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![]() Basic Concepts
(1) Integration of Conservation and Development The Project will involve both conservation and development-oriented activities, which require the involvement of multiple stakeholders (upstream and downstream), LGUs, other government agencies and private sectors. Watershed characterization and forest land use planning (integrated ecosystem land use planning) of the sub-watersheds and in the five provinces will form part of the components. Rehabilitation of degraded part of the forestland is only part of the Project component. Various project activities such as agroforestry development and agroforestry support facilities will be integrated from the initial stage of the Project. Consequently, the Project will enhance harvesting processing, marketing of forest products and community based enterprise development. Likewise, afforestation/reforestation and biofuel production will be undertaken in support to the Kyoto Protocol and CDM commitments. This is to ensure a balance between conservation and development to attain sustainable development and ecologically sound use of natural resources. (2) Full Participation and Capacitation of Local Communities Following the CBFM concept, the POs shall be self-reliant in maintaining the proper conditions of their CBFM area. For a PO to be able to perform its maintenance activities, the users of CBFM areas shall participate in the PO activities, cooperate with each other and be capacitated. The FMP aims to provide opportunities to POs to gain the capability to be self-sustaining through CSD, agroforestry support facilities development and CO activities including livelihood development. The external support that will ensure the capacity building of PO shall be provided throughout the project. The participatory approach will be integral in Project implementation. Capacity building of the local people in coordination with LGUs in all stages of project development starting from PO formation for CBFM Agreement (CBFMA/PACBRMA) acquisition to planning of site development and implementation of the same will play a key role in the active participation of the local people. Hence, it should be a continuing effort. Participatory planning is possible only after the appropriate PO formation and after assessment of the bio-physical and social conditions in the watershed. Participatory implementation of site development and maintenance could only be realized based on the appropriate participatory planning. Wherever viable, the prospect for private partnership in enterprise activities may also be introduced at this stage. It is therefore essential to allocate sufficient inputs of time, budget and human resources for the PO’s capacity building and to the human resources development of SUSIMO staff and to accomplish these from the initial stage of the Project. This concept is consistent with the CBFM program, which is one of the most important pre-requisites to pursue the integration of conservation and development in the Project. 4.2.2 Approach Comprehensive management strategies will be employed as the main approach of the Project, which will include: - Watershed characterization and forest land use planning - Ecologically compatible land utilization in the sub-project areas; - Ecological restoration of degraded forestland in the sub-project areas; - Sustainable resource use to prevent further degradation of the sub-project areas; - Enhancement of upland economic development for the upland dwellers; and - Establishment of improved watershed management system for the sub-project areas. (1) Watershed characterization and forest land use planning Forestlands of the sub-project areas will be characterized for a holistic and sustainable planning and management of all the resources therein following the Integrated Ecosystems Management (IEM) in forest land use planning (FLUP) principles and approaches. Characterization involves the assessment of the biophysical features of a watershed to understand and better plan and manage these factors in the watershed. Forest Land Use Planning principles and approaches will be introduced and facilitated to better encourage LGUs participation in the exercise of their role within their administrative jurisdiction in the context of watershed ecosystem management approach. FLUP is a collaborative and governance-oriented process in consonance with Joint Memorandum Circular 2003-01 on strengthening and institutionalizing the DENR-DILG-LGU partnership on development and other forest management functions. The main objective of the FLUP is proper allocation of land-uses in the forestland in consultation with stakeholders. FLUP paves the way for agreements among stakeholders for improving forest land management. (2) Ecologically Compatible Land Utilization Formulating and pursuing an ecologically compatible land use plan is one of the most important approaches to maintain ecological balance in the use of natural resources. The Forestland in the sub-project areas will broadly be divided into conservation-oriented lands and resource use-oriented ones. The land included in the former category will be the ones meeting the following guidelines prescribed in NIPAS Act[1] - Areas above 1,000 m elevation or - Areas with slope above 50% or - Areas covered with old-growth and mossy forests (3) Ecological Restoration of Degraded Forestland Reproduction brush, grassland and cultivated land in the forestland are defined under the Project as degraded forestland, which is subject to ecological restoration. Land use descriptions in the degraded forestland will differ with category of slope gradient due to changes in the level of erosion. The steeper the slope, the more limited the range of activities to be conducted to attain ecological sustainability. Ecological restoration of the degraded forestland will basically include vegetative measures with minor structural measures. The vegetative restoration plans proposed are: i) forest tree plantation establishment; ii) agro-forestry such as orchard, alley cropping, and hedge row planting; iii) ecologically compatible silvo-pastoral plantation and pasture development; iv) introduction of ecologically compatible agriculture such as contour farming, in-row tillage, enhancement of organic farming practices, enhancement of biological land amelioration, hedge rows construction, etc.; v) enhanced ecological succession through Assisted Natural Regeneration (ANR) and fire management; and vi) introduction of bio-fuel plantation. (4) Sustainable Resource Use Establishing sustainable resource use is essential to prevent further degradation of the Forestland. Master resource use plan, which is referred to as Community Resource Management Framework (CRMF), will be formulated for areas where CBFMA/Protected Area Community Based Resource Management Agreement (PACBRMA) has been acquired by the PO concerned, while resource use plan (RUP) will be formulated for the area where harvesting of timber or extraction of non-timber forest product (NTFP) could be expected in the CBFMA/PACBRMA area, and action plan, which is referred to as Annual Work Plan (AWP) will be formulated in accordance with the CRMF and RUP. Development and management of the CBFMA/PACBRMA/ areas shall be in consonance with the CRMF, RUP and AWP. (5) Enhancement of Upland Economic Development Upland dwellers generally rely on the forestland for their livelihood by collecting timber and/or non-timber forest products and practicing upland farming without any ecological considerations. It is obvious that this uncontrolled/unsustainable resource use has brought about substantial degradation in the sub-project areas.To curb these practices, some strategies that will ensure alternative and more productive income sources to meet the immediate needs of rural folk must be an integral component of the conceived sustainable activities of the project. Hence, livelihood enhancement/development shall be initiated. Rehabilitation of the degraded land and land security becomes workable if we institute other sources of income for the upland dwellers to reduce their total or heavy reliance on forest resources to a sustainable management level. In this context, the Project will support the forest dwellers through the POs concerned in: i) developing community-based enterprises; ii) enhancing intensive agriculture in the area where land use plan allows agriculture; and iii) developing agroforestry and agroforestry support facilities. iv) harvesting processing, marketing of forest goods and services; v) promoting private sector investment and partnership. All of these are expected to enhance the economic activities of the PO members on an environment friendly sustainable basis. The Project will also assist the POs in capacity building with respect to income generation, production management, trading, and price consideration. (6) Establishment of Integrated Watershed Management System Notwithstanding the important roles of the DENR as the lead implementing agency and the PO as partner, review of the FSP Phase 1 revealed that both are weak in managerial, financial, and technical capability for sustainable watershed management. To attain sustainable integrated watershed management, therefore, institutional strengthening, appropriate PO formation, capacity building of the POs, and policy initiatives will be an integral part of the Project.. Institutional Strengthening: For the effective and smooth implementation of the Project, institutional strengthening of the relevant offices of DENR is vital. It will include refining the institutional set up for the Project, provision of necessary equipment to augment managerial capability of the relevant offices, provision of vehicles to improve mobility of the implementers and, human resources development through a series of training. This institutional strengthening aims to improve the management capability of the relevant offices required for properly implementing the Project and manage the sub-project areas after completion of the Project in a sustainable manner. In consonance with the Local Government Code (RA 7160), capacitation of LGUs in terms of land use planning, solid waste management, disaster management will be given priority. Likewise, involvement of other stakeholders concerned would also be undertaken to strengthen collaborative management, partnerships & cooperation and convergence thereby improving their service delivery in terms of natural resources benefits and cost sharing, resource planning, and sustainable development and management of ecosystems. PO Formation: As indicated in the basic concept, properly organizing the community into people’s organizations (POs) is a prerequisite to successfully implement the Project adopting the CBFM scheme and to manage the CBFMA/PACBRMA area in a sustainable manner after the Project. Capacity Building of POs: Capacity building of the POs is to be a continuous effort to augment their skills necessary for planning, implementing and managing their CBFMA/PACBRMA areas in a sustainable way and also to enhance people’s awareness of the environmental importance of good watershed management. The Project will provide necessary inputs for the capacity building, such as training, facilitating workshops and meetings on various aspects as well as providing technical assistance and guidance at grassroots level. The training will be closely related to the Project activities so that concepts could be put into practice on the ground during the implementation. Policy Initiative in Establishing Watershed Management Council (WMC) and Cost Sharing Mechanism (CSM): Limits of a watershed being delineated along the topographic divide, is generally not consistent with jurisdiction of administrative boundaries and beyond the administrative region/province. Collaborative efforts between regions or between provinces will be required to manage the watershed as a whole. Implementation of the FMP Phase 2 will bring benefits not only within the project area but also to downstream reaches. However. there may be a situation where some conventional activities by upland dwellers are to be restricted in the use of resources under the FMP. Therefore, the cost of management actions should be shared between the people living upstream and downstream. It is too optimistic for us to expect the continued effective management of the CBFMA/PACBRMA area by the local people after project completion without providing them any subsidy for management of the watershed. Cost sharing mechanism should be established before completion of the Project in order to institute a firm mechanism that will allow the self generation of funds sustainable management of the watersheds. |