A webinar hosted by the Program on Biodiversity, Ethnicity, and Forensics of the Philippine Genome Center and the Institute of Biology, University of the Philippines Diliman
Focusing on Philippine Biodiversity: The Philippine BioGenome Project
The Philippine BioGenome Project (PBGP) is a research initiative headed by the PGC Program on Biodiversity, Ethnicity, and Forensics (PBEF). The PBGP aims to establish a national collaborative network of universities, research institutes, and agencies to sequence and catalog the complete genome of selected Philippine taxa.
APRIL 29, 2022 | 8:35 AM, Mnl time
Background
The Philippines is one of the world’s 17 most biodiverse countries1. Different programs have been implemented to characterize Philippine endemism and reduce the loss of our biodiversity. The Philippine Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (PBSAP), which started in 2015 and will end in 2028, is the third time the Philippines ratified its participation in the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). Enabling or supporting program interventions include engagement in biodiversity conservation-related research and strengthening policy for biodiversity conservation.
Critical areas in biodiversity conservation include identifying all flora and fauna that exist and are endemic to the Philippines, the effect of introduced species to native habitats, and the state of biodiversity over time amidst anthropocentric activities.
Meanwhile, the rapid development of whole genomic sequencing (WGS) technology has opened novel ways of answering diverse questions in biology. WGS offers a wide range of potential applications in understanding, utilizing, and conserving biodiversity. This new initiative aims to use the WGS technology on selected species endemic to the Philippines or those with high economic value to agriculture, fisheries, and health as natural products.
– Program on Biodiversity, Ethnicity, and Forensics, Philippine Genome Center (PGC-PBEF)
1 Philippine Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (2015-2028) also known as PBSAP released as part of the United Nations Environment Program
The webinar will present the biodiversity research done in the Philippines by our local scientists. We are exploring ways to link our local research consolidated into the PBGP to the Earth BioGenome Project’s global initiative. The webinar will highlight the following:
1. Importance of whole-genome sequencing of Philippine biodiversity towards conservation, trade surveillance, and food security;
2. Overview of the PGBP which will be the Philippine participation through the PGC to the Earth BioGenome Project; and
3. Introduction of stakeholders from different institutions and organizations to participate in this concerted effort of sequencing Philippine endemic species
