The PACAP12

Reaction Paper on
The Mt. Matutum Integrated
Conservation and Development
(MICADEV) Project
of the Coalition of Social Development Organisation
of South Cotabato (CSDO-SC)
I. Introduction
The Mt. Matutum Integrated Conservation and Development Project represents an
interesting case of the integrated approach in the management of a protected area, The
Mt. Matutum Protected Landscape (MMPL), which can serve as a model for implementation
of the more than 200 sites of the National Integrated Protected Areas System
(NIPAS).
The overall goal of the project under review is simply stated as “sustaining the MMPL
watershed using the integrated area development approach, developing viable community
enterprises, promoting multi-sectoral partnership, and enhancing community participation”
As implemented the project has the following features:
1) it addresses critical problems of watershed degradation and poverty of local
communities;
2) it uses the watershed, in this case Mt. Matutum, as planning area, which is a declared
protected area under the National Integrated Protected Areas System;
3) the project rationale is to support the growth of the SOCSARGEN Growth Area by
providing sustainable water supply for agriculture, industry, and domestic uses
40 P A C A P - A u s A I D : V o l 6. A R E A - F O C U S A P P R O A C H