Coalition calls for quarry-free Upper Marikina Watershed
MANILA, Philippines — A network of organizations is pushing to make the Upper Marikina River Basin Protected Landscape (UMRBPL) in Rizal province quarry-free to conserve the biodiversity in the area, prevent disastrous flooding events, and address climate change.
The Upper Marikina Watershed Coalition (UMWC)—a network of over 60 groups—was launched Wednesday, ahead of the Earth Day. The coalition aims to promote the protection of the UMRBPL.
The Upper Marikina Watershed is a 26,126-hectare protected area that forms the upper area of the drainage basin of the Marikina River. It covers areas in Antipolo City, Baras, Rodriguez, San Mateo and Tanay in Rizal.
Billie Dumaliang, one of the coalition’s convenor, said UMWC was formed because extractive activities such as quarrying still persist in the watershed despite laws and policies protecting UMRBPL. Dumaliang also serves as the trustee and advocacy officer Masungi Georeserve, an award-winning conservation area in Baras.
The coalition said there are at least six Mineral Production Sharing Agreements (MPSAs) existing or overlapping with the UMRBPL, covering about 1,500 hectares of protected forestland. Another 658 hectares appear to be under MPSAs in adjacent protected and conserved sites.
MPSAs, which are issued by the government, give contractors the right to mine within a contract area.
"The urgency to rescind all MPSAs and found therein and stop other destructive activities cannot be undermined as shown by the havoc brought by Typhoon Ulysses which submerged more than 30,000 houses and displaced more than 200,000 fellow Filipinos," Dumaliang said.
Sen. Cynthia Villar, who chairs the Senate committee on environment and natural resources, said the formation of the coalition is needed.
"The coalition should step up to be the initiator of the protection and rehabilitation activities for the watershed and be the active watchdog against private entities doing illegal activities as well as the government regulators that are enabling these illegal activities to flourish," she said.
Important watershed
Edmund Rico, executive director of Center for Conservation Innovations, said the UMRBPL and the Kaliwa Watershed Forest Reserve (KWFR) are “really important” protected areas as they serve as habitats of threatened flora and fauna and ancestral domains of indigenous peoples.
Rico said the UMRBPL lost 2,247 hectares of good forest cover between 2003 and 2010. KWFR, meanwhile, lost 789 hectares during the same period.
“There is increasing forest cover loss as population increases in those protected areas,” he said.
According to the Forest Management Bureau, the two watersheds also play a vital role in regulating the flow of water toward the densely populated Metro Manila.
Rico recommended there should be rainforestation in critical watershed areas. Rainforestation is a forest restoration strategy that promotes the use of native tree species.
He added the protection for surviving pristine forests within the watershed must be augmented.
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