BACOLOD CITY (PIA) — Wildlife resources conservation and protection is set to become the third and newest indicator in the environmental management governance area of the Seal of Good Local Governance (SGLG).
Previously centered on solid waste management, the environmental management governance area of the SGLG program of the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) currently has two biodiversity-related indicators, to name: Wetland and Water Management and Parks and Green Spaces Development.
Soon, a third indicator – wildlife resources conservation and protection – is eyed to be included in the said governance area to strengthen the enforcement of Republic Act (RA) 9147 or the Wildlife Resources Conservation and Protection Act.
“By embedding environmental sustainability into governance, we pave the way for disaster risk reduction, climate change adaptation, and the preservation of resources for future generations,” said DILG Negros Island Region Director Lailyn Ortiz through a message delivered by Local Government Operations Officer Ric Laurence Sayson.
To help local government units (LGUs) in Negros Island comply with the new biodiversity indicators, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), United Nations Development Program (UNDP)-The Biodiversity Finance Initiative (BIOFIN), and the Philippine Biodiversity Conservation Foundation, Inc. (PhilBio), together with the DILG, recently teamed up for a two-day learning event intended to integrate environmental safeguards into the SGLG and local government development plans, enabling more budget allocation and financial investments in biodiversity conservation.
UNDP-BIOFIN Philippines National Project Manager Anabelle Plantilla highlighted the learning event as an opportunity for LGUs to improve their capacities in achieving the SGLG standards, particularly in biodiversity indicators.
“The fact na maganda ang attendance natin (sa event) shows na talagang may interest ang local government units in achieving the SGLG standards,” Plantilla said.
DENR-Biodiversity Management Bureau chief Nancy Corpuz underscored the critical role LGUs hold in ensuring that ecosystems across the country are protected from human activities that threaten the existence of diverse species.
“We hope na makatulong kami sa DENR sa mga LGUs para maisagawa at maisakatuparan itong objective natin na mainstreaming nitong biodiversity sa SGLG,” Corpuz noted.
(Us in DENR hope to assist LGUs in implementing and accomplishing this objective of mainstreaming biodiversity into the SGLG.)
For his part, Joseph Marc Caceres, head of the Cadiz City Ecosystems and Environmental Resource Management Division, welcomed the potential inclusion of the wildlife resources conservation and protection in the biodiversity indicators of the SGLG.
“It is an avenue for the local government units to embrace na yung environment pala is hindi lang (about) solid waste. Andito pa ang flora and fauna natin, yung different ecosystems natin,” Caceres said.
Meanwhile, in his message during the opening of the event on Jan. 27, Gov. Eugenio Jose “Bong” Lacson reiterated the significance of the SGLG, more than an achievement, as a call to action in addressing global concerns such as that of biodiversity.
“Beyond the prestige of the award lies a greater purpose, the real and lasting impact of our efforts on the environment and our communities,” stressed Lacson. (AGP/BPS/PIA Negros Occidental)
