Ensuring Sustainable Benefits from Peatland through Protection and Wise Use (ESBenePeat)

Project Title:

Ensuring Sustainable Benefits from Peatland through Protection and Wise Use (ESBenePeat)

Proponent

Department of Environment and Natural Resources

Implementing Agency

Biodiversity Management Bureau – Department of Environment and Natural Resources

Funding Support:

Co-funded by European Union (EU) and Federal Republic of Germany (BMU)

Allocated Budget:

Euro 750,000 (Ceiling to Philippines based on the result of the SUPA Inception Workshop)

Euro 713,252 (Actual proposed budget)

Project Duration:

Estimated start date: July 2021

Estimated end date: December 2022

Objective of the project:

General Objective:

This project aims to ensure provision of the ecological functions and services of the country’s peatland through protection and sustainable management.

Specific Objectives:

1. To establish a state-of-the-art knowledge management system that will support decision-making and the formulation of science-based policies for the wise use, conservation and rehabilitation of Philippine peatlands;
2. To evaluate the current National Action Plan on Peatlands and make necessary adjustments in terms of activities and targets and to align these to the revised APMS;
3. To enhance awareness and technical knowledge on peatland at the national and local levels;
4. To strengthen institutional capacity on peatland conservation and management;
5. To conserve existing peatlands with high functional and conservation values;
6. To mitigate greenhouse gas emission by reforesting, rewetting and rehabilitation of degraded peatlands;
7. To identify and enhance biodiversity-friendly practices in the Caimpugan PSF and Leyte Sab-a Basin as means of livelihood for the communities and at the same time ensuring protection of peatlands.

Proposed Outputs:

The following are the proposed outputs of the project:

1. State-of-the-art knowledge management systems on Philippine peatlands established
2. National Action Plan on Peatlands updated and peatland policies strengthened
3. Concerned agencies/institutions and stakeholders’ capacity on peatland management strengthened and enhanced
4. Protection and rehabilitation measured carried out in suitable peatland sites
5. Identified and developed biodiversity-friendly practices for peatland dependent communities

Institutional Arrangement:

The main project management unit (PMU) at the regional level is the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH which also supports the Environment Division of the ASEAN Secretariat in the implementation of the SUPA project.

The DENR-BMB will be the lead project implementing agency at the country level. The PMU for the country level will be created and will be based in the BMB. It will coordinate activities at the national and sub-national levels in close coordination with other DENR units and offices as well as with concerned government institutions. For the Work Package 4 Protection and Rehabilitation of Peatlands, the DILG-Bureau of Fire Protection and ERDB will be directly tapped to conduct R&D and activities related to wild land fire suppression and prevention, respectively. At the site level, the project will be implemented by the DENR field offices in Regions 8 and 13. With the direct involvement of the BFP, ERDB, DENR Regions 8 and 13 in the project implementation, part of the project funds will be downloaded to these offices. Multi-sectoral and inter-agency national and local technical working groups will be created to function as project implementation/ steering committees and oversee project implementation at both the national and site level.