Environment Secretary Heherson Alvarez welcomed Bishop Julio Xavier Labayen and colleagues to the 25-year program that encourages adoption of mountains and waterways. “Philippine biodiversity is ranked eighth in the world in total diversity and seventh in endemism, but much of these resources are being threatened by human activities. We welcome efforts of all sectors, regardless of religious or social affiliations, to arrest the degradation of our environment because the survival of the earth transcends all human boundaries,” Alvarez commented.
Along with adopting a mountain, organisations and citizens can choose to Adopt-a-Bay, Adopt-A-Creek and Adopt-a-Watershed. The Department of Environment program hopes to protect Philippine’s remaining natural forests and endemic species, as well as rehabilitating bays, planting trees and promoting wetlands.