Take-Off Experience in the Allah Valley Watershed - Rainforestation

Rainforestation Mainstreaming:
Take-off Experience in the Allah
Valley Watershed
Abdula M. Bansuan
Executive Director
Allah Valley Landscape Development Alliance
Presented during the Conference:
“Mainstreaming Native Species-Based Forest Restoration”
UP-Diliman Campus, July 14-15, 2010

Location of Allah Valley landscape
Mindanao
Sultan
Kudarat
Proclaimed
Allah Delineated Valley Forest Area Reserve of
Allah Valley Landscape
South
Cotabato

Land Form and Coverage of AVL
T’boli
Lake Sebu
Banga
Surallah
Norala
Sto. Niño
Bagumbayan
S
Tacurong
Isulan

Significance of Allah Valley
Source of water
used for 22,000 has.
farm irrigation in
the Provinces of
South Cotabato and
Sultan Kudarat.
Other water sources
and ways are used
for eco-tourism
development
Agricultural
production area
that supports rice and
corn
The uplands and
mountain ranges
are rich of unique
biodiversity and
homeland of
indigenous
peoples
composing T’boli
tribes who were
granted CADC.
It has rich mineral
resources such as
gold, copper and
silver. Mining
companies started to
invest in exploration
and extraction
outside the protected
area

What is the AVLDA
• The Allah Valley Landscape Development Alliance
(AVLDA) is an alliance of provinces, city and
municipalities having geographical and political
jurisdiction over the Landscape, including other
stakeholders such as concerned line agencies and civil
society organizations operating the area.
• In March 2003, the AVLDA was created through a
memorandum of agreement signed by and among the
Local Chief Executives of Sultan Kudarat and South
Cotabato and Regional Directors of member National
Line Agencies and Representative of CSDO

AVLDA Structure and Functions
Membership Composition
13 LGUs
Funding Sources
LGU Annual Contribution
Others: LGUs, NGOs, Private Sector
5 NGAs
NGO
Network
Primary Function and Goal
Protection and management of the Allah Valley Landscape through
interventions anchored on environmental, economic, social, cultural and
organizational development and institution building through an integrated
approach

Recent Urgent Concerns
Adverse effects of
upland degradation on
the lowland areas
Flooding, siltation, and riverbank migration
Unstable agriculture production
Devastation of infrastructure facilities
Instability of social condition
Eventual destruction of the Ligawasan marsh, Pulangi river and Illana Bay

AVL Land Cover Map
LAND USE / COVER
LAND AREA,
HA %
WOODED AREAS
Primary Forest 28,104 11.15
Secondary Forest 24,767 9.83
Assorted Tree Cover 26,718 10.60
Total, % 79,589 31.58
DEGRADED AREAS
Brushland 38,984 15.47
Grassland 35,680 14.16
Sedimented River Bed 3,235 1.28
Total, % 77,899 30.90
AGRICULTURAL AREAS
Irrigated rice land 32,078 12.73
Upland Rice land 2,180 0.86
Corn 37,975 15.07
Coconut 8,469 3.36
Palm Oil Plantation 3,341 1.33
Cavendish Banana 2,431 0.96
Pineapple 3,578 1.42
Sugar cane Plantation 777 0.31
Asparagus 520 0.21
Total, % 91,349 36.24
Others
Built Up Areas 771 0.31
Water 865 0.34
Cloudy 1,587 0.63
Total, % 3,223 1.28
Total 252,060 100.00

Forest and Upland Degradation
Increasing number of forest dwellers
Continuous clearing of forest areas
Settlement and agricultural production
Loss of biodiversity (flora & fauna)

Poverty in the Upland/Forestland
Limited livelihood opportunities, very low income
Lack of food, poor health condition among children
Limited access to safe drinking water and clean sanitation facilities
Inappropriate and unproductive farming practices
Lack of good public infrastructure facilities
Lack of effective local governance
Risky small-scale extraction of mineral resources
Overlapping of land tenure arrangements

River and Land Use Monitoring using RS
Widening of river
channel
Change of river
channel
1989: 6 years before the Holon flooding 2002: 6 years after the Holon flooding

Downstream impact: Braided river
Sultan
Kudarat
South
Cotabato

What has to be done
Management Context
• Degrading upland/forest areas (70,000 has.)
• Flooding and siltation of rivers downstream (65 barangays downstream)
• Problematic socio-economic condition – severe poverty
• Unique indigenous socio-cultural practices, under IPRA protection
• Land tenure complexities – protected area – CADC overlap
• PLUS: political expectations – the need to show something has been done!
CHALLENGE:
We need to identify upland/forest management program that can be done
as feasible and effective as we can!
But ultimately, we are badly in need of TREES
to increase cover of the upstream watershed…

What works with indigenous poor
people living in the forest zones!!
What LGU program
- will fit and work at existing complexities of tenure arrangements
- is less expensive, given the limited LGU budget
- can be very attractive to poor farmers
- can be best and viable option to stop slash-and-burn farming
- can increase vegetation even at the farm areas
- generally, could provide sense of land cover stability in the upstream watershed
to reduce impact of downstream flashfloods

Rainforestation and Upland
Resource Management (RURM)
Conservation of primary forest and recovery of selected degraded
forest and upland areas while creating natural resources investment
opportunities to forest and upland dwellers.
RURM Site

RURM Objectives
Environmental
Sustainability
Economic
Promotion
•Forest protection
•Forest recovery and
enhancement
•Biodiversity improvement
•Reduction of soil erosion
•Reduction of surface runoff/flashfloods
•Carbon sequestration
•Water supply
•Watershed sustainability
Socio-Cultural
Integrity of
Forest/Upland
Communities
•Poverty alleviation
•Creation of forest-based
livelihood opportunities
•Support to increasing value of
community and family assets
•Improve the economic value
of forest and upland areas –
environmental services

RURM Mainstreaming Strategy:
Trade-off Approach, family level
Model 1
Farm-Forest
Integration
1:1 ratio
Indigenous
Species
(allowed to be
intercropped
with abaca
Industrial trees/
coffee
Contour Farming
(vegetables and other
short term crops)

RURM Mainstreaming Strategy:
Trade-off Approach, family level
Model 2
Farm development and
Forest Restoration
1:1 ratio
Industrial
Trees in farm
areas
Protection of
forest cover plus
Enrichment (ANR)
(off-farm)

RURM Model 1 in T’boli, So. Cotabato
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RURM Project Development Process
• Rainforestation concept from Haribon meeting (2006)
• Concept, site investigation, study and selection (2007)
• Community dialogue, consultations and resource
mapping (2007)
• Technical meetings, decisions and project planning and
budgeting (2007-08)
• Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) with partners and
beneficiaries (2008)
• Forest inventory, nursery development, training (2009)
• Regular beneficiary education and farm planning (2007-
2010)
• Planting with food support to farmers, regular
monitoring (2009-2010)

Challenges in RURM implementation
Maintenance and sustainability cost at farmers’ level due to severe poverty
Land tenure rights are problematic – conflicting claims
Need to finance areas for RURM expansion covering at least 50,000 has.
Need to strengthen LGU capacity (HR, Technical, financial prioritization)
Expansion of pineapple and banana plantation in the headwater zone
Harmonization of protected area and ancestral domain management plans;
then the zoning enforcement

RURM Success Factors
Good leadership role in forest management
Prioritization on sustainable utilization of natural resources (program/plan
dev’t, budget, local legislation, ENR office)
Economic incentives and livelihood opportunities to communities (e.g. food for
work)
Regular education and mentoring to community partners
Regular project monitoring and support to farmers

RURM Developments
AVLDA
Local Governments
(Provinces and Municipalities)
NGOs/Water
Districts
• will cover 2 more areas
2010-2011
• Mgt plan formulation
•Planting of indigenous species
•Forest land use planning
•C0-management agreements
•Intellectual Property Rights
•CLUP
•Environment Code
•RURM Replication
•Sub-watershed adoption
KEY: Local Chief Executive (governor, mayor)
must have strong motivation and will to undertake forest mgt. program

Thank
you…
For more information, please visit our website:
www.avlda.org.ph
or at our FACEBOOK page