The protection and conservation of Mount Mantalingahan Protected Landscape (MMPL) in Palawan province will be getting the much-needed boost from local government units (LGUs).
The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) said five municipalities in southern Palawan have pledged a total of P2.5 million for the protection and conservation of what can be considered the largest protected area of the province.
The MMPL is a protected area by virtue of Presidential Proclamation 1815 dated June 23, 2009.
It is included in the tentative list of Unesco World Heritage Sites and is vying to be inscribed as such for its exceptional biodiversity and endemism. Like all other biodiversity-rich areas, the MMPL faces various threats, including illegal logging, mining and plantation expansion, including slash- and -burn farming. The enforcement of environmental laws remains a major challenge because of insufficient number of forest protection officers currently deployed in the area.
The local government units of Brooke’s Point, Quezon, Rizal, Sofronio Española and Bataraza each committed to allot P500,000 from their respective funds to support forest protection activities and stricter enforcement of environmental laws in the main protected area and its buffer zone during the 15th en banc meeting of the Protected Area Management Board (PAMB) of MMPL held in Puerto Princesa City, on December 16.
The meeting was attended by other members of the PAMB, which include the punong barangays, representatives from the academe, nongovernment organizations, National Commission on Indigenous Peoples, Philippine National Police, Palawan Council for Sustainable Development and other indigenous peoples groups.
The commitment was made by the five LGUs after the Biodiversity Assessment and Monitoring System report highlighted the urgency to step up forest protection efforts in MMPL, which include procurement of equipment, supplies and materials, and augmentation of monitoring and patrol personnel.
Currently, there are only three park rangers under the Protected Area Management Office protecting the MMPL which covers a total of 120,457 hectares.
“Ideally, it should be one forest ranger per 500 hectares. For MMPL, we are in need of 240 more rangers to cover the entire area,” Protected Area Superintendent Mildred Suza explained.
The financial support coming from the LGUs will help address the limited number of forest protectors, as well as the grant of other benefits to boost the morale of the forest protection officers or bantay gubat volunteers.
DENR Mimaropa Regional Executive Director Henry Adornado said besides regular compensation, the allocated funds could also provide the forest guards medical and accidental insurance should unfortunate incidents happen while they are on patrol.
“The rangers’ job to protect Mount Mantalingahan against poachers and other violators expose them to serious threats and danger. They are constantly risking their lives every time they monitor the mountains. It’s about time we take action to ensure their safety and protection,” Adornado, who is the concurrent chairman of the PAMB of the MMPL.