DENR ERDB Newsletter Vol. 4 No. 3 July - September 2010 Regional Rattan Conference held at Dusit Hotel he Regional Rattan Conference was held on August 29 to SeptemberT 1, 2010 at Dusit Thani Hotel, Ayala Centre, Makati City, Philippines. It was organized by the Ecosystems Research and Development Bureau (ERDB) in collaboration with the Forest Products Research and Development Participants of the Regional Rattan Conference held on August 29 to September Institute (FPRDI) and the University 1, 2010 at Dusit Thani Hotel, Ayala Centre, Makati City. Front row (from left) former ERDB Director Celso P. Diaz; Mr. Eriberto C. Argete, DENR Director for Planning and of the Philippines Los Baños College Policy; Mr. Li Qiang, ITTO representative; Dr. Coosje Hoogendoorn, Director General of Forestry and Natural Resources of INBAR; USEC Manuel D. Gerochi, DENR Undersecretary for Staff Bureaus and (UPLBCFNR). This activity was co- Project Management; ERDB Director Marcial C. Amaro, Jr., Project Director of ITTO sponsored by the International Tropical Rattan Project; Dr. Aida B. Lapis, Deputy Project Director of ITTO Rattan Project; and Timber Organization (ITTO), Foreign Dr. John Dransfield, Honorary Research Fellow at Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Assisted and Special Projects Office of the Department of Environment The regional conference was the culminating activity of the ITTO- and Natural Resources (DENR), Philippines-ASEAN Rattan Project. It aimed to provide a venue for sharing International Network on Bamboo and successful strategies especially on pilot demonstration establishment Rattan (INBAR) and the Asia Pacific involving communities, villages and government agencies; and present Association of Forestry Research and discuss the outputs of the eight (8) research studies under the Rattan Institutions (APAFRI). Ü next page New RDE agenda crafted at 2nd DENR Research MANCON “When everyone is in a hurry, we need to keep up with their pace, lest we will be left behind” - this was the tip of ERDB Director Marcial C. Amaro, Jr.’s message as he urged the participants of the 2nd DENR Research Sector Director’s Engagements July 2010 1 & 2 - REDD+ Workshop, Innotech, Quezon City 6 - Resource Person, DZLB, UPLB Participants of the 2nd DENR Research Sector 26-30 - ASEAN Senior Officials- ASEAN Experts Group (ASOF-AEG) Management Conference held on August 19-20, Conference, Manila Peninsula 2010 at the Heritage Hotel, Pasay City. August 2010 1-7 - Establishment Agreement (EA) of the ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity (ACB), Hanoi, Vietnam 17-18 - Climate Change Forum, Heritage Hotel Management Conference (MANCON) held on August 19-20 - MANCON-Research Sector, Heritage Hotel 19-20, 2010 at the Heritage Hotel, Pasay City. Seventy- 24 - Round Table Discussion ASEAN Climate Change Initiative and three (73) participants representing 15 DENR Regional Policy Dialogue, DFA, Manila 27 - Sept. 1 - Rattan Regional Conference, Dusit Thani Hotel offices, ERDB personnel and those coming from other September 2010 DENR sectors. 2-3 - Meeting with Sec. Paje and DTI Sec. with Dr. Coosje Hoogendoorn DG of INBAR re: Phil. Trade Based Agreement to INBAR 10 - Round Table Discussion/Speaker/Moderator/Reactor on In his welcome remarks, Dir. Amaro said that the highest ASEAN Climate Change Initiative (ACCI) priority of research is to draft the new RDE Agenda for 14- 21 & 22 – Deliberation of Budget for CY 2011 Ü next page INSIDE: n 3 Climate Change Adaptation in the ENR agenda n 3 ASEAN experts converge on herbal and medicinal plants n 4 SYLVATROP conducts 3rd Writeshop n 5 ERDB sponsors Intellectual Property Rights Seminar n 6 ERDB joins Bañamos Festival 2010 n 6 Youth Desk Officers’ Workshop held in Koronadal City n 7 LBSCFI inducts 2010 officers n 8 4th International Conference of ARSA held in Legaspi City n 9 ERDB personnel attend MGB GADFPS seminar n 10 FORESPI announces Search for 2010 Outstanding Scientist/Researcher Awards n 10 ERDB launches 2 new books on rattan 2 Vol. 4 No. 3 Regional Rattan ... from page 1 Contact Persons; results and outputs of the researches conducted under the RRGP by the respective Project Research Grant Program (RRGP) of this project and Leaders; “Experiences in the Establishment of Rattan the research gaps and other researchable areas on Pilot Demonstration in Southeast Asia”; an Assessment rattan production aspects and utilization technologies. Report of the ITTO-Philippines-ASEAN Rattan Project”; Moreover, it provided the opportunity in presenting the discussion of the sustainability of the project through strengths and weaknesses in the project implementation, the concept proposal titled “Small-hold Rattan-based insights and experiences. Enterprise Development in Asia and the Pacific”; and the declaration of commitment of the Participating SEA The conference was attended by 36 participants Member Countries on Sustainability of Rattans in the composed of the following: ASEAN Contact Persons and Region 2010 which was signed by rattan scientists, Project Leaders coming from five (5) ASEAN member professionals and practitioners. countries broken down as follows: 2 participants from Indonesia, 1 each from Lao PDR, Myanmar and Another highlight of the conference was the launching of Thailand, and 6 from the host, Philippines; Project the books on rattan namely: “A Field Guide to Philippine Steering Committee (PSC) Members; resource and Rattans” and “The ASEAN Rattans” authored by Dr. guest speakers; and project staff. Lapis and Dir. Amaro, respectively. The Rattan ASEAN database was also presented during the conference. The resource persons were composed of Dr. John Project Management Team, ITTO-Philippines - Dransfield, an Honorary Research Fellow at Royal ASEAN Rattan Project Botanic Gardens, Kew, and Dr. Florentino O. Tesoro, Technical Consultant of the ITTO-Philippines-ASEAN New RDE agenda ... from page 1 Rattan Project. Their topics discussed were “How many rattans are there?” and “Rattan RDE Directions for the 2011-2016. He also recalled USEC Gerochi’s previous Next Decade”, respectively. statement that research results generated should benefit humanity. Director Amaro presented the Research Sector’s Thrust for 2011-2016 based on the draft NRDPP on ENR and the DENR Framework for 2011-2016. The Director also showed the relationship of the DENR Secretary’s 6-point Reform Agenda of the DENR on: 1) Clean air, 2) Clean water and address the garbage problem, 3) Productive management of forestlands, 4) Climate change mitigation, adaptation and anticipation, 5) Protection of marine resources and 6) Anti-corruption. In his discussion, the Research Sectors’ Thrust is two-pronged: Environment and Natural Resources. For the Environment the following were identified: 1) Management and disposal of solid waste (including DENR Undersecretary Manuel D. Gerochi (third toxic and hazardous waste; 2) Treating liquid waste to from left) hands over the plaque of appreciation to improve water quality; and 3) Improving air quality and Dr. Coosje Hoogendoorn, Director General of INBAR controlling air pollutants. and Mr. Li Qiang, ITTO representative. Also in photo is ERDB Director Marcial C. Amaro, Jr. (rightmost). For the Natural Resources, the thrusts were as follows: 1) Forest production; 2) Land conservation and Gracing the opening activity of the training were Hon. management, allocation and valuation; 3) Management of Manuel D. Gerochi, Undersecretary for Staff Bureaus freshwater and improve its productivity; 4) Conservation and Project Management of the DENR; Dr. Coosje and management of marine and coastal resources; Hoogendoorn, Director General of INBAR; and Mr. 5) Improved mining and rehabilitation of mined-out/ Li Qiang, ITTO representative. The rationale of the degraded Areas; 6) Conservation of biodiversity through conference was discussed by Dr. Aida B. Lapis, Deputy effective management of protected areas; and 7) Climate Project Director of the ITTO-Philippine Rattan Project change mitigation and adaptation. while Dr. Armando M. Palijon presented the composition of the participants. For each RDE item, the following impacts were envisioned: sustainable management of resources for The highlights of the conference included the the benefit of the common tao; provide livelihood and presentations of the following: country reports on the pilot address poverty reduction. demonstration establishment by the respective ASEAN Ü page 5 ERDB News Vol. 4 No. 3 3 Climate Change Adaptation in the ENR agenda he struggle against the widespread issue on climate During the forum-workshop, Director Amaro of ERDB gave change is now under the control of the environment the welcome remarks while Hon. Heherson T. Alvarez, sectorT of the society. Vice Chair of the Climate Change Commission presented the Copenhagen Report and the National Framework The leadership of the Ecosystems Research and Strategy for Climate Change. On the topic “Climate Change Development Bureau (ERDB), the research arm of the Adaptation: R & D Issues”, Dr. Rodel D. Lasco, Philippine Department of Environment and Natural Resources Programme Coordinator of the World Agroforestry Centre (DENR), conducted a “Forum cum Workshop on (ICRAF) presented the paper “Lessons Learned on CCA Research, Development and Extension (RDE) on Practices and Experience in the Philippines”. Climate Change Adaptation” last August 17-18, 2010 at the Heritage Hotel, Pasay City. Furthermore, Dr. Diomedis A. Racelis, Associate Dean and Associate Professor of UPLB-CFNR discussed the Headed by ERDB Director Marcial C. Amaro,