Group pushes new approach to forest management

A new approach in sustainable forest management is being pursued by a group of countries through the Regional Project on Assistance for the Implementation of the Model Forest Approach for Sustainable Forest Management in the Asia and Pacific Region.

The project is funded by Japan and executed by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations. It aims to assist these four countries in strengthening national and community-level capabilities in the development and implementation of field-level model forest. The approach promotes partnership and mutual respect among stakeholders, especially forest-dependent communities, in the planning, use and management of model forest area. Attention is given by the project in the multiple uses and functions of forests, diverse demands brought into the forests and forest lands, and the need to integrate a balanced economic, social and environmental considerations of each country.

The Philippine model forest project is being piloted in Ulot Watershed in Samar Island. It is one of the islands in the country that is rich in biodiversity. In fact, it is considered an endemic bird area. The project was launched in a workshop held last year in Cebu City. It covers an area of approximately 96,500 hectares with 23 communities and a population of about 12,600. The communities are highly dependent on forest resources and prior to the project implementation they practiced Swidden Farming or "kaingin making."

Their source of living/income consists mainly of agricultural crop and supplemented with plants, wild animals and other resources found in the forest.

The Ulot. Project aims to:

• Develop stakeholder-based sustainable forest management practices in the watershed context for replication in nearby communities;

• Optimize the development potential of the production forests in the island;

• Create a difference in buffering the protection forests and in providing sustainable benefits to the communities located within and adjacent to the project;

• Provide a rational alternative to protect and conserve the remaining lowland dipterocarp forests; and

• Strengthen the capacities of the stakeholders in the sustainable management of their forest resources.

In the past, efforts on sustainable forest management have been an uphill climb. This project, if successful and replicated, will be a great boost in providing not only the Samareño communities but the whole Filipino nation the maximum benefits that can be derived from the forests.