World Wetlands Day 2006 in Philippines

Greetings!

In celebration of the World Wetlands Day on 02 February 2006, the Society for the Conservation of Philippine Wetlands (SCPW), the NGO focal point for the Ramsar CEPA Programme, in cooperation with its government counterpart, the Protected Areas and Wildlife Bureau (PAWB), launched at the Ninoy Aquino Parks and Wildlife Nature Center the Wetlands Caravan: The Evolving CEPA Action Plan for the Wise Use of Philippine Wetlands.

The Wetlands Caravan aims to work with the communities in achieving the Ramsar Convention's goal of "wise use of wetlands" through localized action plans that will help catalyze change in the people's behavior towards wetlands. Steering away from the traditional approach, it will employ a more participative and community-driven approach, owing to the fact that different communities and stakeholders have their own sets of needs and uses for their wetlands. It is envisioned to be the venue for exchanging information, building capacities and sharing best practices among different communities. The Wetlands Caravan contains templates on the processes or steps to be followed when preparing a participatory Local CEPA Action Plan, a very flexible template that can be modified according to the type of community one is working with.

Four wetland sites were identified to pilot-test this year the preparation of local CEPA action plans using the approach introduced by the Wetlands Caravan. These are Laguna de Bay, Taal Lake, Candaba Swamps, and Tawi-Tawi coastal area. It will be working with the framework that was crafted last year as the initial step in the CEPA formulation process.

For more about the Wetlands Caravan, see < www.psdn.org.ph/wetlands/wetlands_caravan.htm >, and for the World Wetlands Day celebration, visit < www.psdn.org.ph/wetlands/2006wwd.htm >.

Very truly yours,

Amy M. Lecciones
CEPA Focal Person, SCPW
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Society for the Conservation of Philippine Wetlands
9th Floor, Strata 100 Condominium
Emerald Avenue, Ortigas Center, Pasig City
T/F (63)(2) 637-2409 e-mail: wetlands@psdn.org.ph
url: www.psdn.org.ph/wetlands