DENR collects P9.7M in resource user fees

CEBU, Philippines - The Department of Environment and Natural Resources-7 has collected nearly P9.7 million as a resource user fee from January to July 2011 or an increase of 169.87 percent from last year’s P5.7 million from 39 established protected areas in Central Visayas.

Of the P9.7 million, P5.319 million came from the Tañon Strait Protected Seascape while the Apo Island Protected Seascape and Landscape in Negros Oriental collected P3.969 million.

According to DENR-7 Regional Executive Director Maximo Dichoso, the resource user fee is a fee paid for the sustainable commercial use of a specified quantity of resources within protected area over a specified period of time.

“This is for access to and sustainable use of resources located in protected areas for subsistence, recreational, extractive, commercial, and all other purposes,” Dichoso said.

Dichoso said that revenues generated shall accrue to the Integrated Protected Area Fund which will be managed by the IPAF Governing Board and the concerned Protected Area Management Board.

The revenue generated shall be disbursed solely for the protection, maintenance, administration and management of National Integrated Protected Area System, and duly approved projects endorsed by the PAMBs, in the amounts authorized by the DENR.

Cebu has six protected areas, namely, Tañon Strait Protected Seascape, Olango Island Wildlife Sanctuary, Central Cebu Protected Landscape, Camotes Island Mangroves Swamp Forest Reserve, Bantayan Island Wilderness Area, and Guadalupe-Mabugnao-Mainit Hot Spring National Park.

A protected area refers to identified portions of land and water set aside by reason of their unique physical and biological significance, managed to enhance biological significance to enhance biological diversity and protected against their destructive human exploitation.

Dichoso said that the rate of use shall be within the carrying capacity of the protected area and its immediate surroundings when taken individually or collectively or in relation to other uses of the area and that any form of use shall maintain the socio-economic and cultural aspect of the area. (FREEMAN)