Reference Section

    I would like to thank Google for providing the images I needed for this blog. They were very helpful to me. Other than the pictures I gathered from Google, I used the pictures from my mom's trip with her friends somewhere in Mindanao, the picture I took in school back in 5th grade for a club activity, and an old picture of me when I went to Bohol with my family.

My Actions towards Degradation

   Look around you and  examine your surroundings closely. What do you see? Not a lot of plants and not a lot of animals either. Instead, what we see are buildings and factories. Can't you see? Deforestation is running rampant, trees are getting cut down for our needs because of how much paper we waste, the homes of various animals are being destroyed, waters are being polluted, the air we breathe is getting contaminated, and nothing is going to change until we stop it. Every action has a reaction, and this is it. Mother Earth is dying and only we can save her. 

    Here are some simple, yet effective ways to achieve ecological sustainability that anybody can do. Learn about the endangered species in your area. The first step to protecting endangered species is learning about how interesting and important they are. Once you learn and understand them, share it to your friends and family. Visit a national wildlife refuge, park or other open space. Scientists tell us the best way to protect endangered species is to protect the places where they live. These protected lands provide habitat to many native wildlife, birds, fish and plants so if you have lots of time to spare, get involved by volunteering at your local nature center or wildlife refuge, and help others learn about the many endangered species and encourage them to do the same. Make your home wildlife friendly. Reduce your use of water in your home and garden so that animals that live in or near water can have a better chance of survival, feed pets indoors, disinfect bird baths often to avoid disease transmission, and place decals on windows to deter bird collisions. Recycle and buy sustainable products. Buy recycled paper and sustainable products like bamboo to protect forest species. Never buy furniture made from wood from rain forests and recycle your cell phones, because a mineral used in cell phones and other electronics is mined in gorilla habitats. Never purchase products made from threatened or endangered species. Avoid supporting the market in illegal wildlife including: tortoise-shell, ivory, coral. Also, be careful of products including fur from tigers, polar bears, sea otters and other endangered wildlife, crocodile skin, live monkeys or apes, most live birds including parrots, macaws, cockatoos and finches, some live snakes, turtles and lizards, some orchids, cacti and cycads, medicinal products made from rhinos, tiger or Asiatic black bear. Protect wildlife habitat. Scientists tell us the best way to protect endangered species is to protect the special places where they live. By protecting habitat, entire communities of animals and plants can be protected together. Parks, wildlife refuges, and other open space should be protected near your community.

   

   
    Let's work hand-in-hand to achieve ecological sustainability to rehabilitate what we have degraded, so the world that we live in can become as beautiful as it was once more.
         

              

Endangered Species

   The Philippines is a country with a high amount of biodiversity. It is mega diverse due to the various species inhabiting it's many islands. But as years pass and people change, we tend to get so absorbed with our gadgets that we don't even realize how much the world has changed. Not for the better but for the worst. Animals and Plants, our flora and fauna, are becoming extinct and endangered. Some of these endangered animals are the Philippine Eagle, the Philippine Spotted Deer, the Philippine Freshwater Crocodile, the Tarsier, and the Tamaraw while the endangered plants are the Mangifera odorata, the Kibatalia puberula, the Phalaenopsis lindenii, the Dendrobium schuetzei, the Alocasia atropurpurea, the Hopea philippinensis, and the Cycas wadei.

 These species are one of the last of it's kind and, fortunately, are being conserved, preserved, and protected. These are done through the Philippine Raptors Conservation Project, the Philippine Spotted Deer Conservation Program, the Crocodile Conservation Program, the Philippine Tarsier Conservation Program, the Tamaraw Conservation Program, the Philippine Fisheries Code[Sec. 11, 97], the Wildlife Resources Conservation and Protection Act [Chap. 3, Art. 2-5], and the Animal Welfare Act. Generally, these policies state that the country's wildlife resources and their habitats are to be conserved for sustainability,  endangered species are to be protected, the welfare of all animals in the Philippines are to be protected and promoted by supervising and regulating the establishment and operations of all facilities utilized for breeding, maintaining, keeping, treating or training of all animals either as objects of trade or as household pets.

Degradation and Rehabilitation

    One of the very serious problems not only in our country, but all over the world is DEGRADATION. It is the wearing down of the land by the erosive action of water or wind. We have this adverse environmental issue and problems, which will serve as a driving force that result to environmental conservation and sustainable development. This means that people must collaborate and work hand in hand with the goal to save Mother Earth. We must adopt new values, change our habits and lifestyle towards the preservation and conservation of the environment. These are the requirements to obtain environmental awareness, consciousness, and understanding.

    In the Philippines, there are various types of degradation. Here are some of the many types: Loss of Forest Cover, Degradation of Coral Reefs, Threats to Mangroves, and Loss of Biodiversity. From 2000-2005, the Philippines lost over 2% of it's forest cover a year. Illegal collection and exportation of corals and live reef fish has resulted in significant harmful and damaging effects on biodiversity, coral reef condition, sea grass cover and fish numbers. Threats to mangroves include over-harvesting, pollution, and land clearance for agriculture and human settlement. The rate of biodiversity loss is reflected in some shocking findings collected over the years. As of 2006, just over 20 percent of vertebrate species were rated as threatened by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. Around 127 bird species are considered threatened and the native Philippine cockatoo, once widespread, is now critically endangered.

    Fortunately, there are some measures taken by the people towards ecological rehabilitation. For the loss of forest cover, a mining forest program with 79 participating companies began reforesting 10,319 hectares of mine and afforesting non-mining disturbed areas with 9.3 million seedlings. For the degradation of coral reefs, Republic Act 8550, also known as the Philippine Fisheries Code of 1998, was enacted during the Ramos administration (1992-1998). It prohibits the gathering, possessing, selling or exporting of coral reefs in any form. It bans all fishing methods and gears that physically destroy coral reefs and other marine habitats, and it also offers the legal basis for protection of marine and terrestrial species that are rare, threatened or endangered. For the threats to mangrove, ZSL started its mangrove rehabilitation work in 2007 through the Community-based Mangrove Rehabilitation Project (CMRP), with the aim of increasing coastal protection, food resources and diversifying livelihood options. Over a four year period, close to 100,000 mangroves were planted, with the rehabilitation of 107.8 hectares of mangrove forest well underway. And last but not the least, for the loss of biodiversity, conservation and protection measures have been taken in the form of cave and wetland management, proclamation of protected areas and critical habitats, and establishment of protected areas and zones. A total of 111 protected areas (terrestrial and marine) have been proclaimed since the passage of the National Integrated Protected Areas System(NIPAS) Act in 1992, covering 3.53 million hectares. Terrestrial areas cover 2.16 million hectares or 7.2 percent of the land area, and marine areas cover 1.371 million hectares or 0.69 percent of the total sea area of the country.

                                   

   

Before and After