The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) urged lawmakers to fast track the issuance of legislations that will acknowledge the importance of wetlands and peatlands in the fight against the effects of climate change in the country.
The DENR said these legislations are needed to strengthen measures that will protect wetlands crucial in providing sources of drinking water, food, shelter, livelihood activities and flood control apart from serving as carbon sinks.
Wetlands are areas where water covers the soil all year or for varying periods of time during the year while peatlands are a type of wetland whose soils consist of carbon-rich dead and decaying plant matter.
“There has been no single Philippine legislation that advances wetland conservation and its wise use. While there are already existing laws that contain provisions directly or indirectly promoting wetland conservation, not one deal specifically on wetlands,” said Environmental Secretary Roy Cimatu.
“If legislated, the national law on wetland will serve as the mother law for all wetlands in the country including peatlands. This will address the gray areas on our existing policies relevant to wetlands conservation,” Cimatu said in a statement,
At present, there are two existing bills for wetland protection and conservation. Among them are the substitute bill that institutionalizes national wetlands conservation policy and the proposed National Peatland and Peatland Resources Act.
The substitute bill was recently approved at the committee level in the House of Representatives and will apply to the protection and conservation of all types of wetlands in the country, including inland wetlands such as rivers, lakes, marshes, swamps, coastal, marine and even man-made wetlands with high biodiversity value. – Jed Macapagal
