The nation’s bountiful biodiversity resources offer great opportunities for the promotion and development of products and services and serve as a potent tool in restoring the country’s economic success.
Working closely with the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), the Philippines, through the Foreign Assisted and Special Projects Service (FASPS) of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), established the Philippine Program on Wealth Creation for Biodiversity Resources, a program for sustaining biodiversity resources.
Guided by the principle of holistic growth, the program aims to develop and design a national program that would optimize the wealth creation potential of the country's biodiversity resources by undertaking policy studies and analysis, developing the appropriate tools, and studying the characterization of the country’s genetic resources.
As such, a consultation workshop was recently held at Widus Hotel, Clarkfield, Pampanga to orient the stakeholders about the wealth creation program and to identify the areas of engagement, among other activities.
Experts on biodiversity genetic resources from concerned government and civil society organizations, participated in the event.
Dr. Leila C. America of the Forestry and Environment Research Division (FERD) represented the Philippine Council for Agriculture, Aquatic and Natural Resources Research and Development (PCAARRD) of the Department of Science and Technology during the event.
The workshop, among other gains, has strengthened the implementation of relevant genetic resources (GR) policies; established the processes and procedures in the commercialization of GR products; provided a system of monitoring and tracking of domestic and international trade pertaining to GR products, including existing GR intellectual property rights; and identified areas for engagement.