Post by admin on Jul 9, 2013 12:44:29 GMT 8
DENR-7 tackles wildlife protection measures
By Phoebe Jen Indino / MB
July 9, 2013
Cebu City, Cebu — The seriousness by which it intends to curb illegal wildlife trade was among the main concerns tackled by the second Wildlife Enforcement Summit held here recently by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources’ Protected Areas, Wildlife Conservation Zone and Management Services (PAWZCMS) in Region 7.
Some 50 deputized and designated wildlife enforcement officers (WEOs) from various wildlife law enforcement agencies and volunteer organizations in Central Visayas attended the event which also took up wildlife handling and zoo-keeping techniques.
During the Summit, DENR 7 regional executive director Dr. Isabelo R. Montejo said that enhancing and strengthening the capabilities of the deputized and designated WEOs in dispensing with their duties and responsibilities is “the most basic, yet most effective tool” in curbing the illegal wildlife trade in the region.
“We want to let the WEOs know the proper way of documenting and handling seized wildlife so that the latter are taken care of very critically,” said Montejo.
“Illegal wildlife trade is one of the challenges that the department has to address and we have already alerted our wildlife monitoring units in all strategic air and seaports in the region to be very vigilant about the matter,” the DENR 7 official said.
Montejo also said the agency is reminding the public not to remove or take away wildlife species from their natural habitat as doing so exposes them to the risk of not being able to survive in a new environment.
Meanwhile, the Summit provided participants with updates on related issues even as experts from the Crocolandia Foundation, Inc. presented a demonstration on proper wildlife handling and zoo keeping.
In a related development, a new set of officers of the Organization of Wildlife Enforcement Officers (OWEO) in region 7 was elected with Reynard Lumayang as president; Crisanto Niñal, as vice-president for Negros Oriental; Anastacio Cabalejo as vice-president for Cebu; Nestor Torrefiel as vice-president for Bohol; Teodorico Barral, vice-president for Siquijor; Michelle Mijares, secretary; Jewelyn Baltazar, treasurer; and Melchor Rhett Sarmago, and Rowena Magpiong, auditors.
Source: mb.com.ph/News/Provincial_News/21342/DENR-7_tackles_wildlife_protection_measures#.UduUUayehXg