Staff of the Municipal Environment and Natural Resource Office of Cauayan plant Dao and Miagos along a section of riverbank.
In the Ilog-Hilabangan River Basin (IHRB) in Negros Island, 15 local government units (LGUs) [the municipalities of Candoni, Cauayan, and Ilog and the cities of Himamaylan, Kabankalan and Sipalay in Negros Occidental and the municipalities of Jimalalud, Ayungon, Tayasan, Manjuyod, Bindoy, and Mabinay and the cities of Bayawan, Bais, and Tanjay in Negros Oriental] implement ecosystem-based adaptation (EbA) to address the flooding and landslide risks faced by vulnerable local communities. As partners of the Ecosystem-based Adaptation in 2 River Basins (E2RB) Project, these LGUs are planning to establish local conservation areas (LCA) and carry out rainforestation and riverbank stabilization programs using native tree species such as Dao (Dracontomelon dao) and Miagos (Osmoxylon lineare), which is a bush endemic to Negros.
The municipalities of Candoni, Cauayan, and Mabinay and the city of Sipalay have signed local subsidy agreements with the E2RB Project. The four LGUs in Negros Occidental focus on developing LCAs as part of their local climate change adaptation plan. They have implemented a series of project orientation and trained Community-Based Environmental Law Enforcers. The establishment of LCAs starts with site and resource assessments, community mapping, and consultations to determine management zones. The results will undergo validation with different stakeholders. These steps are required for the issuance of an executive order (EO) for LCA development and management. The EO will also create the LCA Management Council.
The E2RB Project, with support from the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection (BMUV) through the International Climate Initiative (IKI), works with the DENR to implement EbA measures in the Ilog-Hilabangan and Tagum-Libuganon River Basins and to create awareness of ecosystem services values and EbA among national and local stakeholders. (GIZ-E2RB/ Dolores Nuevas)
