First published on 02/29/2016, and last updated on 03/29/2018
By: Tanya Conlu, NTFP-EP and ICCA Consortium South-East Asia Coordinator
Bukluran, the Filipino ICCA Consortium and member of the international ICCA Consortium, participated in a meeting in December 2015 on the launch of the second phase of the Philippine ICCA Project. In 2010, UNDP had funded the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) to explore the feasibility of ICCAs as one of the new models of protected area management. This led to the birth of Bukluran Inc. (Bukluran ng mga Pamayanang Nangangalaga sa Kalikasan), a consortium of indigenous groups representing the seven ethno-linguistic regions of the country.
The project’s second phase will run for four years and involve ten ICCAs, which are all Bukluran members. It aims at strengthening the conservation, protection and management of Key Biodiversity Areas by institutionalizing ICCAs as protected areas. The project will include harmonizing existing laws, capacitating government agencies and local governments, and supporting indigenous peoples as they take on the effective governance and management of their territories.
During the meeting, UNDP staff presented their Strategic Plan, and DENR representatives explained the project implementation arrangements and the framework of the expected results. Community representatives from the ten sites were present, as were the appropriate local government agencies. They discussed and refined a suggested timeline and worked on the practicalities of project implementation.
