Factsheet Climate-relevant Modernization of Forest Policy and Piloting of REDD

Factsheet: International Climate Initiative Projects in the Philippines

Climate-relevant Modernization of Forest Policy and Piloting of REDD The Philippines is among the top ten deforestation countries in the world (FAO, 2006).

Seventy-four years ago 60 percent (17.8 million hectares) of the land was covered by forests.

By 2003, forest cover dwindled to 7.17 million hectares. It has been found that forest loss annually (2003-2005) is 157,000 ha or roughly the size of 3.5 million basketball courts! The causes of deforestation and forest degradation are man-made—chainsaws, bulldozers and fires have grazed the country’s forests to make way to grow food, have fuel, build houses, or simply make money out of timber. On the other hand, Philippine forests have a high chance to restore themselves if they are well-protected and managed.

Context The value of forests is more than just timber. Increasingly, it is recognized that forests are essential to a stable climate. Trees remove greenhouse gases from the atmosphere and store them in their wood, roots and in the soil. When forests are destroyed, the stored carbon is released into the air and contributes to global warming and climate change. In fact, deforestation and land use change contribute approximately 20 percent of the carbon dioxide emissions that cause climate change globally. Intact forest ecosystems, on the other hand, are resilient against the impact of climate change. Forests are more than just trees. Beside carbon sequestration, forests are the source of other essential ecosystem services such as soil and watershed protection, biodiversity conservation, regulation of water flow and local climate.

Forests are crucial to local livelihood. They provide fuel, food, medicines and shelter. Sustainable use of forest can provide an important source of income and boost rural development. If they are destroyed, local communities’ livelihood and their future are jeopardized.

Efforts to conserve what is left and to rehabilitate what was lost are still limited. The main drivers for the loss of forests (deforestation) and deterioration of its quality (degradation) are unsustainable agricultural practices such as kaingin, conversion of forests to other land uses and illegal logging.

So far, efforts to restore forest ecosystems in the Philippines were unsuccessful because of unclear land use rights, open access to forests and lack of local communities’ involvement in sustainable forest management practices.

The concept of Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and forest Degradation (REDD) is a topic being discussed internationally as a new cost-effective approach towards forest and climate protection. REDD is multidimensional and comprehensive. It focuses on avoiding further deterioration of forests and emissions of greenhouse gases while generating benefits such as biodiversity conservation and improvement of local livelihoods.

REDD is at its early stage in the Philippines. At present, there are no consistent strategies and incentives to address deforestation. Capacities of government offices and local communities are still insufficient to make use of the potential of REDD for effective protection and rehabilitation of natural forests and conservation of their biodiversity. A new climate policy is however, sprouting to adjust national forest policy to the necessities of climate protection and to test approaches for REDD.

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The Project is funded by the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMU) under its International Climate Initiative, The BMU supports this Initiative based on a decision of the German Parliament. For more information see http://www. international-climate-initiative.com

Partners: Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Forest Management Bureau Target Groups: Forest-dependent communities Duration: October 2009 - March 2013 Location: Selected Protected Areas in Leyte and Panay Islands Donor: German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMU)

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Contact Dr. Bernd-Markus Liss Principal Advisor Support to the Climate Change Commission in the Implementation of the National Framework Strategy on Climate Change and the National Climate Change Action Plan Climate-relevant Forest Policy and Piloting of REDD Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH Department of Environment and Natural Resources Climate Change Office 2nd Floor, FASPO Building Visayas Avenue, Quezon City, 1101 Philippines Phone +63 2 929 6626 local 207 Fax +63 2 892 3374 Email bernd-markus.liss@giz.de

Approach The Project aims at the development of improved forest policies and specific incentives for forest protection and rehabilitation by piloting of measures in and around selected areas. It also aims to reduce greenhouse gases (GHG) and to conserve biodiversity, and build capacities of partner institutions in the process. It also supports the Philippine National REDD-Plus Strategy (PNRPS) to prepare the country for the full implementation of REDD that embodies the Project’s aims.

The major outputs planned to help towards improved forest policies are: analysis of the key drivers of deforestation and forest degradation; analysis and revision of the forest policy with regard to climate protection; and the elaboration of specific incentive mechanisms for protection and rehabilitation of forests.

Through co-management agreements with local stakeholders a framework will be developed to protect and manage forests sustainably, while providing specific incentives to local communities.

These are for example: clarification of land use rights, financial support to rehabilitate forests, reforestation, establishment of agro-forestry systems and village development. The approach includes monitoring and control systems as well as benefit sharing mechanisms in the Project pilot sites.

The Project will strengthen existing structures through intensive advisory services, capacity building and training in planning and implementation of climate relevant forest measures, conflict mitigation, securing land use rights and livelihood.

Overall, the Project will support the Philippine National REDD-Plus Strategy’s vision to empower forest managers and support groups to manage forestlands and ancestral domains in a sustainable and equitable manner while reducing greenhouse gases emissions and enhancing carbon stocks.

Results 10 conservation agreements between DENR, LGUs, POs and GIZ being implemented for a total of 2,283 ha plantations n One municipality has approved Forest Land Use Plan (FLUP)/ Comprehensive Land Use Plan (CLUP), four other LGUs are in various stages of the FLUP process The Project is funded by the n Federal Training workshop on climate proofing of Community Resource Management Framework German Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation (CRMF) for three People's Organizations and Nuclear Safety (BMU) conducted under its International Climate Initiative, The n supports Thethis Biodiversity Assessment in November 2011, jointly implemented with the NewCAPP BMU Initiative based on a decision of the German and conducted

by Fauna & Flora Int’l; two new species of frog discovered Parliament.

For more information see http://www. internationaln Policy Studies on clarifying carbon rights, assessment of free prior and informed consent climate-initiative.com (FPIC) implementation, analysis of key drivers of deforestation and forest degradation in the Philippines, and review and analysis of forest policy conducted n

This Project is funded by the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMU) under its International Climate Initiative, The BMU supports this Initiative based on a decision of the German Parliament. For more information see http://www. international-climateinitiative.com

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GIZ is a federally-owned enterprise that supports the German government in the field of international development cooperation. For more than 30 years now, 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. Together we work to balance economic, social and ecological interests through multi-stakeholder dialogue, participation and collaboration.

4/28/2012 12:46:59 PM