PHILIPPINE WORKING GROUP (PWG) on promotion of localizing natural resource management (NRM) The Challenge of Sustainability: Local Government Initiatives in Carood Watershed Carood Watershed Management Council Bohol PWG-NRM Alliance Documentation Visit Report 7 to 9 August 2006 Environmental Science for Social Change With support from Voluntary Service Overseas (VSO)-Philippines and its program Sharing and Promotion of Awareness and Regional Knowledge (SPARK) in community-based natural resource management TABLE OF CONTENTS OVERVIEW..................................................................................................................3 FORMATION OF THE GROUP.................................................................................3 FOUNDATIONS OF THE GROUP.......................................................................................3 DESIGN OF THE GROUP..................................................................................................4 POINTS OF ENVIRONMENTAL DEGRADATION/RESOURCE BASE CONCERNS AND AGENDA.......................................................................................................................4 FUNCTION OF THE GROUP.....................................................................................5 NATURAL RESOURCE MANAGEMENT/LANDSCAPE FOCUS ...............................................5 LIVELIHOODS AND NATURAL RESOURCE MANAGEMENT .................................................6 OVERVIEW AND STRATEGY ..................................................................................6 POLICY TO IMPLEMENT .........................................................................................6 MECHANISMS TO ACTIVATE CHANGE ...............................................................7 VIEWS TO FUTURE DEVELOPMENT ....................................................................7 ESSC Project Team Project Manager: Mariel de Jesus Project assistance: Dallay Annawi, Myra Colis, Mars Tan, SJ Advisory support and inputs: Pedro Walpole, SJ, Sylvia Miclat ESSC-PWG Report: The challenge of sustainability, local government initiatives in Carood Watershed 2 Carood Watershed Management Council, Bohol, 7 to 9 August 2006 Overview The Carood Watershed Management Council (CWMC) is a consortium of six local government units within the Carood Watershed area in the province of Bohol. The six local government units are Candijay, Alicia, Mabini, Pilar, Ubay and Guindulman. Carood Watershed is ranked as the fifth largest of the 12 major watersheds in Bohol, yet it was not recognized or commonly known as a watershed in the past. Carood is not viewed critical on the national level, unlike the watersheds that service major dams, such as the Magat or Chico, or other watersheds that are subjects of Presidential Proclamations. Recently however, Carood has gained a certain level of prominence, partly because of the organization of the CWMC. CWMC is the first watershed council in Bohol. Because Carood is not a declared watershed and therefore not recognized as a protected area, the management of the watershed does not receive any money from the national government or DENR. The experience in the Carood Watershed has had positive impact on other watershed areas in Bohol. The Abatan and Loboc watersheds are also forming watershed management councils now. The provincial government is hoping to organize a province-wide network of these watershed management groups. Already, there is the Bohol Watershed Advisory Council (BOWAC), and although this was supposedly provincial in scope, but in reality the efforts are focused in the Loboc Watershed. BOWAC however is meant to be an interim group; the main objective is to organize the Bohol Network of Watershed Councils. The drive of the province to organize these management councils is largely a result of the CWMC initiative. At this point, the timing is right to take on the assessment of the CWMC, especially since the province is looking towards the development and organization of other management councils. This would be a good opportunity to see where the CWMC, the first council to be organized, is at this point and what factors are facilitating and hindering its ability to manage the resources within the watershed. Formation of the group Foundations of the Group Coastal municipalities within the Carood watershed experienced flooding. Mayor Camacho, then the Mayor of Candijay, invited ESSC to help them identify the causes of the flooding. ESSC originally entered into Candijay (adjacent to Alicia) to examine the problem they were experiencing with seasonal flooding. A large portion of the municipality of Candijay is located within the Carood Watershed. Using the watershed approach to analyze the problems of flooding and other environmental concerns, the LGU of Candijay realized that the problem could not be solved through their efforts alone. ESSC’s findings prompted the efforts to draw the municipalities together to work on environmental concerns within the Carood Watershed. Initially, ESSC invited six municipalities to a meeting to discuss common problems experienced in their areas. While ESSC played a facilitative role in terms of the municipalities meeting initially, the formation of the CWMC was not an ESSC initiative. Rather, it was an output of from ESSC-PWG Report: The challenge of sustainability, local government initiatives in Carood Watershed 3 Carood Watershed Management Council, Bohol, 7 to 9 August 2006 the discussion of the stakeholders involved. After the first meeting, the group agreed to continue to meet and organized the Carood Watershed Working Group. This was later transformed into the Carood Watershed Management Council, a more formal body with a legal personality. Design of the group The council is composed of the local chief executives of the six municipalities, the six municipal planning development coordinators, six Chairs of SB Committees on Environment and Agriculture, six municipal agricultural officers, a representative each from DENR and from BEMO (Bohol Environment Management Office), the presidents of NGOs with environmental programs in Carood, presidents of POs with CBNRMP within Carood watershed. Key stakeholders signed an MOU to establish their commitment. An Executive Order was sought by the group, and issued by Hon. Erico B. Aumentado on 2 September 2003, creating the CWMC. While provincial government recognizes and endorses the CWMC, they are not at present registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). It is as yet not clear if they have plans to pursue such registration. The council is well-represented by the six LGUs, the Bohol provincial government, and the other stakeholders in the six municipalities. However, the full council is composed of about 30 members. This is quite a large number, which may be difficult to convene. This may have caused some of the problems in getting adequate attendance in meetings, and may have hampered the decision-making process of the council. It may be helpful to have a smaller group, one that is perhaps more easily mobilized – a core group or a board of directors – that has set powers and responsibilities to make the urgent and important decisions. Perhaps the members could be involved in a review of the structure of the council such that there can be a clearer understanding of their roles and responsibilities. A well-organized council would also help for the better planning and organization of activities. The board composition and organization should allow for equal representation and active participation from both the LGUs and the POs/NGOs. Points of Environmental Degradation/Resource base concerns and agenda The common problems experienced by the municipalities within the Carood watershed are: seasonal flooding in agricultural areas (particularly in Alicia, Candijay and Mabini), forest plantation fires, unsustainable farming practices and improper waste disposal, contamination of water sources, erosion, siltation, destructive fishing practices, over- extraction of sand and gravel (resulting in destabilization of river banks, unauthorized expansion or abandonment of fishpond areas, oil palm plantations, underutilization of land, outdated land use data, resource management area conflicts, and natural resource management capability building concerns for communities. In terms of economics, those living in the downstream areas noticed that fish catch was declining, and even agricultural harvests were low. Social development is also still a challenge, with most communities still dealing with the difficulties of accessing safe, potable water and good farm-to-market roads. Appropriate irrigation facilities also still need to be established. Communities are marginalized in terms of decision-making, and boundary disputes among municipalities hamper development in these areas. ESSC-PWG Report: The challenge of sustainability, local government initiatives in Carood Watershed 4 Carood Watershed Management Council, Bohol, 7 to 9 August 2006 Function of the group Natural resource management/Landscape focus Carood Watershed spans 20,479 hectares in six municipalities in the eastern part of the Bohol province. It comprises 97% of the total land area of Alicia, 50% of the Candijay, 23% of Ubay and smaller portions of Mabinin, Pilar and Guindulman. Carood is a significant water source for residents in the catchments; it is the fifth largest watershed in Bohol. At least 100,000 households depend on its waters. One thing though that needs to be clarified is how