Click it! Sketch it!
In line with this year’s theme for World Migratory Bird Day (Protect Birds: Be the Solution to Plastic Pollution), and the EAAFP theme for 2019-2020 (Flyways – Connecting People and Migratory Waterbirds), the Society for the Conservation of Philippine Wetlands, Inc. (SCPW) organized an event called Click it! Sketch it! – an activity for nature/wildlife photographers, graphic arts students and children in the local community to come together for a learning event that revolved around the importance of migratory birds, the threats posed by plastic pollution to their very existence and what they can do to help protect these wildlife and their habitats. The participants for this activity were those sectors with the potential to translate these images to communication materials that can help promote protection of these migratory birds as well as wetland conservation.
Additionally, the Las Piñas Parañaque Wetland Park, the venue of the activities is the only urban wetland park in the country. As part of UN Habitat’s Urban October “31 Days of Promoting a Better Urban Future” with the theme “Technologies as an innovative tool to transform waste to wealth”, the event was also in celebration of the prominent place where birds, animals, plants, wetlands, and the environment have in a better urban future.
Objectives
- To increase the awareness of the nature photographers and graphic artists on the importance of migratory birds and wetlands and how they can help protect them.
- To establish a cadre of photographers and graphic artists who can advocate for migratory bird protection and wetland conservation through using images as a medium.
- To enhance the skills of nature photographers in capturing images of wildlife and nature that can be used as tools in advocating protection for migratory birds and for wetland conservation.
- To instill conservation in the minds of young children, and the impacts of plastic pollution to migratory birds.
In achieving these objectives, the learning event Click it! Sketch it! held on 12 October 2019 at Las Piñas – Parañaque Wetland Park, employed approaches and methods including seminar, hands-on training on wildlife photography, interaction with local birding guides, and interaction with the children in the community through arts and storytelling.
Among the prominent guests present were the Regional Director Woodrow C. Maquiling Jr. of National Capital Region – Department of Tourism (DOT-NCR); Conservation and Development Chief Aida E. Esguerra of National Capital Region – Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR-NCR); Protected Area Superintendent Carlito Castañeda of Las Piñas Parañaque Critical Habitat and Ecotourism Area (LPPCHEA); Wildlife Section Chief Anson Tagtag of Biodiversity Management Bureau – DENR; Mr. Chito Macapagal of SM Foundation; Mr. Paul Puthenpurikal of SURE, Inc.; Mr. Mike Lu of Wild Bird Club of the Philippines (WBCP); Ms. Maridel Teves of Federation of Philippine Photographers Foundation, Inc. (FPPF); Engr. Francisco Arellano of Maynilad Water Services Inc., and representatives from One Meralco Foundation.
Learning Session on migratory birds and plastic pollution and nature/wildlife photography
Ms. Amy Lecciones, Executive Director of SCPW, presented a Lecture on Plastic Pollution and Migratory Birds. She also included the notable issues of LPPCHEA on its conservation and wise use. Profile and importance of LPPCHEA was discussed by Mr. Kerk Zairus Calvara of DENR-NCR.
To the group of photographers, Mr. Mike Lu of WBCP was sharing his “Tips on Birding”. There was also lecture and demonstration on nature and wildlife photography by Ms. Maridel Teves of FPPF.
Wetland Walk and Bird-watching activity
The participants experienced nature through a wetland walk at LPPCHEA. Through this Wetland Walk, they were able to observe the issues related to its conservation and wise use notably solid waste including plastics, threat of reclamation, sewage, among others. The walk was culminated with a bird-watching activity at LPPCHEA with the community as guides. These guides were trained by the DOT under the Biodiversity Friendly Enterprise Project of the DENR – NCR.
Nature photographers and artists were given the chance to capture images of wildlife and nature that can be used as tools in advocating protection for migratory birds and for wetland conservation. The photos are displayed on an online exhibit at the SCPW website.
Click It Sketch It Gallery
Storytelling session for the kids on migratory birds and plastic pollution
Meanwhile, Storyteller Aisa Hermeno engaged the children, who are mostly grade school students from local communities and children of guests, with a short storytelling session. The short story that captivated the children was about the journey of Elias and his kite and two of nature’s great allies: a migratory bird and a mangrove tree. From the session, the children learned about mangroves, migratory birds and plastic pollution.
The session was culminated with an art session. The children were made to color birds – a way to introduce them the migratory bird species at LPPCHEA.
Visit our Flickr Album to see more photographs from the event.
Website Visitor Feedback!
A visitor to this page from Seattle, Washington, Mr Julio Cardona has reached out to the SCPW to express his delight about the activities conducted by the SCPW for the World Migratory Bird Day. In relation to that, he asked us to share his experience about a family-fun activity of attracting humming birds in his article which you can read here. He has also written a guide on how to build your own birdhouse! We at the SCPW are very happy to receive your feedback to our activities and hope you will be inspired by them to do your own little part to make birds part of our lives and to conserver the natural environment that they rely on.
Organizer and Partners:
- Department of Environment and Natural Resources National Capital Region (DENR-NCR)
- Department of Environment and Natural Resources Biodiversity Management Bureau (DENR-BMB)
- Department of Tourism National Capital Region (DOT-NCR)
- Federation of Philippine Photographers Foundation, Inc. (FPPF)
- One Meralco Foundation (OMF)
- Maynilad Water Services Inc. (MWSI)
- Wild Bird Club of the Philippines (WBCP)