With pandemic restrictions lifted, ICTSI Foundation’s environmental conservation projects back on track

The Philippine Pangolin (Manis culionensis) is endemic to the province of Palawan and is among the critically endangered species targeted by the conservation efforts of the Katala Foundation. Photo courtesy of Katala Foundation, Inc.

Several environmental protection and conservation projects of the ICTSI Foundation are making significant progress as COVID-19 restrictions in the Philippines loosen.

In June last year, the Foundation entered a partnership with Finnish nongovernmental organization RiverRecycle to pioneer a financially sustainable river waste collection system for the Pasig River. The Foundation has committed USD1 million to fund the project’s implementation. 

For the latest on the project, the site at the Manila International Container Terminal for the installation of initial equipment in the river has been finalized.  The sidewalk beside the seawall has also been identified as the site for waste sorting and segregation, while Slip 0 has been considered as the pilot pyrolysis site pending the approval of the Philippine Ports Authority.

The Foundation continues to work with the Diliman Science Research Foundation for the Ballast Water Treatment System Prototype Design and Implementation Project, which was unveiled in 2020. The goal of the project is to prototype a miniature ballast water treatment device to treat salt water pumped in and out of large cargo vessels that dock at the Port of Manila.  Treating the ballast water, especially from ships that originate from other countries, will prevent invasive and harmful marine species from being introduced to local waters that may threaten the local marine ecosystem. The project is currently in the process of procuring materials, with prototype fabrication and initial testing set to be done in Cebu through the University of Cebu – College of Marine Architecture. Meanwhile, the testing site and schedule for Manila is still being determined. So far, the project has identified at least three invasive species of mollusks and flatworms through the baseline port ecology study by the University of the Philippines – Manila.

Last but not the least, the Foundation partnered with the Katala Foundation, Inc. in 2020 for the implementation of a wildlife research and conservation project within the Victoria-Anepa’an Mountain Range in Palawan.  Onsite data gathering and regular patrols had been suspended several times due to COVID-19 restrictions and rehabilitation efforts in the aftermath of super typhoon Odette in December.  These activities are set to resume.  So far, project efforts have identified 17 animal species through camera traps.  Local environmental wardens have also patrolled more than 1,000 kilometers of land and reported 10 illegal activities in the area.