Villar highlights protection of wildlife habitats on World Environment Day

Senate Committee on Environment and Natural Resources chair Senator Cynthia Villar marked World Environment Day by highlighting the protection of wildlife habitats and biodiversity as a way to prevent further disease spread. 

“We designate some areas in our country as protected areas because it is important for these places to remain untouched and unexploited. There’s already a wealth of studies out there asserting that infectious diseases such as Ebola, HIV, swine fever and avian flu originated from animals,” she said.

Villar cited a Wildlife Conservation Society study that says animals bring infectious diseases with them as they move to human-populated areas after destruction of their natural habitats. 

Last month, Villar called for stricter implementation of the National Integrated Protected Areas System (NIPAS) Act of 1992 and Expanded NIPAS Act of 2017, which designate natural areas in the Philippines to be protected from human encroachment. 

"The more natural habitats we protect, the lesser the loss in biodiversity and the better it is for wildlife. In turn, there are less chances or risks from zoonotic diseases (those that originate from animals and passed on to humans). Wildlife protection can stop another virus outbreak or even a pandemic. That is more than enough encouragement or incentive for us to do our part," said Villar.

The senator also highlighted a provision in Senate Bill 1564 or the Bayanihan to Recover as One Act mandating the implementation of proper management and segregation of hazardous waste materials coming from health facilities, communities and households in order to contain the COVID-19 virus and other diseases. 

World Environment Day is celebrated in over 100 countries every June 5. The first one was in 1974. This year’s theme is Biodiversity, which the United Nations marked as urgent in light of the COVID-19 pandemic and other recent events such as bushfires and locust infestations.