USAID’s B+WISER celebrates Earth Day

In Ilagan City, Isabela, Earth Day wouldn’t be complete without the iconic Isabela Oriole mascot Isa. Isa is the symbol of biodiversity in the Northern Sierra Madre Natural Park, the largest protected area in the Philippines and one of USAID’s Biodiversity and Watersheds Improved for Stronger Economy and Ecosystem Resilience (B+WISER) Program.

The yellow mascot surprised some 30 elementary school kids during their school’s Earth Day celebration, an event co-organized by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) and USAID/B+WISER.Through fun games, the kids learned about recycling, waste segregation, and conserving water and electricity. All these are simple ways to become an Earth-advocate, even at a young age. "My children, you will be the next generation in line to take care of our Mother Earth,” said Arnold Frogoso, Forestry Specialist at the DENR Isabela. “Make us proud," he added.

Some 400 kilometers away, in San Roque, Pangasinan, B+WISER teamed up with the San Roque Watershed Area Team of the National Power Corporation (NPC) and the Pangasinan State University-Santa Maria Campus to celebrate the campus’s first Earth Day. More than 70 students and 30 faculty members from different degree programs joined a symposium to discuss the need to maintain forested watersheds, protect biodiversity, and to become more resilient to changing climate patterns. The NPC team shared their experiences in implementing USAID/B+WISER’s Lawin Forest and Biodiversity Protection System in the San Roque Watershed. In 2016, NPC, USAID/B+WISER and the DENR partnered to implement the Lawin in selected watersheds under NPC’s care. The story of Rain Abanador, a 17-year old high-school student from Oriental Mindoro who turned Eco-Ranger and Youth Ambassador for Biodiversity Conservation of the Philippines under the USAID/B+WISER program was an inspiration to her peers in Pangasinan. "I was challenged to take action on protecting our environment when I saw Rain's story,’ said Mark Jayson Marinas, a language major at Santa Maria campus. “I didn't know that as young as we are, we can also join in helping conserve the biodiversity."

The Isa mascot, the Eco-Ranger program, and high-school-age appropriate teaching materials about Biodiversity, Ecology, and Ecosystems are part of USAID/B+WISER’s awareness campaign to engage children and the youth in environmental conservation.

 

Mark Jayson Marinas, a language major in Pangasinan State University-Santa Maria, felt inspired by Rain Abanador, a USAID/B+WISER Eco-Ranger and Youth Ambassador from Oriental Mindoro.