Factsheet: Environment and Rural Development (EnRD) Program Philippines Component 4: Community-based Forest Management (CBFM) The CBFM component of the EnRD Program aims to sustainably improve the Communitybased Forest Management in the Visayas, especially on the islands of Leyte, Panay and Negros. Context Forests used to be one of the richest natural resources in the Visayas. Barely 60 years ago, on average, more than 40% of the islands’ land surface was covered with forests. Presently only about 10-15% remains; on some islands even less than 3%. The decline in forest cover goes along with a significant loss of biodiversity, raw materials and storage capacity for water and an alarming release of greenhouse gases through the burning of wood. It further causes soil degradation, erosion, flash floods, irregular water supply, and hence endangers the living conditions of the fast growing human population. To reverse this trend, the Philippines Government initiated the Community-based Forest Management (CBFM) Strategy, which is reaffirmed through a long term CBFM Strategic Action Plan. This plan aims to ensure stability of land tenure policies, to guarantee possession, management and use of forestlands and resources and to define and broaden the roles in land allocation of Local Government Units (LGUs) at the barangay, municipal / city and provincial levels. Sustainable CBFM implies on the one hand that People’s Organizations (POs) and Indigenous Peoples assume responsibility in managing CBFM areas in line with concluded agreements; on the other hand that the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), LGUs, Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) and other agencies cooperate closely to provide quality, timely and coordinated services to forest land managers and POs. Approach The CBFM component of EnRD supports the creation of provincial and municipal technical working groups (TWGs). The TWGs facilitate participatory rural appraisals and the issuance of tenurial instruments such as CBFM agreements, forest resource inventories and Forest Land Use Plans (FLUP). In addition, they support co-management agreements between DENR and LGUs and the preparation as well as implementation of Community Resource Management Frameworks (CRMF) and 5-year work plans. For the implementation of planned measures EnRD provides technical and financial assistance to LGUs and POs. In Leyte, Panay and Negros Islands, EnRD supports 47 local governments to establish Municipal / City Environment and Natural Resources Offices with staff and regular budget, prepare Forest Land Use Plans, enter into Co-Management Agreements with DENR to responsibly manage their forest resources, to issue municipal ordinances to manage and protect the forests, and employ forest guards. In addition, 20 POs have been assisted to obtain security of tenure and to prepare and implement forest management plans. All in all the EnRD intends to reforest and rehabilitate 5,800 ha degraded forest land (4,935 ha with BMZ and 865 ha with BMU support), to establish 4,680 ha of agro-forestry areas (3,850 ha through BMZ and 830 ha through BMU assistance), and bring 60,000 ha natural forest under Partners Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR).Provincial and Municipal Governments and Non-Government Organizations (NGOs) Target Groups People‘s Organizations (POs), Technical personnel in Government Agencies and Local Government Units (LGUs) Location Leyte, Negros, Panay Duration July 2005 - June 2014 Cooperation with German Development Bank (KfW) until 2015 Donor German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), and Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Protection and Nuclear Safety (BMU) 855 ha of agro-forestry plantations have already been established n A substantial amount of additional income for poor rural households have been generated from harvesting of rattan. For more than 30 years now. Results Forest land use planning and co-management of forest resources n 15 Co-Management Agreements between DENR and LGUs have been signed. participation and collaboration.P.A. These measures will bring benefits to more than 10.sustainable management (10.800 ha of degraded forest land and establish 4. Walter Salzer Program Director and Principal Advisor Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH 2B PDCP Bank Center V. GIZ is a federally-owned enterprise that supports the German government in the field of international development cooperation.000 ha with BMU support). one People’s Organization on Leyte Island has demonstrated sustainable plantation timber harvesting and value-adding n Four Public Private Partnerships (PPP) have been established in the coconut.000 ha with BMZ and 50. social and ecological interests through multi-stakeholder dialogue. GIZ has been cooperating with Philippine partners in strengthening the capacity of people and institutions to improve the lives of Filipinos in this generation and generations to come. EnRD also contributes to promoting the policy dialogue at the national level and collaborates with other donor agencies on policy amendments related to forestry. Contact Dr. another 20 partner municipalities have started with the forest land use planning process n 35 partner municipalities established a Municipal Environment and Natural Resource Office (MENRO) and have a regular staff and budget for forest management n A resolution to the DENR Secretary and the President has been supported to consider Co-Management as a national strategy and form of tenure Forest management and income generation n Over 50. to stimulate high-value crop establishment and income generation Replication of approaches n The Provincial Governments of Iloilo and Negros Oriental have officialy declared to extend the Forest Land Use Planning to all its municipalities by using their own resources upon advice and training from EnRD — a big success in upscaling tested project recommendations.000 farm families. Together we work to balance economic. preparing the ground for bringing over 150. the EnRD in cooperation with KfW (German Development Bank) assists the establishment of 9.de .260 households of 18 People’s Organizations have received long-term tenurial rights for a catchment area of 15. Makati City Philippines Phone +63 2 892 9051 local 101 Fax +62 2 892 3374 Email walter. Leviste Sts. In addition. of which 2. In addition to working at the local level.000 ha of open-access forests under sustainable management n 15 municipalities prepared Forest Land Use Plans (FLUP). nipa and wood. coffee and cacao sector. Salcedo Village.890 ha of forests and 1.840 ha forest and agroforestry plantations under the Community-based Forest Management Mangrove Project (CBFMMP).000 ha of open-access forest are already being protected and properly co-managed by DENR and LGUs n 1.6 million.300 ha of forest land n Financing agreements to reforest / rehabilitate 5. Rufino corner L.680 ha of agro-forestry areas have been concluded amounting to PhP173.salzer@giz.