BARMM, with provincial offices of MENRE and MAFAR serving as key implementing stakeholders.
