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 of watershed areas. The 28 species under threat were identified through a survey and study commissioned by IDIS to the Philippine Eagle Foundation under a grant from the Foundation for the Philippine Environment with a budget of P750,000. Based on the survey, dipterocarp forest of hardwood and tropical trees are the most threatened as the areas examined continue to attract illegal loggers and small farmers. The study also showed that watershed areas are now penetrated by plantations that resulted in the discovery of banned and harmful pesticides. According to the study, the researchers recommended an integrated approach that include achieving clear biodiversity conservation results and utilizing systematic monitoring strategies. It also recommended the tapping of the community-based residents and natives as primary stakeholders to insure inclusion of indigenous communities in watershed management initiatives. The Talomo-Lipadas and the Panigan-Tamugan watersheds are the chief sources of water for this city’s 1.5 million dwellers. While water supply in the city has remained adequate, both civil society and the Davao City Water District have expressed concern on water quality in the near and medium terms. Mary Ann V. Fuertes, IDIS executive director, said the study was presented last week to the Environmental Management Bureau, the city council’s committee on health, schools, and other civil society groups. “This is to highlight or a call for reflection on what we have done to nature. Watersheds are under threat and there is a need for immediate action for a long-term and sustainable management plan for our watersheds,” she said. (Maya M. Padillo, BusinessWorld)
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. Traces of 12 banned pesticides or breakdown products were found in both the air and water. Banned pesticides found to be polluting the area are Alrdin and Dieldrin, DDT, Gamma Chlordane and Lindane. Researchers were unable to pinpoint the exact sources of the pesticides but plantations upstream are most likely the culprits. IDIS revealed the results of their study last Monday in the Board Room of Ateneo de Davao University’s Jacinto campus. Dr. Romeo Quijano, adviser for the study, explained the presence of the banned pesticides as they were classified as Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs), which are chemicals that can take years before they fully degrade. The pesticide residue, as explained by the research, spreads through natural environmental occurrence, as traces of the pesticide can be found in surface water, which can then reach other places by evaporating and then being deposited in land once more through rainfall. This cycle, coupled with pesticide’s persistent nature, makes it a dangerous presence in a land dominated by agricultural activity, such as the Davao region. It is alarming then, that two of Davao’s watersheds are polluted with pesticide sentiments that cannot be easily detected by plain human senses. People could be ingesting large amounts of pollutants everyday without even realizing it. Take for example, the amount of pollutants IDIS found to be in the air. IDIS set up sampling stations in three schools to identify potential threats of pesticide pollution in the air. Using a drift catcher, IDIS found that the Baguio High School of Agriculture in Tawantawan, Vinzons Elementary School in Manuel Guianga and the Baracayo Elementary School in Daliaon Plantation were under great risk. Traces of seven of the pesticides found in the air were found to have exceeded the Reference Exposure Level (REL) at least once during the 24 day sampling period. The REL determines the “acceptable” amount of exposure of people to pesticides, and the air surrounding the three schools was found to be polluted beyond what the RELs deem acceptable. Moreover, the samples rarely contained traces of just one pesticide. Findings of the study show that there is an average of at least two kinds of pesticides present in the air collected from the sampling stations in the schools, while the air in Baracayo Elementary School yielded traces of a whopping eight pesticides, seven of which are banned. The multiple pollutants cause a threat which researchers are unable to draw conclusions upon, as there have been no studies to determine risk from exposure to multiple pesticides. Anne Fuertes, executive director of IDIS noted that it is possible that in the presence of other pesticides, a single pesticide may react and yield greater toxicity. Taking into account the persistent nature of the pesticides, it is even more fearful that people are subject to long-term exposure to the pesticides. Even the watershed’s rivers showed long-term pollution from the pesticides. Over an eight-month period of water sampling, the Tamugan and Panigan Rivers showed the presence of six and seven pesticides, respectively. Four pollutants were also detected in the Panigan-Tamugan junction while six pollutants were present in the Wines-Gumalang river junction. Finally the Gumalang River yielded the highest number of pollutants with 11 pesticides detected. Risk assessment could not be made for pesticides in water, however, as only short term studies on it have been made. Even without risk assessment, however, pesticides level in air has already been shown to exceed RELs. Moreover, the traces of persistent pesticides in the water put the surrounding areas at risk of exposure to multiple pesticides from multiple sources. For a region that thrives much on agriculture, the amount of pollution in the watershed poses a great threat to the production of crops, but more importantly, the amount of pollution poses a great threat to its people. The people in the region, especially those living close to the sources of pollution are vulnerable and IDIS has come up with policy recommendations to counter these problems. IDIS will be moving on to long-term monitoring of the polluted areas to come up with more comprehensive data for policy makers. Until the policy makers make a definite move to clean up the pesticide-laden practices of farmers, however, the seeming clean air and water around the Talomo-Lipadas and Panigan-Tamugan will remain a threat to the communities surrounding them. (Ed Lactaoen, Sunstar Davao)
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. “These are what we call persistent pollutants,” said toxicologist Romeo Quijano of UP Manila, meaning that these chemicals released years ago and banned after they were found to be harmful to humans and the environment. Traces of the banned pesticides dieldrin, aldrin, chlordane, heptachlor, lindane, endrin and DDT were discovered in the samples, he said. Quijano said that while there are ways to sequester chemicals from the water to make it potable, such as carbon filtration method, but it only works if the body of water contained the lowest concentration of toxic substances. Armand Pacudan, Mindanao operations manager of the Foundation for the Philippine Environment, said while the water’s toxicity levels are manageable, the communities and the ecosystem surrounding the watersheds are endangered. IDIS executive director Anne Fuertes said that their organization is finding it difficult to obtain consistent information that can then enable them to pinpoint from where exactly these chemicals are coming from, whether from nearby plantations or if they predate the plantations. “Although we are not in the business of pointing them out, we have to at least identify them,” she said of the plantations or factories operating near the watersheds. “Along with this is the proposal of how to make them find and use alternatives to chemical pesticides,” she said. The study was funded on a budget of P500, 000 from DKA Austria and the Misereor of Germany. Most of the money went to lab and field equipment. She said that with the results of the 8-month study, IDIS as well as other stakeholders are hoping the government; both national and local, can come up with policies to regulate and standardize the use and disposal of chemicals, as well put up consistent monitoring on the health of families in large plantations through multi-sectoral cooperation. (SALUD ISABEL PETALCORIN, Mindanao Times)
LUNHAW AWARDS 2013 expands search to include more categories
Davao City – This year’s search for green initiatives has been expanded to include more categories, according to the co-organizers of the Lunhaw Award. Launched last Friday during the Araw ng Dabaw festivities, the search for this year’s best green initiatives will run the whole year and culminate in the city’s foundation day in 2014. The Interface Development Interventions, one of the Award co-organizers, said that the change meant more initiatives in Davao City can be recognized. “Organic farming practitioners comprised most of the awardees for 2012. This year, we hope that green initiatives from other sectors will be recognized and highlighted in the next batch of Lunhaw Awardees.”, said IDIS Executive Director Ann Fuertes. For 2013, the search will now include initiatives coming from the areas of Education/Advocacy, Waste Management, Pollution Control, Energy ,and Forest-based Initiatives. “The inclusion of the new categories underscore our support for Davao City’s thrust to provide an environment which is healthy and sustainable for its residents. Davao is a trailblazer in terms of the number of environmental ordinances passed; this Award serves to strengthen the current policy direction by highlighting the successful green practices of its citizens.”, Fuertes said. Organized by the City Agriculturist’s Office (CAO), the City Environment and Natural Resources Office (CENRO), Davao Association of Catholic Schools (DACS), Davao City Water District (DCWD) and IDIS last 2012, the Lunhaw Award seeks to recognize initiatives by individuals or groups which use innovative and sustainable practices to protect the environment. The contest is open to initiatives which have been practiced in the city for a minimum of two years. Entries are judged according to the following criteria: Environmental and Economic Benefits, Use of Renewable Energy, Replicability, Sustainability and Innovation. The winners will be announced next year during the 2014Araw ng Dabaw celebrations. Each Lunhaw Awardee will be receive P5,000.00, a trophy and a bag of organic goodies. Nomination forms can be obtained from the offices of the organizers or downloaded at https://idisphil.org/lunhaw-awards. (#)
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 U.S. Embassy Manila’s United States Agency for International Development (USAID) in partnership with the Foundation for the Philippine Environment (FPE). The event, which gathered together provincial government representatives, and officials from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, and representatives of local citizens groups who are concerned about Davao’s watersheds, was aimed at strengthening partnerships among and between government and non-governmental organizations to improve the protection and management of water resources. In a message delivered at the event by a representative of USAID, U.S. Ambassador Harry K. Thomas, Jr. said, “Managing watersheds, and the environmental services they provide, helps build ecological resilience and supports livelihoods for Filipinos. The livelihood opportunities that these efforts create, in turn encourages broad-based and inclusive economic growth, which is a shared goal under the U.S.-Philippines Partnership for Growth (PFG).” IDIS Executive Director Ann Fuertes said, “This is the first batch of Bantay Bukid volunteers who will be deputized by the Davao City Government to become local protectors of the environmental. Hopefully, they can encourage other forest communities to participate in the management and protection of their forest resources by forming similar groups to safeguard the integrity of all of Davao’s eight watersheds.” The Panigan-Tamugan watershed is one of the sites of a USAID-funded project entitled” Up-scaling Forest Restoration Efforts in Key Biodiversity Areas.” FPE and IDIS are implementing this project in Davao to improve biodiversity conservation in selected areas through forest protection and restoration. The idea for the “Bantay Bukid” volunteers springs from the recognition that forest guards play a crucial role in the protection and sustainable use of forest resources. The Watershed Summit gave participants the opportunity to learn about best practices on watershed management and preservation. Highlights included the presentation of watershed management action plans for the Talomo-Lipadas and Panigan-Tamugan watersheds, the current and future sources of Davao’s drinking water. “This Summit is very timely since 2013 has been designated by the United Nations as the International Year of Water Cooperation. We are proud to highlight the innovative local initiatives that demonstrate cooperation among stakeholders for better water resource management. With each having different needs and priorities with regard to water use, it is essential that we all work together to achieve a sustainable and beneficial use of our water,” Fuertes said. (#)
ECC process flawed, according to envi NGO
DAVAO CITY – The sudden issuance in a conditional Environmental Compliance Certificate (ECC) to the Sagittarius Mines, Inc. (SMI) project in Tampakan, South Cotabato is symptomatic of the weakness in the country’s environmental law, said the Interface Development Interventions, Inc. (IDIS). IDIS Executive Director Ann Fuertes took to task the latest procedural manual of the Philippine Environmental Impact System (EIS) which she said is viewed by many environmentalists as “ a step backward in terms of environmental regulation.” “This ‘conditional ECC’ is the result of a streamlined EIS process which was made possible by a the revision of a DENR Department Administrative Order , resulting in a law that is biased for investment.”, Fuertes said. In 2010, IDIS commissioned the Sentro ng Alternatibong Panligal (SALIGAN) to conduct a legal study on the impact of the revised Implementing Rules and Regulations of the EIS system. The study, which was funded by the Foundation for the Philippine Environment (FPE), compared the current DENR Department Administrative Order (DAO) 30-2003 with its previous iteration, the DAO 37-96. According to the study, DAO 30-2003 differed from DAO 37-96 in that it lacked teeth to enforce the mandatory requirements in the issuance of an ECC. “In particular, the study found out that DAO 30-2003 had significantly weakened the provisions which were designed to strengthen public participation and social acceptability in environmental projects.” , Fuertes revealed. As an example, Fuertes pointed out that DAO 30-2003 has removed the mandatory nature of public hearings, relegating the decisions to conduct a hearing to the Environment Management Bureau (EMB) – a scenario that most development workers are not comfortable with. “The study even interviewed respondents which revealed that these public hearings- or scoping sessions, as they call them- are often token in nature with facilitators asking only safe questions.”, she said. To compound the problem, the DAO has also changed the definition of stakeholders to mean only the entities who are directly and significantly affected by the project or undertakings. “This means that other communities or groups who are affected but not in a direct manner are considered outsiders and excluded from the consultation process.”,she said. “As it stands, the DAO 30-2003 seems to promote an investment-friendly climate rather than a preventive approach in ensuring that the project will not cause a significant negative environmental impact.” Fuertes called on the Aquino administration to revise the law. “We need to amend the EIS law to ensure that it goes back to its original intent which is to uphold the precautionary principle. By doing this, we ensure that the EIS law becomes preventive and not prescriptive. Only then can we prevent other destructive, resource extractive and socially unacceptable projects from operating in the country in the future.”, she said. (#)