Volume 1 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Integrated Bicol River Basin Management and Development Master Plan July 2015 With Technical Assistance from: Orient Integrated Development Consultants, Inc. Formulation of an Integrated Bicol River Basin Management and Development Master plan Table of Contents 1.0 INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................ 1 2.0 KEY FEATURES AND CHARACTERISTICS OF THE BICOL RIVER BASIN ........................... 1 3.0 ASSESSMENT OF EXISTING SITUATION ........................................................................ 3 4.0 DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITIES AND CHALLENGES ................................................... 9 5.0 VISION, GOAL, OBJECTIVES AND STRATEGIES ........................................................... 10 6.0 INVESTMENT REQUIREMENTS ................................................................................... 17 7.0 ECONOMIC ANALYSIS ................................................................................................. 20 8.0 ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT OF PROPOSED PROJECTS ....................................... 20 Vol 1: Executive Summary i | Page Formulation of an Integrated Bicol River Basin Management and Development Master plan 1.0 INTRODUCTION The Bicol River Basin (BRB) has a total land area of 317,103 hectares and covers the provinces of Albay, Camarines Sur and Camarines Norte. The basin plays a significant role in the development of the region because of the abundant resources within it and the ecological services it provides to support the livelihood of communities. About 77% of the basin area or 243,800 hectares are cultivated agricultural lands. Its rivers and lakes provide irrigation water to these agricultural lands, apart from being used for fishing. The forests and forestlands, including protected areas, contain rich biodiversity resources and non‐timber products, which are used as raw materials for handicrafts. These forestlands are the head waters of the major rivers and tributaries of the BRB, which are sources of water for irrigation, domestic use and power generation. The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) identified the BRB as one of the 18 priority river basins in the country for which comprehensive management and development master plans are to be formulated following the integrated watershed resources management (IWRM) approach. This planning framework ensures that the situation in the basin is viewed in a holistic manner and that the interconnections between upstream and downstream activities are taken into account. IWRM provides the context for harmonizing individual and collective resource management actions of various stakeholders and for improving the overall governance system for the river basin. 2.0 KEY FEATURES AND CHARACTERISTICS OF THE BICOL RIVER BASIN The Bicol River Basin (BRB) is drained by two major rivers. These are the Bicol River and the Libmanan River, which meet near Aslong, Libmanan before they finally empty into the San Miguel Bay. Based on the topographically delineated watershed divide, 43 local government units (LGUs) are situated wholly or partially within the Bicol River Basin. For management purposes, the entire Sub‐Basins within the Bicol River Basin BRB was divided by the Department of Area Sub‐Basin % Share Environment and Natural Resources (hectares) (DENR) into eight sub‐basins. Libmanan‐Pulantuna 74,416 23% Naga‐Yabo 8,840 3% Close to 81% of the areas within the BRB Naporog 10,812 3% are relatively flat; only 3,297 hectares of Pawili 39,441 12% Quinali 59,550 19% the BRB are situated in elevations above Ragay Hills 52,393 17% 1,000 meters above sea level. The highest Thiris 27,687 9% altitude is the peak of Mt. Mayon, which Waras‐Lalo 43,964 14% is about 2,500 meters above sea level. TOTAL 317,103 100% The Bicol River Basin falls under three climate types: (a) no dry season with very pronounced rainfall from November to January (for the upper portion of the BRB); (b) rainfall more or less evenly distributed throughout the year (for the central strip); and (c) season not very pronounced dry from November to April and wet during the rest of the year (for the lower portion). The river basin also lies within the main typhoon belt of the Philippines and as such, experiences frequent tropical storms and typhoons. Vol 1: Executive Summary 1 | Page Formulation of an Integrated Bicol River Basin Management and Development Master plan Geomorphologic Map of the Bicol River Basin Source: Nippon Koei Inc., 2003 Vol 1: Executive Summary 2 | Page Formulation of an Integrated Bicol River Basin Management and Development Master plan The BRB’s geomorphology is controlled by the distribution of the major geologic formations, which allows it to be naturally divided into the Volcanic Terrain, the Bicol Plain and the Sedimentary Terrain. The eastern rim is bounded by a line of volcanoes of which one, the Mayon Volcano is active. Geological and Meteorological Hazards The hazards that can potentially affect the Bicol River Basin fall under the following categories: hydrologic, volcanic, earthquake‐induced, coastal‐related, mass movement, and typhoons. Flooding is the most pervasive hydrologic hazard that threatens the entire Bicol Plain. This hazard is attributed to the combined effect of the regular passage of typhoons, high runoff in the surrounding Volcanic and Sedimentary Terrains and the natural low elevation of the Bicol Plain. The projected flooded area in the BRB for a one‐in‐five‐year return period is estimated to cover 42,124 hectares. This is expected to increase to 50,402 hectares or 16% of the BRB area in a one‐in‐25‐year return period of flooding, affecting significant areas of settlements and agricultural lands, particularly irrigated rice lands. The volcanic hazards include ash fall, pyroclastic and lava flows, earthquakes and lahar or mud flows. These hazards are generally limited around the vicinity of the active Mayon Volcano. Earthquake‐induced hazards include ground rupture, ground shaking, tsunamis and liquefaction. Coastal hazards comprise of tsunamis, storm surges and erosion. The areas susceptible to mass movements or landslides correspond to the upper slopes of the volcanic centers and the edges of the sedimentary terrain; about 51,750 hectares (16% of BRB area) are susceptible to landslide within the BRB. An average of 20 tropical cyclones also pass through the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR) every year. BRB has a 21‐30% typhoon occurrence. 3.0 ASSESSMENT OF EXISTING SITUATION Ecosystems, Resources and Uses The existing ecosystems and resources in the BRB as identified from ridge to reef comprise of the following: (1) land resources consisting of forests and forestlands, protected areas (PA), cultivated agricultural lands and settlements and built‐ up areas; (2) surface and ground water resources including rivers and lakes; and (3) mangroves, marshlands, wetlands and coastal resources. Land Resources About 83% (262,246 hectares) of the total land area of BRB are classified as alienable and disposable (A and D) while 12% or 38,232 hectares are forestlands and 4% (12,120 hectares) are protected areas. The A and D lands are generally titled, privately‐owned and used for agriculture, settlements and for other commercial and industrial purposes. Most of the cultivated agricultural lands are located in Libmanan‐ Pulantuna, Quinali and Ragay Hills sub‐ basins. Key economic crops where the basin has comparative advantage in terms of agro‐ ecological conditions include rice, coconut, coffee, cacao, pili nut, and citrus. In addition, Vol 1: Executive Summary 3 | Page Formulation of an Integrated Bicol River Basin Management and Development Master plan there are a number of valuable non‐timber forest products, notably abaca, with the Bicol Region being one of the main sources for this fiber. The forestlands and protected areas, which cover the higher slopes of Mt. Labo, Mt. Isarog, Mt. Malinao, Mt. Masaraga, Mt. Iriga, Mt. Mayon, Ragay Hills and Bicol National Park contain the remaining 10,175 hectares of closed forests and the 18,310 hectares of open forests in the river basin, including their associated biodiversity resources. The vegetation types generally consist of grasslands, lowland dipterocarp forests, and montane forests with small patches of mossy forests in higher elevations. A comparison of the 2003 and 2010 land cover map of the BRB indicates that closed canopy forests has increased by 83% from 5,576 hectares to 10,175 hectares. However, in the same period, about 5,636 hectares of open canopy forests were also lost, indicating that some of the open forests in 2003 have developed into closed canopy forests with about 1,037 hectares lost to other lower quality vegetation. Land Cover within the Bicol River Basin, 2010 About 35% of the forestlands covering 13,527 hectares are already CADT and Land Cover (2010) Grand Total % of BRB tenured lands. CADT lands are 6,491 Annual Crop 123,860 39% Built‐up 8,721 3% hectares while 7,036 hectares are Closed Forest 10,178 3% community‐based forest management Fishpond 149 0.05% agreements. At least four protected areas Grassland 6,881 2% are located in the BRB: Bicol National Park, Inland Water 7,282 2% Mt. Isarog Natural Park, Mayon Volcano Mangrove Forest 2,106 1% Marshland/Swamp 378 0.1% Natural Park, and Libmanan Caves Natural Open Forest 18,304 6% Park. These protected areas hold Open/Barren 689 0% hundreds of terrestrial species of wildlife Perennial Crop 119,939