ENVIRONMENTALISTS participating in the revisions of Davao City’s Comprehensive Land Use Plan (Clup) welcomed the City Council’s decision to protect Shrine Hills from further urbanization by designating it as a protected zone. Idis policy advocacy specialist Chinkie Pelino lauded the move as a “strong exercise of political will” as the City Council in a special […]
News
Higher banana profits linked to ground spraying
DAVAO CITY — Small banana farmers will earn more if they shift from aerial to manual or ground spraying, according to a study commissioned by environmental group Interface Development Interventions, Inc. (IDIS). The unpublished study, “Financial Assessment of Shifting from Aerial to Ground Spray in Banana Plantations in Davao Region,” reported a 19% increase […]
Organic farm advocates hail CA ruling on GMOs
DAVAO CITY—Euphoric over the Court of Appeals (CA) ruling against the field testing of genetically modified Bt eggplants, organic farming advocates are calling for a ban on a genetically modified breed of rice known as Golden Rice. Golden Rice contains beta carotene as a source of Vitamin A and is being developed by the International […]
Davao reefs in ‘dismal state’
DAVAO CITY — Silt coming from the deforested upland slopes along Davao’s watershed areas is putting the coastal biodiversity in peril, according to a watershed profile study commissioned by the Interface Development Interventions (Idis). In a statement emailed to Sun.Star Davao, Idis said siltation, previous blast fishing, and wave action have been identified as the […]
Animals, some rare, now threatened by poisonous chemicals in Davao watersheds
Davao City – A team of wildlife researchers from the Philippine Eagle Foundation, Inc. (PEF) has found that the remnant of lowland dipterocarp forests in the Talomo-Lipadas and Panigan-Tamugan (TL-PT) Watersheds, the current and future source of Davao’s drinking water, is the habitat of some twenty eight species that can only be found in the […]
Plant, animal species at risk in Davao watershed areas
DAVAO CITY — Twenty-eight species of plants and animals inhabiting forested areas in the city limits — particularly those in Talomo-Lipadas and Panigan-Tamugan watersheds — remain at risk due to deforestation, an environmental group said. In time for yesterday’s Earth Day observance, the Interface Development Interventions, Inc. (IDIS) has renewed its call for the conservation […]
Pesticides: Deadly persistence
THE air and water of Davao City’s Panigan-Tamugan and Talomo-Lipadas watersheds may not be as pristine as they seem. A study conducted by Interface Development Interventions Incorporated (IDIS) revealed that 18 pesticides and breakdown products have been detected in the area’s air and that 17 pesticides and breakdown products were detected in the area’s water. […]
Toxins in water: Seven banned chemicals found in city’s watersheds- according to study
Davao City’s main sources of drinking water are contaminated by eight types of pesticides, seven of which are banned from use, the study by the Interface Development Interventions revealed.According to the study presented during a forum in Ateneo de Davao University yesterday, the sampled waters were taken from Panigan-Tamugan and Talomo- Lipadas and their junctions. […]
World Water Day 2013: Summit launches grassroots-led initiative to protect Davao’s water resources
Davao City – Davao City’s Watershed Management Council (WMC) deputized 42 upland farmers to monitor and report environmental violators in Mt. Tipolog, in the Panigan-Tamugan watershed, this week during a Watershed Summit in celebration of World Water Day. The Summit, which was organized by Interface Development Interventions (IDIS), was supported through a grant from the […]
Watersheds, our treasures
THAT our city can still boast of biodiversity that other cities have long lost is a pride our generation and the future generations can hold dear, but only for as long as each preceding generation takes care of it for the next generation to enjoy. This is apparent in the biodiversity found in the Talomo-Lipadas […]