Key Takeaways

The 4-day training workshop highlighted the necessity for a comprehensive assessment of wetland ecosystem services for better informed decisions and building a strong case for wetland site interventions. The participants were presented useful tools for ecosystem services assessment including TESSA, InVEST, and RAWES—all of which may be used or adapted in wetland sites. TESSA is particularly useful as it can be used even by non-technical persons and relies on meaningful stakeholder engagement and partnerships.

Anson Tagtag

Mr. Anson Tagtag served as Chief of the Wildlife Conservation Section of the Wildlife Resources Division of BMB prior to his current role. With more than 25 years of service in DENR, he had led and is leading various projects and programs on biodiversity conservation such as, the Philippine Raptors Conservation Program, Tamaraw Conservation Project and the Ensuring Sustainable Benefits from Peatlands Protection and Wise Use (ESBenePeat) Project, among others.

Carbon Biomass Estimates using Remote Sensing

Climate change is significantly impacting and will continue to impact all nations of the world. With emerging technologies and tools now being made available, more in-depth analysis on the value of nature is increasingly supporting decision-making. One of the most important tools now readily available is carbon assessment, which has been delivering solid evidence on the extent of value of wetlands particularly in their carbon storage capacity.

Differences in Use and Application between Ecosystem Service Assessment Tools

Ecosystem services are measured and valuated through different tools. Other tools (aside from TESSA) are also being used, allowing practitioners and site managers options that are suitable to their sites. Two of such tools are the Integrated Valuation of Ecosystem Services and Tradeoffs (InVEST) and Rapid Assessment of Wetland Ecosystem Services (RAWES).

Introduction to the Preliminary Scoping Appraisal of the Toolkit for Ecosystem Service Site-based Assessment (TESSA)

TESSA typically involves six (6) steps. The Preliminary Scoping Appraisal (PSA) is the second stage and aims to derive an initial understanding of the dynamics of a site including the ecosystem services that it provides. To support the work of those who are participating in the workshop, the PSA focused on four features: (1) site boundaries, (2) habitat types, (3) provision of ecosystem services, and (4) drivers of change.