Environment and Natural Resources Secretary Maria Antonia Yulo Loyzaga stressed the critical role of restoring mangrove forests, which have been lost to fishponds and brackish water fisheries since the 1950s.
“We need to accelerate the planting of the right species in the right areas and increase protection of our remaining mangrove stands,” she said in a keynote address during a panel discussion with officials of the United Kingdom.
Loyzaga said conservation and protection are integral to the country’s economic development strategy, adding that these priorities are not afterthoughts or secondary concerns.
Loyzaga also expressed gratitude to the United Kingdom for its strong support through the Blue Planet Fund (BPF).
UK Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs David Lammy met last month with President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. and other officials to promote enhanced partnerships between the two nations.
“Although we may be small in terms of land mass, both the Philippines and the UK are large ocean nations with some of the longest coastlines in the world,” said Loyzaga.
The Philippines and the UK share the characteristics of being small, blue, archipelagic nations with vast ocean territories. For the Philippines, the development of the blue economy has enormous potential, as 86 percent of its territory is water.
Launched in 2021, the UK’s Blue Planet Fund supports developing countries in protecting marine environments and combating poverty. In the Philippines, the fund focuses on climate adaptation, tackling plastic pollution, promoting blue carbon initiatives, and preserving natural systems and biodiversity.
Loyzaga cited two out of eight significant programs supported by the BPF. The first program centers on enhancing sustainable livelihoods by improving the management of marine protected areas in the Verde Island Passage, the Calamianes Islands in Palawan, and the Tañon Strait between Negros and Cebu.
The second program, supported by the BPF, is the Philippines’ National Blue Carbon Action Plan (NBCAP), launched on February 26. The NBCAP outlines the Philippine government’s strategy for managing blue carbon ecosystems.
“The Philippines is committed to increasing investments in better mechanisms to observe, conserve and protect our ocean environments,” Loyzaga said.
The Philippines in 2010 joined the Global Ocean Alliance (GOA), an initiative launched by the UK to unite countries and organizations committed to achieving the 30×30 target set by the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework.
The goal seeks to protect 30 percent of the world’s land and marine areas by 2030 to prevent biodiversity loss and address the climate crisis.
DENR News
