Common Land, Common Water: Panay Island Perspective on Watersheds

1. Common Land, Common Water: Panay Island Perspective on Watersheds

2. A project presentation to the Foundation for Philippine EnvironmentBy Kahublagan sang PanimalayFndMarch 14, 2012, Iloilo Business Hotel, Iloilo City

3. Contents • Project objectives • Description of the Panay Island • Activities • Provincial watershed summits • Panay Island Watershed Summit • Panay Island Watershed Framework Plan • Institutional arrangements • Case Studies • The next Panay Island Watershed Summit

4. Objectives

5. Objectives of the Panay Island Watershed Summit • For stakeholders to see • The urgency of protecting fresh water supply, • Understand the link between water supply and the watershed • To be aware of the state of the ecological functioning of the • Forest ecosystem, • Agricultural land ecosystem • Coastal ecosystem • Settlement areas’ ecosystem • Riparian zone ecosystem • To facilitate commitments to action programs and the strengthening of watershed councils.

6. Project location: Panay Island

8. Biodiversity Status • Forest cover of Panay Island is only 13% • Of this forest cover, 2% is considered protection forest, 34% production forest1 • Threatened species in important biodiversity areas of Panay Island2: • Threat of all forest forms, 30% of total number of perpetofauna species (100 species) • Threatened 20 to 23 species of amphibians, 13% are endemics • Threatened 77 species of reptiles • Of the 236 species of birds, 47% endemic, 16 are threatened. • Of the 31` species of mammals, 10/11 endemic, 5/6 are threatened; 1 severely declining, 1 seriously threatened.

9. Issues • Poverty in the upland which is translated into the unsustainable use of resources in protected areas. • Land slides affecting settlements in the upland and the lowland. • Unsettled issues on claims of indigenous communities. • Unsustainable agriculture in the upland. • Reforestation program involving thousands of hectares of plantation of exotic species, while legally allowed as production forest, the plantation affect water supply and degrade soil which contributes to massive soil erosion and river pollution.3 • Hundreds of hectares of continuous agricultural plantation of bamboos in forest reserves intended to be part of production forests, contributes to soil degradation and massive soil erosion and river pollution4. • Flooding downstream

11. Threats from Climate Change • Freshwater resources will shrink because • 20% decrease in rainfall but increase in intensity • Temperature will increase by 3% and will increase evaporation and evapotranspiration • More frequent and persistent El Nino and La Nina episodes • Flooding will increase in depth, frequency and intensity • More severe landslides, massive erosion, poor soils • Groundwater will be affected • Problems of salt intrusion • Poor quality of groundwater • Increased humidity • that will alter distribution of pest and diseases • Will increase cloud cover, decreasing photosynthesis • More forest fires

12. By Godillano, Esteban

13. Some safe spots (green) on Panay Island By Godillano, Esteban

14. Important Biodiversity Areas • Sibalom Natural Park, Sibalom, Antique • Northwest Panay Peninsula Natural Park, Antique and Aklan • Aklan Watershed Forest Reserve, Aklan • Jalaur River Watershed Forest Reserve, Iloilo • Dalanas Watershed Forest Reserve, AntiqueMaasin Watershed Forest Reserve, Maasin, Iloilo • Bulabog Puti0an Natural Park, Dingle, San Enrique, Iloilo • Panay River Watershed Forest Reserve, Tapaz, Capiz • Ex-situ conservation programs

15. Rice Production – from NIA VI

16. Groundwater There are some concerns on the water quantity and quality in Panay Island, particularly caused by increasing population in Iloilo City. MGB, Report made Aug 2011

17. ACTIVITIES

18. AKLAN WATERSHED SUMMIT

19. Aklan Watersheds Stakeholders’ Summit, April 13, 2011 • At the Gov CLC Tourism & Training Center, Kalibo, Aklan • Convened by the Aklan Rivers Development Council • 81 participants attended led by Vice Governor Gabrielle Calizo-Quimpo • Issues raised by Vice Governor Quimpo: • Boracay beach lines being eaten by the rising tide • Danger of isolating New Washington and making it an island • Erosion eating bridge connecting towns with the mainland • Erosion which closed the mouth of Alimbo River and creating flood in the town of Nabas

20. ANTIQUE WATERSHED SUMMIT

21. Antique Watershed Summit, April 12, 2011 • Femos Centrosphere, Atabay, San Jose Antique • Convened by the Antique Provincial Development Council, chaired by the Governor, as a PPDC meeting for the period. • Presentation of the watershed projects and their descriptions • Presentation of the Sibalom Watershed Case Study, including a stakeholders’ analysis • Introduction of the concept and principles of the new generation of watershed management • Watershed Management Laws and policies • Planning Workshop

22. CAPIZ WATERSHED MGT WORKSHOP

23. CapizWatershed Management Workshop, held June 22, 2011, at the Hall of Governors, Provincial capitol, Roxas City • Convened by the Capiz Sustainable Development Council chaired by the Governor. • Participants – 30, the 8 watersheds of the province were all represented (from DENR and from LGU, MENRO) • Meeting was chaired by the chairperson of the Environment Committee of the SanggunihangPanlalawigan • Ridge-to –reef issues of the watershed were identified and included in the report for the summit.

24. ILOILO WATERSHED SUMMIT

25. Watershed Summit was conducted June 7, 2011 • At the Punta Villa Resort, Sto Nino Sur, Arevalo, Iloilo City • There were 91 participants coming from 23 watersheds of the province, 9 panelists. • Eleven watershed plans were presented and critiqued by the panelists • Issues identified were based on the four ecosystems, classified into physical, socio-economic, legal institutional and cultural/political.

26. The Panay Island Watershed Summit: from ridge to reef

27. The Panay Island Watershed Summit was conducted on August 4, 2011 at the Iloilo Grand Hotel, Iloilo City • State of the Watersheds Address (SOWA) for each province were given by : • Atty Allen Quimpo, Executive Director, Aklan Rivers DevtCouncilj • Hon Victor Condes, chair Environment Com, SP of Antique • Hon Eduardo M. Magallanes, Chair Environment Com SP of Capiz • Hon Jett Rojas, member, Environment Com, SP of Iloilo • 139 participants came from the four provinces of Panay Island as delegates to draft the Panay Island Framework Plan

28. Guest Speakers providing additional input to the delegates: • Dr. Vicente Tuddao, Executive Director, River Basin Control Office, DENR on Managing land and water in the river basin • Director Larry Nacionales, Regional Dirctor of DA, Region VI on the convergence of services in the river basin. • Atty Danny Villanueva, Chairperson, Foundation for Philippine Environment, on legal basis for LGUs involvement in the watershed • Mr. Melvin Purzuelo, GIZ Forest and Climate Protection of Panay, for protecting the forest of Panay Island MESSAGES from • Hon. Arthur Defensor, Governor, province of Iloilo • Hon. Carlito S. Marquez, Governor, province of Aklan

29. The Island Framework Plan

30. THE FOREST ZONE Issues • Deforestation and forest denudation • Titling of timberlands • Unregulated fuel wood gathering (charcoal making) • Mining explorations • Lack of training/IEs for the upland residents • Poverty Commitment to doable actions • Formulation of a forest land use plan in the municipality and for the MENRO and the community to implement compliance and strict implementation of forest laws. • Let the community protect the whole forest as their source of livelihood by{ • Expansion of primary forest through rain-forestation • Expansion of agro-forestry areas as the buffer zone of the primary forest • Allocation of each barangay for a wood lot for a sustainable charcoal production area • Construction of access roads in buffer zones • Continuous information, education and communication • Stop/ recommend cancellation of titles in the timberland • Total moratorium on mining.

31. THE AGRICULTURAL LAND Issues • Sustainability and low productivity of land due to excessive use of inorganic fertilizers and chemicals leading to higher production cost and decreasing yield in the long run. • Little knowledge and low awareness, in general, of appropriate technologies available to help address the issue of sustainability. • As a consequence, agricultural lands are converted to other uses. Commitment to doable actions • The local government, to assess existing programs to address sustainability issues. • Organic agriculture with soil and water protection, shall be the major thrust of the local governments on the island. • Panay Island agriculture should adopt the initiatives and indicators of the DA-DENR-DAR convergence project. • Review effort and compliance on adoption and implementation of the Comprehensive Land Use Plan.

32. THE BUILT-UP / SETTLEMENT AREAS / URBAN & RURAL Issues • Encroachment or settlement in forest areas and water ways • Ineffective implementation of the solid waste and liquid waste program • Non-attention to disaster-prone areas and non-intervention for communities in these areas • Uneducated consumption Commitment to Doable Action • Enhancement and updating of CLUP • Information, education campaign for values transformation • Passing of ordinance to support solid waste management including piloting barangays for waste segregation • Identification of hazard prone areas and initiating action programs with the community. • Promote local economy in the island

33. THE COASTAL and RIPARIAN ZONES issues: • Poor implementation of fishery laws such as illegal fishing, construction of illegal structures in the waterways and unmanaged utilization of the mangrove forest. • Inadequate vegetation of upper and mid-watershed and degraded land which led to the increase of silt and pollution in the coastal and marine waters. • Inadequate data and information

34. Commitment to doable actions: • appoint PENROs and MENROs to focus on protection of the coastal zone and land issues. • Pass and implement laws/ordinances for coastal waters protection including laws relative to soil protection that destroys fish habitat with massive erosion. • Look into the success story of Kalibo mangroves which are now being pruned for charcoal brisket with permit from DENR and with a certification for sustainable mangrove forest management plan. • The provinces also committed to share, consolidate, and update data to improve implementation of the coastal protection/ resource conservation laws.

35. Institutional Arrangements

36. Aklan River Development Council

37. Antique Provincial Development CouncilEnvironment Committee • Libertad Rivers Watershed • Pandan Rivers Watershed • SebasteRivers Watershed • Culasi Rivers Watershed • TibiaoRivers Watershed • DalanasRivers Watershed • Laua-an Rivers Watershed • PaliuanWatershed • CangarananWatershed • Patnongon Rivers Watershed • Sibalom River Basin • San Jose Rivers Watershed • Hamtic Rivers Watershed • Dao Rivers Watershed • Anini-y Rivers Watershed

38. Capiz Sustainable Development Council

39. Iloilo Watershed Management Council

40. Case Studies • AklanRivers Watershed by Reylourd Aragon • Sibalom-San Jose River Watershed by MarilouLlavan • Pan-ay River Basin by Edwin Borja and Yvette Andion • Tigum-Aganan Watershed by Jessica Calfoforo Salas

41. The next Panay Island Watershed Summit • April 22, 2012 in Kalibo, Aklan to be hosted by the Aklan River Development Council. – in celebration of Earth Day 2012 and the founding of the province of Aklan • As proposed by AttyAllenQuimpo, Executive Director of the Aklan River Development Council and approved by Governor Carlito S. Marquez.

42. Foot notes • 1 Dalawis, Arelene, “DENR Initiatives on Environmental Protection in Panay and Guimaras Islands”, Stakeholders’ Workshop for the Environmental Baseline Study of Panay and Guimaras Islands.Kahublagan sang PanimalayFnd, HaribonFnd, UNDP/SGP/GEF, Iloilo City Dec 6 and 7, 2007. • 2 Paalan, Renee B. (Siliman University), “An Assessment of the Threatened Species of Negros-Panay, Philippines.” Ibid. • 3 Miller, C. Et al, Tigum-Aganan Watershed Management Project, Part 1: Exploring vulnerability to climate change, January 2010. CSIRO-AusAID Alliance Project. Iloilo City, 2010 • 4 Interview with Mr. Reyes, soil specialist, Bureau of Soil & Water Management, July, 2010.

43. Footnotes page 2 • Godilano, Esteban, “Spatial Impact of climae change in the Philippines: Challenges and Opportunities for food and water security” presented to NAPC, 2010.