Research About a Given Wetland in the Philippines

The Philippines has six major wetland regions which are declared as Ramsar sites, namely: the Olango Island in Lapu-lapu, Cebu, Naujan Lake National Park in Oriental Mindoro, the Agusan Marsh Wildlife Sanctuary, Tubbataha Reefs National Marine Park, Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park in Palawan, the Las Piñas-Parañaque Critical Habitat and Ecotourism Area (LPPCHEA)

For better appreciating and learning about wetlands, I was reluctantly tasked with giving an in depth study of the 15,511-hectare watershed, Lake Buhi found in Buhi, Camarines Sur. It's located in the Philippines in Region V as part of the Bicol region. As the name implies, this wetland is classified as a lake.

Lake Buhi, Camrines Sur

This ecosystem serves as a home for various marine organisms which in turn serves as viable food sources for the different faunas taking sanctuary in the forest beside the lake. All species interacting to form an intricate food web and ecosystem within the ecology of the area. The lake is also utilized by the  National Power Corporation Hydro Electric Plant as the main source of water supply. It is also used by the National Irrigation Administration to irrigate at least 10,000 hectares of the Riconada towns located downstream and Iriga City.

The area is mainly composed of at least 25 bird species, five of which are endemic species; the five endemic species are: the Philippine Pygmy Woodpecker, Philippine Hanging Parrot, Black-naped Monarch, Elegant Tit and the White-eared Brown Dove. Marine life is composed of Irin-irin (Redigobius bikolanus), Dalag (Channa striata), Puyo (Anabas testudineus), Kotnag (Hemiramphus sp.), Burirawan (Strophidon sathete) and native catfish (Clarias sp.). Other fishes are introduced to boost the fishery industry such as the Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus), Mozambique tilapia (Oreochromis mossambicus), common carp (Cyprinus carpio) and Bangkok hito (Clarias sp.). Other fauna that can be found in the forest are flying lizards (Draco sp.), skinks, monitor lizards (Varanus salvator), civet cats, bats and the Philippine Cynomolgus monkey (Macaca fasicularis).

Sinarapan

As far as my research goes, there are some laws being implemented for the sake of the lake. DENR Administrative Order No. 2013-16 issued by Secretary Ramon J. P. Paje on May 27, designates the Lake Buhi watershed Water Quality Management Area and the creation of its governing board. Pursuant to Section 5 of R.A. No. 9275 otherwise known as the Philippine Clean Water Act of 2004, DENR Administrative Order No. 2005- 10 (DAO 2005- 10) or the Implementing Rules and Regulations of RA 9275 and DENR Memorandum Circular 2009-1 5 or the Procedural Manual for the Designation of Water Quality Management Areas, and considering its critical importance, the Lake Buhi Watershed is hereby designated as a Water Quality Management Area (WQMA). Furthermore, there is still house bill 1011 of the sixteenth congress of the first regular session which aims to establish a Sinarapan sanctuary in the provinces of Camarines Sur and Albay as a protected area under the category of wildlife sanctuary; it has been in a pending status with the Committee on NATURAL RESOURCES since 2013-07-29.


Conclusion:
Not all wetlands are the same; wetlands can assume other forms as well besides from being a lake.
This wetland serves as a watershed to contain and retain water which also acts as a water supply for the nearby power plant and irrigation for the various towns. Today, it also being introduced as a tourist destination, so it draws in a livelihood for the people near the lake.
Wetland environments should be protected because it's very difficult to reproduce the natural sustainment that nature provides us once we destroy and lose the environment that the land has provided for us. They are priceless assets for the people to utilize  in a sustainable manner.

In order to aid in the preservation of the wetlands, people should strive to know more about the ecological and economical profoundness it can have for a vast demography of people; likewise, efforts to bring knowledge about these to the ignorant populous should be undertaken.

Wetland Data
Type of wetland	Inland wetland (Lake)
Location	Buhi, Camarines Sur
Plant species	No information can be attained
Animal species	Irin-irin (Redigobius bikolanus) Dalag (Channa striata) Puyo (Anabas testudineus) Kotnag (Hemiramphus sp.) Burirawan (Strophidon sathete) native catfish (Clarias sp.) Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) Mozambique tilapia (Oreochromis mossambicus) Common carp (Cyprinus carpio) Bangkok hito (Clarias sp.). The Philippine Pygmy Woodpecker Philippine Hanging Parrot Black-naped Monarch Elegant Tit and the White-eared Brown Dove Flying lizards (Draco sp.) Skinks Monitor lizards (Varanus salvator) Civet cats Bats The Philippine Cynomolgus monkey (Macaca fasicularis).
Strategy for preservation	Tourism, Education, Responsible consumption of natural resources.

Table 1

Thanks for reading!

2nd post: Zero Waste Management

It would seem that I'm not done with this blog yet, so let me carry-on to the next post :))

Think about it

                Zero waste is thought of as a system of methodologies or philosophies concerned with recreating a cycle for our way of life in terms of the usage of our resources, be it renewable or non-renewable. As the term implies, it strives to promulgate the knowledge of creating less damage to our environment because of our  wasteful and frivolous lifestyles.

                Zero waste is pretty relevant concept because of the blatant effects of our trashing of the environment. We should learn to better understand the burden we impose on our environment and to refashion the way we handle and create our waste.

                This concept instilled, in me, a greater comprehension for the nature of the wastes we create and how it should  properly be handled. The seemingly harmless ways of carelessly creating and disposing of waste is no laughing matter considering the grieve manifestations it brings about in our current era. I would only like to do my own little part, to support this concept, by throwing my garbage into proper segregations and by opting to use more environment friendly options when presented a chance to do so, like using eco bags instead of using plastic bags.

The 11th Hour: Reaction Paper or Blog (whatever floats your boat :P)

                Whilst watching the movie "the eleventh hour", I felt rather dumbfounded yet pleasantly enlightened at the same time. One of the greatest aspects that left an impression on me was how our disregard for our home planet's condition led to the current extremes we are experiencing now with regards to the erratic weather patterns we are not accustomed to and the increased intensity of some natural disasters; all seem to be interrelated with our staggering rate of pollution . Also, I felt grief when faced with the expected fate of our beloved mother Earth because with our way of life as it is now it is predicted that the Earth was to become like it's sister planet, Venus, which is incapable of supporting life due to its harsh and barren environment, as implied by Stephen Hawking. It is evident that greed for economic superiority and ignorance of nature's priceless sustenance will lead us to our own ruin.

                As for the issues elaborated in the movie, I was pretty much aware of all of them, but there were some tiny details and facts that was quite new and interesting to me. In a side-by-side comparison, it was estimated that it would cost us $35 trillion/yr to do what nature is doing for us and that all the annual economies of the world would only sum up to an estimated $18 trillion at some point in time; this just goes to show how much we take for granted our environment with our continued pollution and immoderate ravaging of natural resources. It also never occurred to me that trees can hold 57000 gallons of water which puts in to perspective its ability to stop floods. The various applications of science and technology to aid in the solution like carbon neutral cities and self sustaining buildings certainly show promise.

                If given the chance to venture further in  to one of the topics in the film, I would most certainly want to know more about the technologies and their applications that could aid in rebuilding our society into a more congenial entity for our environment; as a mechanical engineering student, all of this is intriguing and relevant to me in some way. In order to do this, I need to learn more about environmental issues under close scrutiny. As things stand now, I know enough to proceed and learn more about these issues because I live in a golden age where information is easily available with the internet at my disposal. It's also a given that learning these issues isn't something esoteric; everyone has the capacity to take-in and learn facts after all.

                There is no environmental issue regarding locally produced food per se, but rather it's about its application to the totality of the population which is in need of it to sustain life; patronizing locally produced foods takes less of a toll on resources and the environment as compared to imported foods which is dependent on transports that increase greenhouse gases. The real issue at hand is the consumption of the food because the staggering pace of the increase in population demands an increase in food production, but with this and the need of the country to import food for its economy, a deficit is created. It's handling well for now, but soon our lands and seas will struggle due to our over consumption of our multitudinous population.

                I sincerely believe that everyone should oblige and see this film for the greater good of everyone's future because without us, nature would strive and flourish, but we, humans, on the other hand are dependent on nature  so it's only common sense for us to do our part to co-exist with nature in a more sustainable way through enlightening ourselves with films such as this and other form of media. The movie is comprehensive enough to leave an impression on everyone, but despite that there will always be some people who will chose to wallow in their ignorance and obnoxiousness; as to who these people might be, it's impossible to stratify who they can be in general because every person is unique and you can't quantify their tendencies.

                I already mentioned that one the most striking issues for me while watching the film was the possibility of the Earth  ending-up as a dead planet like Venus, but I would like to emphasize it again.  This already served as an ominous foreboding for me and is rather sad to think that, though we are alive now, we are slowly killing ourselves through our abuse of the very planet that has cradled and nourish our lives for so long. If we are wiped-off the face of the Earth right now it can still heal itself; this just goes to show that in all the achievements and development of our race we are still insignificant when faced with the raw power of nature. So let it be said that we should do our part to become part of the solution no matter how small it may be.

                After watching this film, I appreciated the environment much more; so-much-so that it compelled me to actively take part in conserving because even if a single act can seem insignificant, the totality of the people taking part in it would still add-up. I will reduce my carbon footprint by thoroughly thinking-out my actions in every aspect of my life. I will try to lessen my consumption of water and refrain from leaving any electrical appliances on when not in use. I will maintain what I learned and apply them in what little I can, and by also teaching others about our environment.