GMA arrives from 4-day successful trip to Japan

The Department of Environment and Natural  Resources (DENR) has resumed the grant of scholarship to DENR personnel who wish to pursue a masteral degree  in public management, major in biodiversity conservation and managemennt  (MPM-BCM) at the Development Academy of the Philippines (DAP).

This school year, 31 DENR employees have qualified for the program. The first batch consisted of 29 grantees who enrolled in 2004 and finished the course just recently.

The MPM-BCM is an 18-month interdisciplinary graduate program that seeks to develop a cadre of professional biodiversity conservation and development managers in the Philippines and the Association of South East Asian Nations. It was principally conceived by the DENR in collaboration with the ASEAN Regional Center for Biodiversity Conservation (ARCBC) to address the changing demands of managing the country’s principal ecosystems.

It is a 40-unit trimester program. The first two semesters provide for the program coursework as well as development of the students’ proposal for their action plan and project, the program’s thesis component. The last trimester provides for the implementation as well as defense of the students’ projects.

The Philippines is one of 17 megadiversity countires and is a storehouse of varied biological resources where many life forms abound. Some of these life forms can not be found any-where else in the world. However, it is also considered, along with 25 countries as global hotspot in the world and while it is known for its rich biological diversity, these resources also face one of highest levels of endangerment and tremendous threats. For these reasons the DENR is stepping up its efforts to develop professionals that will contribute in effectively managing these resources.     – Benny Enriquez