THE Environment Department and SM Supermalls have initiated a campaign aimed at saving six endangered animal species.
The “Save from Extinction” drive, signed on Tuesday at the sidelines of this year’s Asia-Pacific Ministerial Conference for Disaster Risk Reduction, will focus on raising awareness and protecting the pangolin, Philippine eagle, tamaraw, pawikan (sea turtle), cockatoo and dugong.
SM Supermalls will raise funds through donation drives and merchandise sales through partner retailers, with the money to be used to fund the programs of partner organizations.
There will also be an option to donate through Banco de Oro (BDO) ATMs nationwide and donation boxes placed in various SM malls.
Environment Secretary Maria Antonia Yulo-Loyzaga said that habitat loss through human action and extreme weather events could act as tipping points toward the loss of ecosystems and animal species.
“Today, we formalize our joint commitments with our lead conservation partners and the private sector for the protection of six key species whose habitats are life support systems, not just for the species themselves, but the communities that depend on the valuable ecosystem services that these habitats provide,” Yulo-Loyzaga said.
Signatories to the agreement include the D’Aboville Foundation and Demo Farm, Katala Foundation Program, Philippine Eagle Conservation Program Foundation, Zoological Society of London Philippine Country, BDO, World Wide Fund for Nature Philippines and the Philippine Tropical Forest Conservation Foundation.
The Philippines is one of 17 megadiverse countries in the world with over 52,000 species, around half of which are endemic and some 2,000 classified as vulnerable to endangered.
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