The Province of Apayao, in collaboration with the Philippine Eagle Foundation, and in partnership with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources - Apayao, San Roque Power Corporation, and US Forest Service, submitted the Biosphere Reserve Nomination Dossier to the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) National Commission of the Philippines on September 13, 2023.
The documents shall be forwarded to the UNESCO main office in Paris, France for evaluation. Input and feedback that should be considered and incorporated to the Dossier are expected to be given in a week or two. Mr. Rex Ubac Program Officer of Philippine National Commission for UNESCO (also known as PH NatCom or UNACOM) added a hopeful note that, "should there be necessary revisions to the Nomination Dossier and these align with the guidelines set, there's a chance that the inscription will be formally awarded next year."
The Province of Apayao is set to be inscribed as the 4th Biosphere Reserve in the Philippines alongside Puerto Galera, Palawan, and Albay. Becoming a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve will give the province recognition, support, and funding opportunities from local and international institutions in its pursuit of a more sustainable future. Such an inscription would also mean protection of Philippine eagles, the unique biodiversity of this area, and the biocultural wealth of Indigenous Isnag who are nurtured by the ancient forests of Apayao.
In photo from left to right: EnP. Marcelo Menor (OIC, Environment and Natural Resources Division or ENRD), Michelle Dulay (Program Officer for Education Committee and National Coordinator for UNESCO Clubs - UNACOM), Rex Ubac, Jr. (Program Officer for Social and Human Sciences Committee and Alternate Focal Point for Associated Schools Project Network - UNACOM), Atty. Gerriahzon Sebastian (Provincial Governor's Office or PGO), Jerome Lacambra (Head, Apayao Training Center or ATC), and Ma. Susana Legaspi (PEF).
Photo by Provincial LGU of Apayao
In photo from left to righ: Ma. Susana Legaspi (PEF), Rex Ubac, Jr. (Program Officer for Social and Human Sciences Committee and Alternate Focal Point for Associated Schools Project Network - UNACOM), Michelle Dulay (Program Officer for Education Committee and National Coordinator for UNESCO Clubs - UNACOM), Atty. Gerriahzon Sebastian (Provincial Governor's Office or PGO), Jerome Lacambra (Head, Apayao Training Center or ATC), and EnP. Marcelo Menor (OIC, Environment and Natural Resources Division or ENRD).
Photo by Provincial LGU of Apayao
Mother eagle feeding her one month old chick on the eagle nest at Apayao. Photo by: Tatiana Rose Abaño-Sarigumba
More of how we discovered the nest in Apayao here: READ THE FULL PAPER.