In 2009, the SCPW initiated the updating of the National Wetlands Action Plan for the Philippines (NWAPP) by holding the National Conference on Wetlands, Climate Change Adaptation and Biodiversity Conservation. With the document now in its final form, there is a need to communicate it to the key stakeholders initially and later to the general public so that they are made aware of how they can help conserve this important lifeline. Through the CEPA Action Plan, it will be easier to convince policy-makers and local advocates to mainstream climate change adaptation and biodiversity conservation which are substantial elements of the NWAPP.
Mainstreaming wetlands concerns such as biodiversity and climate change adaptation in local plans is a challenge for local planners and policy-makers because of their lack of knowledge and understanding of the subject, tools and support on how this is done. With the NWAPP and an accompanying CEPA Plan, the necessary support in terms of knowledge, attitude and practice will be made available to them thus predisposing ease in integrating wetlands concerns such as biodiversity and climate change adaptation in their local or organizational plans.
Workshop to Formulate the Philippine National Wetlands Communication, Education, Participation and Awareness (CEPA) Strategy and Action Plan
The conduct of a multi-stakeholder workshop to craft the National Wetland CEPA Action Plan will ensure that key actors are able to input into the proposed activities that will help promote the smooth implementation of the NWAPP.
The workshop was held on 08-09 November 2011 at the Lecture Room 1 of the Bureau of Soils and Water Management in Visayas Avenue, Quezon City. The workshop was attended by 36 participants representing Government Agencies, Local Government Units, Non-Government Organizations, and the Academe. The participants were either part of the consultations for the NWAPP or are communication officers of their respective organizations.
The workshop was conducted by the Society for the Conservation of Philippine Wetlands, Inc., in close coordination with the Protected Areas and Wildlife Bureau of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources. It was funded by Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) as a follow-through activity from the National Conference on Wetlands, Climate Change Adaptation and Biodiversity Conservation in 2009, to further ensure the smooth and effective implementation of the NWAPP.
