Photo by: LB Times
Book on restoring Laguna Lake wins 2024 Gintong Aklat Award

Laguna Lake: the largest lake in the Philippines and third largest in Southeast Asia. Once pristine and an excellent source of food, water, and irrigation, now polluted with toxic waste. How did it reach such a state of degradation? What would it take to restore the lake to its original splendor?

For answering these questions and more, the book “Rediscovering Laguna de Bay: A Vital Natural Resource in Crisis” received the 2024 Gintong Aklat Award in the Natural and Applied Sciences Category from the Book Development Association of the Philippines. 

The book was edited by Dr. Decibel Faustino-Eslava and Dr. Ma. Victoria O. Espaldon, both faculty and researchers at the School of Environmental Science and Management (SESAM), and Dr. Josefino C. Comiso, Balik Scientist and Senior Scientist Emeritus of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). They received the award at the 45th Manila International Book Fair, SMX Convention Center, Pasay City on September 12.

The Gintong Aklat Awards recognizes “excellence in bookmaking in the country” based on a book’s content, design, and quality of production.

The book culminates research from the project “Ten Years after the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment of Laguna de Bay: Towards a Sustainable Future” led by the Emerging Interdisciplinary Research (EIDR) Program. Dr. Espaldon serves as the project’s program leader.

EIDR is a collaboration of SESAM and the College of Forestry and Natural Resources under UPLB, Rushurgent Working Group, the National Institute of Geological Sciences at UP Diliman, the Institute of Chemistry and Department of Physical Sciences and Mathematics at UP Manila, and the School of Civil, Environmental and Geologic Engineering at the Mapua Institute of Technology. 

The group worked with local governments in Laguna, national agencies, and Bantay-Lawa to come up with a comprehensive assessment of Laguna de Bay and its surrounding environments to use this information to recommend steps for the lake’s sustainable management.

The project was funded by the UP System through the Office of the Vice President for Academic Affairs and the Department of Science and Technology. 

The book may be purchased at the UP Press website and on major e-commerce platforms. (Jessa Jael S. Arana)

Share this on:

Aligned with our commitment to:

LATEST NEWS
All News, Community, Campus
UPLB shines at STRASUC Olympics 2024
All News, Academic, Campus
UPLB is the top-performing school in 2024 Chemists Licensure Examination
All News, Academic, Campus
UP OIL hosts third HALIKA 2024 Internationalization Roadshow