Smart turns over a drone unit, equipment and one School-in-a-Bag to the Agusan Marsh Wildlife Sanctuary to boost conservation efforts of the wetland. in photo (L-R) ARD for Special Concerns Ma. Teresa Allen, John Deloso, RED Nonito M. Tamayo, PASu Emmilie T. Ibonia, and OIC, PENRO Jose FLavio.
PLDT, Inc. (PLDT) and wireless unit Smart Communications, Inc. (Smart) continue to make headway in protecting the country’s wetlands as nations across the globe celebrate World Wetlands Day in February. Less than two years into their partnership with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources – Biodiversity Management Bureau (DENR BMB) for the pioneering wetlands conservation project, the agency through its CARAGA Regional Office has documented 7 probable peatlands across the Agusan Marsh Wildlife Sanctuary (AMWS), kicking off the partnership’s assessment phase.
These probable peatlands are located in Barangay San Marcos, Kiawan Peatland in Barangay Loreto and Nueva Era Peatland in Barangay Nueva Era in the municipality of Bunawan; Impierno Peatland in Barangay Villapaz and Kiogong Peatland in Poblacion in La Paz town. They have been identified based on the description of the local communities as to the area characteristics: spongy soil, tea-colored water that comes out of the soil when stepped on and current vegetation. A detailed scientific assessment, which is the next step after the inventory, will confirm if they are indeed peatlands based on soil profile (presence of semi-decomposed organic matter), water color and the condition on which it was formed. Once confirmed, the number of peatlands inside the AMWS floodplains will increase to 15.
Bolstering their support for the protection of the identified AMWS, PLDT and Smart previously turned over drone equipment, mobile phones, radio devices, and personal protective gear to upgrade the biodiversity, disaster risk reduction, and carbon sequestration patrolling and monitoring activities of the Bantay Danao volunteers that protect the AMWS. The PLDT group had also donated more conservation tools in support of the 25th anniversary of the AMWS. The three-year extendable collaboration committed PLDT and Smart to deploy close to Php3 million worth of monitoring and patrolling materials.
Located in Agusan del Sur, the 5,000-hectare peatland is the largest and the only remaining intact peat swamp forest in the country. Known to be the largest peatland reserve in the country, the Caimpugan Peat Swamp Forest in AMWS stores an estimated 22.8 million tons of carbon. “When valued at the global carbon market, with a ton of carbon for Php 2,500, that is around Php57 billion,” former DENR BMB Director Datu Tungko M. Saikol said during the PLDT and Smart virtual turnover of protective vests and portable radios to Bantay Danao volunteers held at National Wildlife Park last October 2021.
PLDT and Smart have also collaborated with Ericsson to protect mangroves and wetlands using technology as part of the Swedish company’s pledge to 1t.org, a global alliance of organizations committed to conserving and restoring forests, and growing one trillion trees by 2030.
The initiative involves the installation of AI-enabled cameras to monitor the coastal wetlands and identify migratory birds in Sasmuan, Pampanga. The partners are also looking at using AI cameras to study plant and animal behavior throughout different seasons. Changes to these patterns could indicate worsening climate change.
Wetlands are crucial in regulating the amount of carbon dioxide or CO2 released into the atmosphere, storing twice as much carbon as all the world’s forests combined. Dubbed as one of the most valuable ecosystems on Earth by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), peatlands are carbon-rich, fragile ecosystems of partially decomposed plant matter that play a crucial role in climate change mitigation. But when damaged, they also release carbon dioxide back into the atmosphere at an alarming rate.
“With sustainability high on our leadership’s agenda, this initiative is aligned with PLDT and Smart's decarbonization roadmap,” said Melissa Vergel de Dios, Chief Sustainability Officer of PLDT and Smart. Aligned with the PLDT Group’s increased focus on its Social sustainability pillar, learning communities in AMWS also received a #LearnSmart School-in-a-Bag package in 2021.
As greenhouse gas emissions arise from energy consumed by the PLDT and Smart network in operation, in its over 200 business offices nationwide, and emissions from its transport, the peatlands conservation program is just one of PLDT Group’s several carbon footprint-offsetting initiatives. “We are honored to be partners with DENR-BMB, DENR CARAGA, and AMWS Protected Area Management Office, this being an example of how the public and private sector can work together to make a difference,” Vergel de Dios added.
