Improving Ecosystem Management to Strengthen Resilience

to Extreme Weather in the Philippines

Identify the main issues/problem

Several tropical storms hit the Philippines in the past years, and local ecosystem
degradation aggravated storm damage in some areas. The storms, combined with seasonal
flooding, resulted in agricultural losses, putting local farmers into debt and jeopardizing the
agribusiness, fisheries, and eco-tourism businesses, all of which are vital to the community's
survival.
Analysis and evaluation of issues/problems
As the entirety of the Philippines' populace relies on watersheds for a number of
ecosystem functions, particularly the supply of drinking water and physical protection from
intense climate occurrences such as floods and storms, they have faced challenges as a result of
human misdeeds. Over the last 50 years, logging, agricultural development, and irresponsible
farming have ruined several watersheds across the country. Between 1969 and 2010, the
Philippines' forest cover declined from 36% to 22%; the loss of forest cover in watersheds has
severely harmed their potential to counteract the effects of extreme weather on inhabitants. By
enhancing the maintenance of local ecosystems, notably watersheds, the Emerging Champions
for Biodiversity Conservation and Improved Ecosystem Services (ECBCIES) initiative of the
USAID/Philippines mission assisted to minimize community fragility to severe weather and
other climate events. Typhoons Sendong and Pablo struck northern Mindanao Island in the
Philippines in 2011 and 2012, causing flash flooding that affected over 4,000 people. Local
ecosystem deterioration was worsened by the severe storms due to depleted local watersheds and
improper farming activities on large-scale plantations and small-scale farms.
Recommendations of effective solutions and strategies
Preserving and rebuilding forested regions in watersheds, cultivation of cover crops to
help avoid soil degradation, and creating multi-layered vegetation along natural gullies to
function as shelterbelts to safeguard farmlands from high winds, massive rainfalls, and floods are
examples of ecosystem-based adaptation (EbA) strategies to improve local ecosystem services
and strengthen biodiversity sustainability in the context of climate change. The project carried
out functions at a landscape scale in six key biodiversity regions, focusing on three main
strategies: reinforcing capacity for enhanced natural resource administration and environmental
service delivery; establishing effective oversight and compliance processes for biodiversity
preservation, including watershed management plans; and expanding opportunities for ecological
protection.
By enhancing ecosystem management and employing a payment for ecosystem services
(PES) strategy, these measures helped minimize community vulnerability to extreme weather
events and increase climate resilience. Agribusinesses pay local communities under PES
agreements to protect and/or rehabilitate ecosystems. Watershed management plans were funded
by payments collected from downstream water users, particularly agribusinesses, who were
motivated by the need to ensure water availability and control water flows.
 On the other hand, strategies to support and sustain ecosystem-based adaptation are:
building sustainability through EbA champions; developing EbA champions; connecting EbA
champions together on a regular basis to create capacity, confidence, and working connections;
assisting in the development of reasonable and balanced PES arrangements; and organizing site
visit exchanges to exhibit EbA successes.