Pearl of the Orient Seas in the Changing World
Two-thirds of the world’s biological diversity can be found in our country, the Philippines due to huge endemism and quintessential habitats. But today, it is facing a threat.
As declared by the United Nations for International Day of Biodiversity, “nowadays, we have access to a greater variety of food than your parents or your grandparents once did. But even as the offerings become more diverse, the global diet as a whole - what people actually eat - is becoming more [domesticated and commercialized], and this is a dangerous thing.”
In our country alone, different species of flora and fauna are now on the edge of oblivion because of overconsumption, loss of habitat thru deforestation, poaching, the introduction of invasive alien species, and insufficient conservation efforts. These endangered species include local crops, trees, rare plants and animals, and marine biodiversity that you or the younger generation might not know about. Our once pristine forests are dwindling at a numbing scale since we became hungry for urbanized progress.
This is the same case for all our heritage. We are losing familiarity towards authentic Filipino recipes, fruits and vegetables, herbal rituals, along with endemic birds, reptiles, mountain animals, and marine life that are inspirations in textile, tattoo, ingenuous crafts, and stories. Thus becoming halfhearted in the sudden slaughter of our identity.
Ang tanging panawagan ng inang kalikasan ay ang mapagyabong ang likas na kayamanan nito hindi para sa personal na kapakinabangan kundi para sa lahat at sa hinaharap. Support sustainable communities, conservation groups and engage in awareness activities that celebrate the biodiversity of our beautiful country, the once called “pearl of the orient seas.”
We can also ask our parents, kaka, lola and all our old relatives to honor our roots by sharing the life and customs that is aboriginal in our country—bringing back our richness in terms of nature, food, tradition, and celebrations— also by reproducing medicinal, flowering and multipurpose plants that are found nowhere else but in our land, rediscovering the old and tasteful cuisines in our family’s palayok, and incorporating the true Filipino legacies in our everyday lifestyle. Ika nga, ipagmalaki at tangkilikin ang sariling atin! Bigyan din natin ng pagpapahalaga ang kapaligiran, lalong lalo ang mga buhay-ilang na nananahan kasama natin sa loob ng maraming panahon.
Anong mas hihigit pa sa tulung-tulong na pangangalaga ng ating kultura at kapaligiran? 🇵🇭 🌿
You can download a free copy of DENR Biodiversity Management Bureau’s report on Philippine Biodiversity http://www.bmb.gov.ph/downloads/ActionPlan/PBCP.pdf and freely visit the National Museum of Natural History in Luneta Park, Manila to explore and further appreciate the country’s wildlife with their vast botanical and zoological collections.
Read more at https://www.un.org/en/events/biodiversityday/
Reports on Philippine biodiversity, https://www.cbd.int/countries/profile/default.shtml?country=ph and http://bmb.gov.ph/388-protection-and-conservation-of-wildlife/facts-and-figures/786-status-of-the-philippine-biodiversity
#InternationalDayofBiodiversity #IDB2019 #OurBiodiversity #OurFood #OurHealth
