A STRATEGIC APPROACH TO THE MANAGEMENT AND CONSERVATION OF SELECTED WATERSHEDS IN MINDANAO By Urooj Malik A DISSERTATION Presented to the Department of Sustainable Development Management program at Selinus University Faculty of Life & Earth Science in fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Sustainable Development Management 2020 ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS First and foremost, I wish to express my deepest thanks to my wife Sylvia Regina Araneta. Her patience, strong support and encouragement were invaluable throughout the considerable time that I spent researching and collecting information, going away from time to time on road shows to present the findings of the research to the leaders and communities in Mindanao as well as elsewhere in the Philippines, and writing the dissertation into the late hours of the night. My profound thanks also go to my brother in law, John Perrine, for affording me the opportunity to be associated with Hineleban Foundation and sharing his deep knowledge of nature and people of the island of Mindanao. As a result, I was able to live, learn, and refresh my memory about rivers, soils and ecosystems, while spending time in the foothills of the sacred mountain, Mount Kitanglad, and traveling to several other parts of the conflict-affected island of Mindanao to expand my knowledge. In addition, I am grateful to the following persons: The President of Selinus University Dr. Fava Salvatore of the Selinus University for his support; my adviser, Dr. Jo Kashim for his advice and guidance; my panel members from Selinus University for their useful comments; my fellow colleagues from Hineleban Foundation, especially Dr. Norma Llemit and Mr. Rovie Banzon for helping me with data collection and mapping of critical zones, respectively; and, last not least, to Mr. Rex Toledo for assisting me with editing and formatting of the dissertation. iii Most of all, I thank the All Mighty for giving me the chance to acquire further knowledge and wisdom through new learning, and to have the patience, resilience and the perseverance to complete this piece of work under His overall protection, guidance and direction. Urooj Malik May 2020 The Philippines ABSTRACT TITLE OF RESEARCH : A STRATEGIC APPROACH TO THE MANAGEMENT AND CONSERVATION OF SELECTED WATERSHEDS IN MINDANAO AUTHOR : UROOJ MALIK DEGREE CONFERRED : DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY (Ph.D.) MAJOR: SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT MANAGEMENT FACULTY : LIFE AND EARTH SCIENCES INSTITUTION : SELINUS UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCES AND LITERATURE, VIA POMPEO SCIPIONE DOLFI, 4, 94277, BOLOGNA, BO, ITALY YEAR WRITTEN : 2020 5 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: The Philippine watershed ecosystem is in the grip of a complex, multidimensional crisis that has five main features: a highly degraded environment, decades of watershed mismanagement, extreme vulnerability to a host of environmental threats, low agricultural productivity coupled with rapid population growth, all exacerbated by climate change. This study focuses on selected watersheds in Bukidnon and Lanao del Sur in north-central Mindanao. These watersheds are of strategic importance to the whole of Mindanao because they are the headwaters from which six major rivers that flow to the surrounding provinces and regions originate. They are centrally located in the high mountain ranges that are the dominant feature of Bukidnon and Lanao del Sur. The rivers that emanate from them flow in a north and south axis and drain into four major bays to the north and south of the island of Mindanao. These rivers sustain much of the agricultural and commercial activity in the areas they traverse and have been the nucleus from which now thriving highly urbanized coastal settlements such as the cities of Cagayan de Oro and Iligan grew. Their strategic importance is illustrated further by Mindanao’s dependence on hydropower for electricity generation. However, full economic development is stymied by insufficient power supply that leads to lengthy power outages during the dry season. Based on this crisis situation, plus a consideration of the current laws and government agencies involved in watershed management, as well as a survey of the 6 approaches used by various organizations, this study proposes a strategic approach to the management and conservation of the six selected watersheds in the mountain ranges of Bukidnon and Lanao del Sur. The urgency of carrying out this management and conservation program cannot be emphasized enough. In December 2011, the watershed crisis situation was chillingly illustrated when the super typhoon “Sendong” disaster struck the cities of Cagayan de Oro and Iligan. The Sendong disaster is only the most recent and most ominous warning sign that things are likely to get worse. The long-term challenges of effectively managing our ecosystems, including the threat of climate change impacts, must be addressed now and with a higher degree of dedication and passion. The nature of watershed management and conservation is complex and its full benefits can be realized only after a long gestation period. Hence, there is a higher sense of urgency, and this may well be our last fighting chance before the ill effects of the watershed crisis become irreversible. The strategic approach calls for a long-term, sustainable rainforestation program in the watersheds located in the upper river basins of Bukidnon and Lanao del Sur that would avoid the pitfalls and shortcomings of other programs attempted previously. The strategic approach encompasses the following key features: Strong regional and local government ownership and support, in coordination with the national and international agencies; Community leadership and ownership, and the prospects for increasing private sector participation; 7 Provision of long-term livelihood and marketing opportunities for Indigenous People and Moro (Muslim) communities living in and around the buffer zones of the mountain ranges; Use of best practices in agroforestry and sustainable natural resource management; Application of state of the art geographic information systems (GIS) technology; Initiatives for ensuring that longer-term capacity-building and project management efforts will be set in place; and Formulation of long-term “road map” through the preparation of a strategic action plan for a rainforestation program in the upper river basins and watersheds. The study discusses and illustrates these features for ensuring longer-term sustainability of a rainforestation program based on the strategic approach, including the use of tested management tools such as a Strengths-Weaknesses- Opportunities-Threats (SWOT) Analysis and Kotter’s Eight Phases of Managing Change, and sets forth specific recommendations. The recommendations have fundamental, far-reaching effects that are necessary if any rainforestation strategy is to succeed. The recommendations, among others, include: The use of the watershed as the basic planning unit, not political boundaries; 8 Widespread engagement with the communities and private sector for promoting the implementation of a payment for environmental services scheme; The use of Calliandra or other similar species to tackle Cogon and Talahib grasses in order to combat grass fires and prepare the soil for the re- introduction of native tree species; Adequate funding over the long run that will ensure project sustainability and the assurance of long-term livelihood opportunities for the mountain forest communities; and The enhancement of the Government’s current National Greening Program to fund a true rainforestation in the watersheds of the upper river basins. Implementation of the strategic approach to the rainforestation of selected watersheds in Bukidnon and Lanao del Sur shall stabilize the hydrological cycle, increase availability of water for irrigation, hydroelectric power and human consumption, and enhance carbon absorption capacity – thereby also mitigating the ever-growing threat of climate change. Without a serious and concerted effort to implement the strategic approach on an urgent basis, the watershed ecosystem crisis situation will only progressively worsen at a faster pace with a gathering and looming danger for another Sendong to strike without notice. Chances are that, considering the worsening situation of mountain ranges and watersheds, the next one is likely to be a “big one” with even more devastating impact on infrastructure, agriculture and human life. 9 DEDICATION IN MEMORY OF MY BELOVED LATE PARENTS, BEGUM AFZAL MALIK AND MR. GHULAM MOHAMMAD (GM) MALIK 10 TABLE OF CONTENTS Acknowledgements .................................................................................. ii Abstract and Executive Summary ............................................................ 4 List of Tables ........................................................................................... 13 List of Figures .......................................................................................... 14 Acronyms and Abbreviations……………………………………… ... 16 Chapter I: The Problem and its Setting................................................... 19 1.1 Introduction ...................................................................... 19 1.2 Statement of the Problem……………………………… 24 1.3 Setting of the Study .......................................................... 27 1.4 Conceptual Framework .................................................... 28 1.5 Scope and Limitation of the Study…………………… . 29 1.6 Significance of the Study……………………………… 30 1.7 Definition of Terms……………………………………