THE House of Representatives on Monday approved a bill that will enhance the conservation and restoration of peatlands – wetland ecosystems with accumulation of decomposed plant materials – to allow the country to manage it sustainably, in light off their value as natural solutions to address climate change.
With an unanimous 268 affirmative votes, the chamber unanimously approved House Bill (HB) No. 8204 which tasks the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), through the Biodiversity Management Bureau (BMB), to lead the monitoring and overall implementation of the proposed legislation.
“This bill aims to promote the conservation, restoration, and sustainable development of the country’s peatlands and peatland resources. These peatlands usually have peat and permanent water logging and vegetation in the form of trees, shrubs, grasses, and mosses,” Speaker Ferdinand Martin G. Romualdez said.
“They are natural solutions to address climate change because they function as carbon sinks because they take in and store more carbon than they release. Hence, this measure will provide opportunities for
the country to achieve multiple benefits for biodiversity and climate resiliency, including financing through market-based instruments and mechanisms,” the Leyte 1st district representative added.
Some of the principal authors of the bills are Reps. Edgar Chatto Jonathan Keith Flores, Raymond Democrito Mendoza, Ma. Alana Samantha Santos, and others.
Under HB 8204, the DENR will develop a National Peatland Conservation and Restoration Program to provide direction, support, and guidance to the LGUs and stakeholders in the development and implementation of their local peatland conservation and restoration programs.
The Program will include a mapping of peatlands in the country, and assessment of vulnerability to climate change and disaster risk management, among others.
