AN official of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) is urging government policymakers to put in place a set of standards and sound mechanism that addresses biodiversity concern in relation to the production of biofuels.

Director Mundita Lim, chief of the Protected Areas and Wildlife Bureau (PAWB) of the DENR, said putting up plantations for large-scale production of plants and crops for biofuels production, such as Jathropa curcas, at the expense of vast tract of lands, such as forests, may have adverse effect on biodiversity in the area.

Lim cited the establishment of Jatropha plantations in India , where the government has set aside some 400,000 sq km of land for Jathropa plantations, in order to cut its dependence on fossil fuel by 20 percent.

But the establishment of Jathropa plantation, she said, has been blamed by conservationist for the loss of its wildlife species, especially native birds.

If biofuels are produced on land obtained through deforestation, such effort is ineffective for climate-change mitigation and has substantial negative effects on biodiversity.

“We support the promotion of biofuels that secure sustainable production of tuba-tuba and there is no reason why the India experience on Jatropa production should happen in the Philippinees,” she said.

The government, through the DENR, is embarking on an aggressive campaign in the provinces to set up carbon sinks and Jathropa plantation whose oil has been found to be an efficient alternative biofuel source.

Experts also discussed the establishment of carbon sinks that grow invasive or exotic species, and their effect on wildlife species.

Lim said projects that will cause harm or tradeoffs between climate-change mitigation, sustainable development and biodiversity conservation should be studied thoroughly before embarking on a particular project.

Lim was among experts on global warming and biodiversity conservation who met last week at the forum on climate change and biodiversity at the National Institute of Geological Sciences Auditorium, University of the Philippines in Diliman, Quezon City, to discuss issues relating to the loss of biodiversity as a result of climate change as part of the five-day celebration of the International Day for Biological Diversity that ran from May 22 to 26.

The forum, organized by the PAWB, hopes to remind policy makers of the importance of integrating biodiversity concerns into all public policies on climate change, such as the establishment of tree plantations as carbon sinks and Jatropha plantations.

THE hog sector is urging the Department of Agriculture (DA) to push for the inclusion of a representative from the sector in the new antismuggling group created by the Office of the President (OP).

ENVIRONMENT and Natural Resources Secretary Angelo Reyes on Monday ordered the transfer of the disposition of cancelled mining permits to the Philippine Mining Development Corp. (PMDC), a corporate arm of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR).

PETROLEUM product and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) prices are expected to rise some more next month with the continuous surge in world and regional oil prices.

DAVAO CITY—The Development Bank of the Philippines (DBP) hopes Mindanao will increase the bank’s lending offered at affordable interest rates to finance bigger development and industrial ventures.

AN official of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) is urging government policymakers to put in place a set of standards and sound mechanism that addresses biodiversity concern in relation to the production of biofuels.