Conservation and Management of Wetlands in the Philippines

The Philippines is host to some of the world’s richest and biodiverse wetlands ecosystems. It is blessed with about 796,000 hectares of coral reefs and 303,373 hectares of mangrove forests, among other significant wetlands sites. A signatory to numerous multilateral environmental agreements including Ramsar Convention, the government has been seriously laying the ground work for stronger policy frameworks to ensure the protection and sustainable management of its wetlands. In the pipeline is a proposed legislation that will establish a national wetland policy. To ensure effective and targeted community-based interventions, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources is managing two key programs for wetlands management: (i) Coastal and Marine Ecosystems Management Program and the Inland Wetland Conservation and Management Program.