The public can now have online access to various significant studies on the environment and natural resources conducted by the Ecosystems Research and Development Bureau (ERDB).
The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) has launched an online platform to host various ERDB research findings and scientific publications that prove crucial in formulating DENR programs, policies, and decisions for the protection and conservation of the environment. ERDB is an agency under the DENR.
The research materials can now be downloaded from the ERDB’s official website, https://erdb.denr.gov.ph/.
The research publications are not only used by the DENR offices, but are also widely used by state universities and colleges, public libraries, and other institutions.
Secretary Roy Cimatu said he is pleased that through the collective efforts of the scientists, experts, researchers, and employees of the ERDB, "the Department gets to understand more about our environment and every little (thing) that goes with it."
"They spend months, even years, doing rigorous research to provide the Department with the scientific knowledge that we need," he added.
Among those that can be downloaded from the website are "Sylvatrop," "Canopy International," and "Research Information Series on Ecosystems" or RISE.
Sylvatrop is the DENR’s official technical journal for new and original scientific information and research breakthroughs on ecosystems and natural resources, while Canopy International is a semi-technical publication on science-based stories about ecosystems issues and solutions.
Meanwhile, RISE is a compilation of pertinent knowledge on the propagation and planting techniques of important indigenous reforestation species to help students and researchers save these species from extinction.
Cimatu said the online platform is one of the innovative ways of the DENR to reach the public, especially amid the coronavirus pandemic.
"Even in the midst of a pandemic, this is our response to the growing demand for information that may empower us Filipinos into achieving sustainable growth and development," he stressed.
The DENR chief also noted how research is vital to the agency’s strategic programs and policies that help address major environmental problems in the country.
"This pool of knowledge serves as a vehicle to allow us to move further. Science helps us arrive at more informed decisions. It tells us what to do next, which steps to take, and how far we will go. This is how we use knowledge in the DENR as a fuel towards growth and productivity," he pointed out.
ERDB Director Henry Adornado vowed that the bureau will continuously update and populate its website with new research information.
"We assure the public, more so, the DENR bureaus, offices, and attached agencies that ERDB will live up to its mandate of providing more technologies and information for the protection and betterment of the environment," he said.