Agrobiodiversity and urban biodiversity now form part of the proposed Philippine Biodiversity Strategy Action Plan (PBSAP).
The inclusion of the said areas in the PBSAP, which was drafted pursuant to the country’s commitment to the UN Convention on Biodiversity, is an offshoot of a recent roundtable discussion held at the PCAARRD-DOST in Los Banos, Laguna.
Agrobiodiversity covers equally-important species for food and agriculture, genetic, and non-harvested resources. Experts consider the addition relevant since existing conservation efforts focus only on forest, freshwater, and marine ecosystems.
Represented in the roundtable discussion were key agencies on biodiversity issues.
These agencies include the Biodiversity Management Bureau, Crop Science Cluster-University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB), Philippine Fiber Development Authority, Southeast Asia Regional Initiatives for Community Empowerment, Philippine Rice Research Institute, Magsasaka at Siyentipiko para sa Pag-unlad ng Agrikultura, Indigenous Community Conserved Area, Philippine Coconut Authority, Bioversity International, National Museum of the Philippines, United Nations Development Programme, Ateneo School of Government, ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity, and Institute of Agroforestry-UPLB.
The revision considered important issues contained in the original PBSAP draft such as conservation strategies and sustainable use and biodiversity-friendly practices in agriculture as well as important concerns on genetically modified organisms. It has likewise considered concerns and measures in achieving proposed targets.