June 5 is World Environment Day
The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) recently announced that the World Environment Day theme is " Don't Desert Drylands!", which is celebrated every June 5 of each year. The celebration reminds us of the importance of caring for the world's vast areas of arid and semi-arid land. This year the celebration will be held for the first time in Algiers. This was disclosed by His Execellency Cherif Rahmanni, Algeria Minister of Environment and spokesperson for the International Year of Desert and Desertification.
The UN General Assembly has designated the year 2006 the International Year of Deserts and Desertification. In keeping with tradition, UNEP has chosen the theme to coincide with the International Year to highlight this pressing environmental issue.
UN Secretary general Kofi Anan said that "drylands are found in all regions, cover more than 40 percent of the Earth and are home to nearly 2 billion people-one third of the world's population. For most dryland dwellers, life is hard and the future often precarious. They live on the ecological, economic and social margins. It is essential that we do not neglect them nor the fragile habitats on which they depend."
Poverty, unsustained land management and climatic change are turning drylands into desrts, and desertification in turn excarbates and leads to poverty. It is estimated that between 10 to 20 percent of drylands are already degraded.
Desertification is about land degradation: the loss of the land's biological productivity, caused by human-induced factors and climate change. It affects one third of the earth's surface and over a billion people. It has devastating consequences in terms of social and economic costs.
The result of desertification and drought include food insecurity, famine and poverty. The ensuing economic and political tensions can create conflicts causing more impoverishment and further increase land degradation. The growing desertification worldwide threatens to increase by millions the number of poor forced to seek new homes and livelihoods. The forest zones becomes a target of habitation by these homeless people.
While desertification is hard to reverse, it can also be prevented. Protecting and restoring drylands will relieve the growing burden on the world's urban areas and will contribute to a more peaceful and secure world.
Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Secretary Angelo T. Reyes enjoins all sectors of society to commemorate World Environment Day. He said that the observance can be celebrated in many ways, including street rallies, bicycle parades, green concerts, essay and poster competitions in school, tree planting, recycling efforts, clean up campaigns and much more.
Here in Region VI, Regional Executive Director (RED) Julian D. Amador said that several activities have been lined up to mark the celebration, highlighting the launching of the DENR Regional Material Recovery Facility (MRF). DENR employees are required to bring at least ten (10) fruit tree seeds that shall be turned over to the Forest Management Services (FMS) to be raised at the regional nursery for distribution later on to the different Community Based Forest management areas.
RED Amador said that on this World Environment Day, let us examine the state of the environment and consider carefully the actions we must take to address the preservation of life on this Earth.
(ehb/RPAO)