Evidence-based Community Forestry Program in Biliran Province, Philippines

Putting Research Findings into Practice

N. Gregorio, J. Herbohn, S. Harrison, A. Pasa, A. Ferraren,J. Fernandez, R. Tripoli and B. Polinar

Background • Community-based Forest Management (CBFM)

Program – launched in 1999• CBFM – deemed as the ultimate strategy to

rehabilitate denuded uplands and manage the remaining forest on a sustainable way

• CBFM implementation – fraught with several problems (including social, economic, biophysical, technical, policy and governance issues)

• Factors limiting the success are widely reported yet very little attempt to improve the design and implementation

Burning question

‘How can a community-based watershed rehabilitation program be designed and implemented such that it will effectively address the shortcomings of past community-based reforestation initiatives?’

The pilot community-based reforestation program

• Applies the systems approach – considers the complexity of community-based forestry system

• Evidence-based – uses lessons from past watershed rehabilitation programs and improved methodologies and techniques based from scientific investigations

• Adopts the genuine participatory process in program design, implementation and monitoring

• Some key references– Results and experience of reforestation programs in the

Philippines and other developing countries• Including reports of Guiang et al (2001); Eslava (2004); Pulhin et al.

(2007); Carandang et al. (2010); Israel and Lintag (2013)– Results of series of ACIAR Smallholder Forestry projects in

the Philippines• Assessment of past reforestation programs and identify key drivers

of success (e.g. Le et al. 2012; Le at al. 2014; Herbohn et al. 2014)• Design and implementation of local nursery accreditation program

(e.g. Gregorio et al. 2008; Gregorio et al. 2015)• Silviculture of key species and mixed species plantation (e.g.

Gregorio et al. 2012; Nguyen et al. 2012; Nguyen et al. 2014a,2014b)• Research into extension methods (e.g. Baynes et al. 2011a, 2011b)• Community dynamics, policy, social capital and livelihood issues

(e.g. Harrison et al. 2008; Thomas et al. 2010, Baynes et al. 2015)

The pilot reforestation site

• 26 ha of upland in Kawayanon, Caibiran, Biliran Province• Grassland, low soil fertility, rugged landscape, steep slopes, severe soil erosion

and wind-affected ridges• Poor community, swidden agriculture as major source of income and food• Planted with trees under four national reforestation programs since the 1980s• Regular fire occurrence decimated the trees• Disbanded People’s Organisation with less desirable experience from previous

reforestation programs

Designing the program

Planning workshop with stakeholders• Identified issues and problems in previous

reforestation programs, and potential solutions

• Solicited inputs to program design andimplementation

• Identified species preference and compatibility to the site

• Identified livelihood options and designed implementation strategies

The DENR staff discussing the proposed pilot reforestation program

A PO member presenting constraints in previous programs

The PO identifying livelihood projects

The interventions1. Adequate social preparation

a. Substantial information campaign with the community- Meetings and public forum

b. Rejuvenation of the PO- Renewal of membership, review of by-laws, creation of new set

of officersc. Empowering the PO

- Training and capacity building programs - mother tree selection, smallholder-based high quality seedling

production and plantation establishment, maintenance and protection

- Records keeping and financial management including production of minutes of meetings and reports

- Drafting of PO resolutions- Skills training for livelihood implementation

2. Improving supply of high quality germplasm– Identified and marked plus trees from the natural

forest of Kawayanon• A total of 310 trees of 15 premium timber species

PO members measuring tree diameter and marking the identified mother tree

3. Production of high quality seedlings– Smallholder-based technologies (easy and low-cost)

Low-cost recovery chamber Quality seedlings on elevated hardening bed

3. Appropriate site preparation, plantation establishment, maintenance and protection– Applied the best practice

• Divided the area into blocks according to land-use (i.e. production, protection and agroforestry)

- Production zone (trees with high commercial value, will be harvested)- Protection zone (trees with high environmental value, no harvesting)- Agroforestry zone (fruit trees and agricultural crops for food production

and income) • Planting during the wet season• Large planting holes• Proper hauling of seedlings to the planting site • Appropriate planting method• Fertiliser application at optimum amount• Removal of weeds• Establishment of firelines• Regular patrolling

Clear planting lines

Large planting holes

Proper hauling of seedlingsProper plantingOptimum fertiliserFireline along the boundary

The reforestation site divided into planting zones

4. Sustainable livelihood projects and food security measures• Nursery seedling production – on the process of

getting the accreditation from DENR as seedling supplier

• The agroforestry farm is being developed • Planted crops along firelines• Planting of fuelwood

trees along the plantationboundary

PO member harvesting cassava planted along the fireline

6. Program monitoring– Research on the impact of the program to the site – Established permanent

plots to monitor seedling survival and growth

A member of the PO measuringseedlings 8 months after planting

After the meeting with top DENR Officials on March 2015

The pictures that paint a thousand words…

Before planting

8 months after planting

The plantation as seen about 1 kilometer from the national road

Some lessonsKeys to promoting the success of community-based reforestation program

1. Appropriate project design2. Adequate social preparation3. Strong and honest PO leadership4. Transparency in handling funds5. Sustainable livelihood and food security measures6. Adequate institutional arrangements and supportive

policy environment7. Security of land tenure8. Support from extension workers9. Major role of women in community forestry program

The Team

A small group of ordinary people with a huge extraordinary dream…