On 28-29 April 2022, the Society for the Conservation of Philippine Wetlands, Inc conducted the first two days of the 3-day pilot course of Training- Workshop on the Development of Communication, Capacity Building, Education, Participation, and Awareness or CEPA Action Plan for Wetlands. The virtual event was attended by 17 wetland managers and Heads of City Environment and Natural Resources Office of Local Government Units in the Philippines.
This training-workshop is designed to help wetland managers and those in government offices directly concerned with managing these wetlands in communicating and engaging with key stakeholders in relation to wetland conservation. Through this course, it is hoped that site managers can mobilize local and national-scale actions directed at achieving the conservation and wise use of wetlands particularly in the country and ultimately in support of the objectives of the Ramsar Strategic Plan 2016-2024.
The pilot course employed learning sessions and focused on a case study for the two-day session. The development of CEPA in the context of Ramsar Convention was discussed by Ms. Christine Prietto from the Hunter Wetland Center and the Ramsar NGO CEPA Focal Point for Australia. Ms. Amy M. Lecciones, Ramsar NGO CEPA Focal Point for the Philippines gave a brief presentation on the Ramsar CEPA Action Plan 2016-2021. The training also benefitted from the presentation of while Ms. Esther Koopmanschap from the Wageningen University in the Netherlands who discussed the CEPA Planning Process. Other topics discussed in the Learning Session include Communication Techniques, Participatory Action Planning Process, Techniques for Facilitating Groups, among others.
The training provided time for sharing sessions among the participants on the status of their CEPA Action Plans and the challenges they encountered in its preparation. A series of workshops were done to come up with a sample CEPA Action Plan with the Las Piñas – Parañaque Wetland Park (LPPWP) as a case study. The participants were able to produce a prototype CEPA Action Plan for LPPWP guided by the workshop Facilitator.
Before the closing of session for Day 2, an assignment was given to the participants which is the preparation of a CEPA Action Plan for their own wetland site. This will be presented and discussed two weeks after on 13 May 2022, which will complete the 3-day training course. This training workshop is being pilot-tested as part of the establishment of the SCPW Wetland School which is a project supported by the Wetland Link International – Asia Fund administered by the Ramsar Regional Center-East Asia with support from Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust (WWT and WLI Global) and Primera.
Below are the agencies and offices that participated for this Training- Workshop:
- Local Government Unit of Mabitac, Laguna
- Local Government Unit of Del Carmen, Surigao Del Norte
- DENR – CENRO Panabo City, Davao Del Norte
- DENR-CENRO Socorro Oriental, Mindoro
- DENR-PENRO Pampanga
- DENR-PENRO Batangas
- DENR-PENRO Sibugay
- DENR-PENRO Davao del Norte
- Protected Area Management Office – Taal Volcano Protected Landscape
- Protected Area Management Office – Agusan Marsh Wildlife Sanctuary
- Protected Area Management Office – Naujan Lake National Park
- Protected Area Management Office – Las Piñas – Parañaque Wetland Park
- Protected Area Management Office – Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park
