Name: Rainforestation with Indigenous Peoples in Mt. Kalatungan - A Payment for Ecosystems Services (PES) Initiative
Address: Kalatungan Mountain Range

Overview

Xavier Science Foundation, Inc. supports the Indigenous Peoples community in protecting and conserving forest resources at the foothills of Mt. Kalatungan Range in Bukidnon province. It initiates the Payment for Ecosystems Services mechanism to contribute to addressing environmental issues of forest degradation as well as provide livelihood opportunities for every household.

Detailed Information

Details of The Project

Size of area being restored
11,367 ha

Geographical features of site
Volcanic mountain range, ridges, major rivers, primary and secondary forests

Objectives of restoration
To reforest 1, 648 hectares in the priority areas of the MILALITTRA ancestral domain around Mt. Kalatungan Range

Type/method of restoration
Payment for Ecosystem Services

Challenges and threats to the area
Mt. Kalatungan is the fifth highest mountain in the Philippines. It is identified as a key biodiversity area and a home to our Philippine Eagle. It is a major water source of North Cotabato and Cagayan de Oro. It is the ancestral domain of the Indigenous Peoples communities from the Talaandig and Manobo tribes. The Batang sub-watershed, the main source of floodwaters that hit Cagayan de Oro during Tropical Storm Sendong (international Washi), is located within this mountain range. The communities surrounding Mt. Kalatungan rely heavily on agriculture. They plant high-value crops such as carrots, potatoes and broccoli among others. With the expansion of their farms, a lot of households have been encroaching the mountains buffer zones and protected areas. The challenges to restore this landscape include weak governance, overlapping land claims and peace and order issues.

Communities involved (indicate size)
Miarayon Lapok Lirongan Talaandig Tribal Community, Approximately 2,500 households

Solutions/interventions being done in response to challenges and objectives
Our foundation has been giving trainings to add to the leaders’ and forest guards’ capacity in doing local forest management and doing collaborative landscape governance. Xavier Science Foundation’s projects has also provided a tribal hall, and has assisted them in strengthening the tenure of their lands through the provision of Certificates of Customary Land Occupancy. Our foundation has been hand-holding the community in implementing the Payment for Ecosystem Services- Kalatungan.

Support needed and details:

— Financing for restoration
We need funding to sustain the initial rainforestation gains that we have started with the community. The funding will cover (1) social and site preparation, (2) seedlings procurement, (2) planting proper, (3) maintenance fees, (4) fertilizer provision, (5) capacity building and (6) IEC campaign.

— Awareness and education
We believe that with awareness and education, more organizations will know about the PES, understand its significance and urgency to our landscape and hopefully invest in the ecosystem services provided by Mt.Kalatungan and at the same time, support the local indigenous peoples farmers.