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| Marble slide at the mineral reservation are of the Biak-na-Bato National Park in 2006. |
MANILA- On March 15, 2012, the Department of Environment and
Natural Resources-Protected Areas and Wildlife Bureau (DENR-PAWB) in
cooperation with the Deutsche Gesellschaft Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ)
GmbH and Silliman University launched the ““An In-depth Review of NIPAS
and Related Statues on the establishment and management of Protected Areas in
the Philippines
The National Integrated Protected Areas System Act of 1992
(Republic Act No. 7586), commonly known as the NIPAS Act was enacted primarily
for biodiversity conservation.
This law provides the legal and developmental framework for
the establishment and management of protected areas (PAs) in the Philippines Philippines
The Philippines
However, the implementation of NIPAS Act remains a challenge
because of its certain provisions which are in conflict with other environment
laws.
There were 202 identified initial components of the NIPAS
comprising of proclaimed national parks, game refuge and wildlife sanctuaries,
nature reserves, wilderness areas, mangrove reserves, watershed reservations,
fish sanctuaries, protected landscapes and seascapes, among others.
Thus far, of the 202 initial components, there are 112
protected areas formally proclaimed by the President under the System covering
3.54 million hectares. However, only 13 protected areas have been officially
declared by law as part of the NIPAS.
The Study critically assessed nine legislations namely:
National Integrated Protected Areas System, Revised Forestry Code of the Philippines
It builds on the experiences of the study team in the
implementation of various environmental projects in the Philippines
The Philippine Development Plan (PDP) 2011-2016 duly
acknowledged that the implementation of various laws and policies are confused
by overlapping and conflicting policies and mandates.
Thus, the need for an in-depth review and harmonizing a
number of conflicting relevant laws and policies affecting natural resources
was undertaken.
“We are very appreciative of GIZ for providing financial
assistance in order to conduct a review of the NIPAS Act and Other Related Laws
on the Establishment and Management of Protected Areas in the Philippines
The results of the Study and its accompanying recommendations
will indeed be valuable for the Protected Area and Wildlife Sector to further
improve our policy on the management of protected areas in the Philippines
The results of the
Study may also be used as basis to further the advocacies on protected area
management,” a statement from Dir. Theresita Mundita S. Lim of DENR- PAWB.
The recommendations of this study will hopefully be used to
clarify and ultimately resolve conflicting areas in the implementation of the
NIPAS and the other legislations.
***
GIZ is a federally-owned enterprise that supports the German
government in the
field of international development cooperation. For more
than 30 years now, GIZ has
been cooperating with Philippine partners in strengthening
the capacity of people
and institutions to improve the lives of Filipinos in this
generation and generations to
come. Together we work to balance economic, social and
ecological interests through multi-stakeholder dialogue, participation and
collaboration.
Most of its activities are commissioned by the German
Federal Ministry for Economic
Cooperation and Development (BMZ). GIZ also operates on
behalf of other German
ministries – in particular the Federal Foreign Office, the
Federal Environment
Ministry and the Federal Ministry of Education and Research
– as well as German
federal states and municipalities, and public and private
sector clients both in
European Commission, the United Nations and the World Bank.