Hon. Cristina E. Bosque Mayor Municipality of Polillo Location Map, Polillo Group of Islands Located off the central east coast of Luzon Island in Quezon province, and comprises of 27 small islands and islets, politically subdivided in 5 municipalities namely Polillo, Burdeos, Panukulan, Patnanungan and Jomalig, covering a total land area of about 82,618 hectares. Why Polillo Group of Islands One of the Key Biodiversity Areas in the Philippines: • Endemic Bird Area • Important Bird Area 2. How LCAs were established in the Polillo and other municipalities LCA declaration process LCA maps within Polillo Group of Islands 3. Actions that had been undertaken for LCA management • Formation of five Bantay Kalikasan groups with a cumulative member totaling to 140 volunteers. • Federation of Bantay Kalikasan Associations within Polillo Islands • Surveyed 109 kilometers as part of the LCA delineation process and established 491 monuments covering more than 7000 hectares of dipterocarp forest in the island • Establishment of 130 hectares Habitat Restoration (HR) sites covering denuded forest ecosystem within LCAs using Assisted Natural Regeneration (ANR) and AgroForestry (AgF) strategies Initial formation of the network • The 5 LCAMC overseeing management of the 10 LCA clusters within Polillo Islands converge to form initial network to direction conservation initiatives across municipalities. • Done through the initial formation of the Polillo Group of Islands Environment Management Council (PGIEMC) during the 1st Polillo Group of Islands Biodiversity Summit held at Binakayan Cawit Cavite from October 10-12, 2012. • The 5 LGUs through their executive and legislative leaders committed develop the Polillo Islands Biodiversity Conservation Strategic Action Plan (PGIBCSAP). LCA Development Key Features, Insights, Lessons Learned 1) Sound scientific basis is one of the key elements in developing and implementing appropriate and effective site-focused conservation initiatives. 2) Translating technical information to popular forms of communication materials is important in enhancing the awareness of communities, local governments and other local stakeholders on biodiversity conservation. 3) Formation of a customized organization to ensure the implementation of conservation agenda is essential. 4) The development and execution of conservation projects should not be driven by funding availability, but must be dictated by biodiversity requirements and needs and be implemented by phases. 5) Providing opportunities to local authorities in managing their natural resources is essential if we want to advance our conservation efforts. 6) Support from national and international institutions, both from government and nongovernment institutions, is crucial in laying down the foundation in conservation work and in ensuring long-term conservation outcomes. 7) Local governments can provide institutional mechanisms and arrangement in the management of biologically important sites, but the fact remains that local communities are the direct agents of conservation. 8) The recognition provided by the DENR and the support extended by LGUs provided authority and legitimacy to the existence and operations of the different BK associations. 9) Habitat restoration is an example of a conservation initiative that provides economic benefits to communities. The Local Government Units of Polillo Group of Islands acknowledges the support of the following institutions that assisted us on LCA development and declaration: • Philippines Biodiversity Conservation Foundation, Inc. • Polillo Islands Biodiversity Conservation Foundation, Inc. • Darwin Initiative • Chester Zoo Acts for Wildlife • Philippine Tropical Forest Conservation Foundation, Inc. (PTFCFI) • New Conservation Areas in the Philippines Project (NewCAPP) through the United Nations Development Programme/Department of Environment and Natural Resources Management Bureau/Biodiversity Management Bureau • Foundation for the Philippine Environment/United States Agency for International Development We are glad that the Local Conservation Area framework that we started in Polillo Islands is now a national conference.. Thank You and Good Afternoon!.