FORUM September-October 2011 5
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Cleto L. Nañola, Jr., MSMSc Assistant Professor Department of Biological Sciences and Environmental Studies College of Science and Mathematics UP Mindanao
Anna Talia Basman, BS, DIP University Research Associate College of Architecture UP Diliman
promoting biodiversity? Arcenas: UP can do what it does best in helping promote biodiversity by supplying the country with technical expertise and engaging in research on the state of our natural environment. In this regard, I think UP has significantly contributed in bridging the knowledge gap in biodiversity management through scientific and social research and the collection of baseline data. I believe that we have been providing planners and policy-makers the necessary inputs to map out courses of action—even as I admit that there is still so much research and knowledge building that we need to do as an institution. I think that through the information we generate, we should be able to disturb a sufficient number of people (if not all) enough that something concrete and significant would be done. Go: Biodiversity is a measure of the complexity of a particular ecosystem. Just as there are complex ecosystems such as those found in the tropics, there are ecosystems that are relatively simple and composed of a few species. It would be safer to say
that preserving the natural diversity of an ecosystem would be the more correct approach than increasing its biodiversity. Once the ecosystem is stable, the built-in biological systems would maintain its components and allow for ecosystems to “evolve” in time. This simply means conserving the environment as much as possible without introducing new or foreign species into the system. As an advocacy, the promotion of environmental conservation and biodiversity no longer raises questions. It may not be lacking in publicity, but there is a lack of understanding of what it is and how it can be achieved. We are at this point in history where environmental degradation and climate change are more commonly heard in the news and different media sources. There is also an ever-increasing number of nongovernment organizations (NGOs) and other groups, individuals, and company-sponsored activities to promote one or more environment conservation projects. But my question is: How can we determine if these efforts have a local or national impact? Something
Pauline Dianne Santos Student, Institute of Biology College of Science Chairperson, AGHAM YOUTH UP Diliman
Jesus F. Eroles Student, College of Agriculture Head, National Network of Agrarian Reform Advocates (NNARA) UP Los Baños
is amiss. In my opinion, three things are needed to ensure the success of environment projects. One is the right perspective and understanding of the environment. The other is commitment, where one exerts effort in preserving the environment not only when it is convenient. The last one is coordination and cooperation. The University of the Philippines has a role to play in all of these. A sad truth about environmental problems is that they are never seen as problems until they become problems. The forest remains a forest as long as a few remaining trees are still present. Until then, uncontrolled tree cutting, kaingin and animal poaching will continue. Rivers continue to accommodate domestic and industrial waste until there is a visible change in the quality of the water. Mangroves in coastal areas are cut, coral and natural debris are removed, and artifi cial sand is dumped to give it a more “Boracay” look. Our social understanding of the environment is shallow and incomplete. Our duty then is not just to teach our students what and how we should take care of our natural resources but to educate the whole country. Environmentally sustainable development is a word foreign to many,
even among the educated population. Until a municipality is able to come up with a comprehensive development program with the preservation of the natural environment included in its plan all future development plans, as history has shown, will come at a cost to Mother Nature. Land and coastal areas will be cut, rehabilitated and transformed to suit our needs. How many among us know our ecological footprint? This is our material requirement from the environment that is based on a way of life or lifestyle. This test shows that one need not necessarily be at the forefront of environmental rehabilitation activities in order to help save the environment. One can do so by observing an environmentfriendly lifestyle. The question is: Are we doing it now? How many among us can actually say that I have an acceptable ecological footprint? How many among our UP constituents can say that I am living an environmentfriendly lifestyle? I see some key individuals who serve as role models for the Filipino people. The next dream would be municipalities that do not degrade their environment. The last requirement for success is cooperation and coordination. While the DENR has drawn the ROUNDTABLE, p. 6