By Danny O. Calleja
LIGAO CITY, July 12 (PNA) -– This young Bicol city is taking steps towards wise forest management and squarely allocating to proper use its forestlands.
“Ours is an agriculture-based city, making the local forest resources an important component of our economy.
This is why we are in the process of formulating our new Forest Land Use Plan (FLUP) which will be incorporated with the city’s Comprehensive Land Use Plans (CLUP),” City Mayor Patricia Gonzalez-Alsua over the weekend told the Philippines New Agency.
The Department of Environment and Natural Resources’ (DENR) regional office for Bicol based in Legazpi City, in partnership with the Deutsche Geselschaft fur Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) and supported by the office of Albay third district Rep. Fernando Gonzalez, is helping the city realize this goal, she said.
The GIZ is a German organization that specializes in international development involving a variety of fields like economic and employment; government and poverty reduction; education and social security; environment and infrastructure; and agriculture, fisheries and food.
The DENR’s regional forest land use team, along with GIZ experts, the city mayor said, recently conducted a three-day workshop on forest land use planning that was participated in by city and village officials, community representatives and other local stakeholders.
It was conducted in line with the national and local governments’ forest land use program aimed at formulating new local policies that will be implemented to ensure proper utilization of forest areas, protection of its natural resources and biodiversity conservation.
According to DENR Bicol Regional Director for Bicol Gilbert Gonzales based in Legazpi City, the conduct of the workshop was in conformity with existing laws and in order to train local government units (LGUs) in developing a sound basis for managing their forest and forest land assets.
This management system can be done through the establishment of the best areas of these lands and allocate them to responsible resource managers under different forms of tenure, he said.
“One government strategy seen to save our people from the ill effects of climate change and help in food sufficiency is planning for the sustainable use of our forests and its resources. Our forests should be protected, developed and secured not only for the present but also for the future generations. So LGUs must have their FLUPs for incorporation in their CLUPs,” the DENR regional chief said.
The FLUP, Gonzales explained, serves as guide in managing the forest resources and the watersheds of every municipality to ensure biodiversity conservation, food and livelihood security and climate change mitigation.
This is also consistent with the DENR’s ridge to reef management approach wherein protection, conservation and development programs from the uplands to the lowlands or from the mountains to the seas are harmonized considering the interrelationships and interdependence of all the ecosystems in the environment.
State of the uplands will certainly affect the state of the lowland areas, he stressed.
“Through the FLUP that the city is preparing, the town folk see the forest for the trees. They learn to appreciate the full impact of their rehabilitation activities. They envision to have lush greenery, abundant supply of water and forest goods that could sustain the needs of their communities”, Gonzales said.
The preparation of the FLUPs is mandated in Executive Order No 318 signed on June 9, 2004, entitled “Promoting Sustainable Forest Management Act in the Philippines”, stating that “Forest land use plans shall be incorporated by LGUS in their CLUPs and national government agencies shall assist LGUs in this endeavor.”
Alzua said the new policies that will be formulated by the city government following the workshop are necessary for a sustainable economic growth, in harmony with the growing number of population, expanding land use conversion and massive globalization, according to Alsua.
“I was impressed by the active participation of all the hundreds of people who took part in the workshop which showed their overwhelming concern over our forest resources that serve as the lifeline of our highly agricultural economy,” she said.
During the workshop, the city government was oriented on the process of FLUP formulation wherein it will be assisted by the DENR in generating thematic maps and watershed delineation using the Geographical Information System (GIS), Alsua said.
The city, whose LGU category was elevated from a first class municipality to what it is now 14 years ago, is geographically located in the center of Albay’s third congressional district.
It covers a total land area of 24,600 hectares occupied by 55 barangays, 18 of which sit in rural upland areas, 23 in the rural lowland, 11 within the urban center and three along the coastline of Burias Pass.
About 19,500 hectares of this or more than 79 percent of the city’s total land area is devoted to agriculture, making the local economy 80 percent anchored on farm production activities.
The entire city is bounded on its southern and south eastern sections by verdant mountain ranges, including the exciting Kawa-kawa Hill that features a lush green growth serving as a tourist attraction.
On its north side are more mountainous terrains covered by the thickly vegetated lower slope and foot of Mt. Mayon and Mt. Masaraga, an equally verdant peak from where most of the city’s water supply for farm irrigation and household uses emanates.
According to Rep. Gonzalez, as much as possible, all the seven LGUs covered by the district he represents in Congress should have their respective FLUP at once so that the protection, conservation and wise utilization of the area’s forest resources becomes a concerted undertaking among them. (PNA)