Summary SIMPLE is an integrated ecosystems planning and management approach. It is designed to help local governments to plan and manage their entire land territory, be it public, private or ancestral lands. The needs for the fast growing population of the Philippines have put heavy stress on forests, agricultural lands, coastal areas and settlements. This forces local governments to assign new land areas for commercial use, residential developments or other social and economic activities. Unsustainable practices, such as logging, illegal fishing or land conversion are often the consequences and aggravate the pressure on natural resources or infrastructures. SIMPLE supports multiple policies, above all the The Philippine Development Plan (2011-2016), where the Integrated Ecosystem-based Management is adopted as a major strategy. It also supports policies and guidelines for local governments, such as the National Convergence Initiative’s strategies to improve rural development, the initiatives of national government agencies to mainstream climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction or other important topics such as improved budgeting and expenditure management at the local level. 70% of all local governments have outdated or no land use plans at all that could address these issues. SIMPLE sees all ecosystems in their holistic importance for the land resources of a local government unit. It has three main advantages to offer: first, it enables local governments to manage their entire territory from ridge-to-reef. It integrates planning and management into the Comprehensive Land Use Plan (CLUP) for all lands including the 15km municipal water zone. This allows to address climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction measures. Second, it empowers communities. SIMPLE builds on a participatory land use and development planning process starting at the barangay level. This increases tremendously the accuracy of data, the ownership and acceptability of projects and priorities as well as the compliance with zoning regulations. Third, SIMPLE develops long-term capacity at the local level at affordable costs because it provides tools and instruments adjusted to locally available knowledge and capabilities. With this, SIMPLE stands on two pillars: ridge-to-reef planning as well as management and implementation. SIMPLE requires the participation of the Provincial Government along with its component municipalities and cities. The five phases of SIMPLE build on a three-level intervention by the province, municipalities and cities and barangays. The overall costs for the Provincial Government to build a pool of trainers and acquire needed equipment are estimated at PhP2 million. Each municipality needs an investment of about PhP2 million. Of the 35 municipalities and cities currently implementing SIMPLE, three have approved their land use plans and zoning ordinances. 11 municipalities will finalize their plans in 2012. 332 out of 910 supported barangays are implementing their barangay development plans with 48,400 households benefitting in Leyte Island alone. The use of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) has greatly improved the data basis and led to a correction of boundary measurements in almost all supported areas. Climate change adaptation and risk reduction measures are likewise integrated into the plans. For the first time, local governments can now implement a ridge-to-reef zoning ordinance, link plans with budgets and expenditures and manage their entire land area based on a sound planning document.
5
