The global pandemic of Covid-19 has made a lot of changes in our lives. The economy is in slowdown, and there are still restrictions in our movements and activities as the coronavirus continue to widely spread. More than 200,000 Filipinos were affected with the virus and, sadly, thousands also died. Millions have been displaced from work, while many are struggling to survive because lack of sufficient food is getting more pronounced. Not even the DAILY STAR is spared from the impact of this pandemic, leading its management to decide to consider a “pause” at the end of this month. I hope this is only temporary, as this long-running community paper had established itself as an institution in Bacolod City and Negros provinces.

The restrictions of movement since the global outbreak of Covid-19 have made a lot of changes in our lives, especially for those who are just staying at home.

The global pandemic of Covid-19 has also greatly affected the conservation work in the country, just like any undertakings. The restrictions of movement during the community quarantine have prevented most of those who are involved in biodiversity conservation in doing the usual routines of field work, travels, mass gathering and face-to-face meetings, among others.

Once again, the issue of illegal structures in the Northern Negros Natural Park in Negros Occidental surfaced when Silay City Mayor Mark Golez issued notice of violations and subsequently cease-and-desist orders to business establishments catering to tourism in barangays Patag and Lantawon recently.

I borrowed the title of this column from the pastoral letter issued by the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines after the EDSA Revolution in 1986. It told the faithful on what was happening then to our environment and the required action needed to abate the further deterioration of the Earth.

The geological features of the Philippines have provided numerous landforms and other formations that are unique, from high and stiff cliffs, various land and stone forms, to caves, just to name a few.

Last week, I featured in this column the recent finding of the Philippines Biodiversity Conservation Foundation Inc. (PhilBio) on the increasing population of the Visayan