DENR, JICA to focus on rehab of degraded forestlands
THE Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) have discussed anew the Forestland Management Project (FMP), reaffirming its continued partnership to strengthen forestland concerns in the country.
DENR and JICA have been working closely for the protection and conservation of the environment and natural resources for six decades.
Operating in more than 150 countries and regions world-wide, JICA is the sole Japanese government agency that implements official development assistance, providing technical cooperation, loans, and grants, to overcome challenges common in developing nations.
Last week, JICA Chief Representative to the Philippines Sakamoto Takema paid Loyzaga a courtesy visit at the Central Office in Quezon City where they talked about FMP that would improve livelihood and economic development for the country.
FMP is a joint DENR-JICA undertaking aimed at strengthening forestland management in three critical basins in the country – the Upper Magat and Cagayan, Pampanga and Jalur on Panay Island.
A 10-year project that started in 2012, FMP focused on rehabilitating degraded forestlands and improving the socioeconomic conditions of affected communities surrounding the three river basins.
During their meeting, Loyzaga said she and Takema also talked about other possible areas of cooperation for environmental protection, biodiversity conservation, climate change mitigation, and disaster risk reduction.
At the same time, Takema introduced JICA’s other environment-related projects and activities, such as the Pasig-Marikina River Channel Improvement Project, Flood Risk Management Project in various cities, and Disaster Risk Reduction and Management-Capacity Enhancement Project, among others.
FMP is employing collaborative and comprehensive community-based management strategies, such as empowering people’s organizations; securing land tenure rights; enterprise development for food security and income; and development, conservation, protection and sustainable use of forestland resources.
