The OVCRD Report (May 2011-April 2014).2.10.14 | Page 27

The OVCRD Report

BaR Project leaders
the playtest of Project C2’s card game “Resilience: Survive & Thrive.” Taken
during the BaR Progress Workshop on Cross-disciplinary Training Workshop, 31 March 2014

Another initiative that features ScienceHumanities convergence is Biodiversity and
Resilience ‘BaR’: R&D, Communication and
Capability-Building Program for the
Philippines, a program funded by the
Commission on Higher Education
(CHED). BaR aims to develop a sciencebased monitoring system for capturing
essential representations of Philippine
terrestrial, freshwater and marine
biodiversity that is not only effective in
terms of cost, time, and monitoring but is
also able to develop the capabilities of
Filipino scientists and local stakeholders in
conservation research. With Dr. Benito M.
Pacheco at its helm, BaR brings together
researchers from UP Diliman, UP Los
Baños, Visayas State University, Philippine
National Museum, Palawan State
University, Central Mindanao University,
Mindanao State College of Agriculture and
Technology, Ramon Magsaysay

Technological University, and University of
Eastern Philippines. The research team
assesses various plant and animal species
in project sites in the provinces of Leyte,
Isabela, Batangas, Mindoro, Zambales,
Palawan, Samar, and Laguna. BaR consists
of nine projects categorized under three
synergies: From Genes to Ecosystems:
Understanding Biodiversity at Various
Scales; Ecosystem Response and Adaptive
Management in Coastal and Marine
Ecosystems; and Resilience against Disaster
through Communication and CapabilityBuilding. This examination of biotic and
abiotic processes and mechanisms found
in social-ecological systems will hopefully
translate into policies and management
that ensure resilience of biodiversity now
and in the future. The program’s co-leaders
are Dr. Perry S. Ong of IB and Dr. Maria
Lourdes San Diego-McGlone of MSI.