Asia & the Pacific

Philippines

• © UNESCO/ F.Bequette
• Palawan biosphere reserve, Philippines

The country is covered by the UNESCO Cluster Office in Jakarta, Indonesia.

The Philippines sits astride a typhoon belt, and as such it suffers on average five to six cyclones per year. It is also susceptible to typically small island threats, such as earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, and tsunamis. The country is active in the earth sciences, particularly the areas of seismic studies and projects surrounding the Asian region. Another collaboration involves UNESCO’s Coastal Resources Management Project in Ulugan Bay.

This project aims to empower grass-roots communities through science, allowing them to attain sustainable development. In this case, the local communities were taught how to self-monitor their fishing stocks in keeping with local traditional practices.

Below you can access the projects that are currently being implemented in the country within the framework of UNESCO’s Natural Sciences Sector.

Freshwater

Hydrology for the Environment, Life and Policy programme (HELP) project in the Davao basin More

People, Biodiversity and Ecology

- Biosphere Reserves (WNBRs)

Oceans

- Pacific Tsunami Warning and Mitigation System (ICG/PTWS)

Earth Sciences

- Deltas in the Monsoon Asia-Pacific region (DeltaMAP) (IGCP, Project 475)

- Karst Aquifers and Water Resources (IGCP, Project 513)

- Geological Anatomy of East and South East Asia (IGCP, Project 516)

Science Policy and Sustainable Development

- Establishing Science and Technology Parks More

Coasts and Small Islands

- Coastal resources management and ecotourism: an intersectoral approach to localizing sustainable development, Ulugan Bay, Palawan More