May2016
Smile
25
The
buzz
A
lbay’s257,000haexpanseofdiverse
ecology, coupledwith itspioneering
sustainabledevelopment strategy,
recentlyprompted theUnitedNations
Educational, ScientificandCultural
Organization (UNESCO) todeclare ita
biospherereserve.
Biospherereservesareplaces for
learningabout sustainabledevelopment
issues.Nowconsidereda “Science
forSustainabilitysupport site”,Albay
isoneof thebestplaces to learnhow
biodiversityconservationcangohand in
handwith thesustainableuseofnatural
resources.Aside fromAlbay, theother
twobiospherereserves in thePhilippines
arePalawanandPuertoGalera.
Albay’sfirmcommitment to
conservationandsustainable
development resultedmostnotably in
the88%expansionof its forestcover in
2010.From26,298.71ha in2003, forest
cover in thatyearreachedanastonishing
44,891.16ha.
GovernorJoeySalceda,whoworked
hard tosecure theprovince’sdesignation,
explained thatwith thedeclaration,
Albay’sprotection initiativesnowqualify
for future funding from international
agenciessuchas theGreenClimate
Fundof theUNFrameworkConvention
onClimateChange.Headded that the
UNESCOdesignation isa “challenge to
ourcommunity inmobilizingefforts for
biodiversityprotection”.
Regional tourismdirectorMariaOng-
Ravanillawelcomed thenews. “[The
province]willnowbeacenterof science
andbiodiversityresearch,”shesaid.
“Itsculturalheritagewill alsobe totally
protected.With this,more touristswillbe
lured tocome.”
Albayhasrecentlybeendeclareda
biospherereservebyUNESCO.Findout
what thenewdesignationmeans for the
southernLuzonprovince
Plenty in reserve
GOODNEWS
LEARNMORE
ABOUT
BIOSPHERE
RESERVES
AT
GOO.GL/
HXF2E8
TheAlbay
BiosphereReserve
bythenumbers
Oneof
669
biosphere reserves in theworld
5
12
40
of theworld’s
7species
of
marine turtles
mangrove
species
seaweedor
macro-algae species
182species
of terrestrial plants, 46ofwhich
areendemic
Its richmarineandcoastal
ecosystemsarehome to
10seagrass
species
WORDSBY
CELINEREYES;
PHOTOBY
SHAIRALUNA
