The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) is stepping up efforts to prevent water loss, protect marine life and preserve wetlands as the country faces the threat of a very strong El Niño that could worsen dry conditions and expose ecosystems to extreme heat.

In a news release Thursday, Department of Environment and Natural Resources Secretary Juan Miguel Cuna said the agency has launched a nationwide ecosystem restoration, noting that healthy ecosystems help buffer communities against extreme heat and environmental stress.

“We are ensuring that our ecosystems remain functional buffers against extreme heat. Protecting our wetlands, rivers, and reefs nationwide is one way of protecting the communities and ensuring environmental survival,” Cuna said.

“By extracting nearly 100 metric tons of waste from Manila Bay tributaries, preserving the delicate hydrology of the Agusan Marsh peatlands, and protecting heat-stressed coral reefs in Masbate and Aurora, we are taking concrete steps to help ecosystems withstand the impacts of El Niño and strengthen the resilience of communities that depend on them,” he added, noting that shallow coral areas and seagrass beds are vulnerable to high temperatures.

In Caraga, the Protected Area Management Office (PAMO) of the Agusan Marsh Wildlife Sanctuary is reforesting riverbanks with tree species suited to wetland conditions and monitoring drainage canals to prevent excessive water loss.

The sanctuary’s peatlands and freshwater wetlands help regulate water flow, store carbon, and cool surrounding areas.

Meanwhile, in Central Luzon, the DENR’s Manila Bay Site Coordinating and Management Office (MBSCMO) removed 98,618.93 kilograms of solid waste, equivalent to 15,267 sacks, from waterways in Pampanga during a 10-day cleanup operation with the Department of Labor and Employment’s Tulong Panghanapbuhay sa Ating Disadvantaged/Displaced Workers (DOLE-TUPAD) program.

The DENR said the initiative aims to prevent waste from blocking river channels, creeks, and estuaries, including tributaries leading to Manila Bay.

In Bicol, DENR-PENRO (Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Office) Masbate personnel monitor coral bleaching and fish kills every two weeks in vulnerable coastal areas of Mobo and San Jacinto.

Findings are then forwarded to the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR), municipal agriculture offices, and disaster risk reduction offices for coordinated action.

Personnel have also cleared blocked waterways to maintain seawater flow through mangrove forests and prohibited boat anchoring and marine resource extraction in heat-affected coral reef areas to help the ecosystems recover.

DENR Region 3 is also monitoring marine heat stress in Aurora, Bataan and Zambales to assess its effects on marine ecosystems and fisheries.

The agency also assured continued monitoring of water sources, rivers and creeks in Bulacan, Pampanga, Nueva Ecija, Bataan and Tarlac in coordination with government agencies and local government units.

Fisherfolk and community groups are also informed of the harmful effects of extreme temperatures on marine life. (PNA)