Human Wellbeing Strategy www.conservation.org

HUMAN WELLBEING STRATEGYPeople matter in conservation!

Socioeconomics and Policy UnitJune 2007

Human and ecosystem w ellbeing are intricately linked in addressing the challenges in a poor country like the Philippines, hottest among biodiversity ‘hotspots’ and globally ranking 116th (among the lowest) out of 140 countries surveyed (Prescott-Allen 2001). Destructive use of natural capital continues along with confl icts in development goals and a very high population growth rate that increases from in-migration. Hence, Conservation International – Philippines persists to balance environmental protection and sustainable development.

With environmental sustainability recognized to be as fundamentally important as human survival and development, CI-P’s analytical and action framework prioritizes four major strategies that involve all sectors in conservation for the current program and medium term.

Strategy 1: Poverty reduction through livelihood enhancement

Holistically handle the development and enhancement of livelihood options through partnership over a long-term period.

1. Choose and plan livelihood strategies according to desired change in the status of assets — natural, physical, fi nancial, human, social — as results of the economic engagement of households.

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Human Wellbeing Strategy www.conservation.org

2. Design livelihood strategies for priority local stakeholders to advance: start from stabilizing the subsistence level, proceed to higher levels such as livelihood transformation (w ith reduced destructive activities), then to value addition, up to income diversifi cation especially w hen enterprise-development is targeted.

Approaches to improve NRM-based livelihood

IN C O M E DIV ER SIFIC AT IO N from a single to multiple livelihood activities/enterprises

VALU E ADDIT IO N w ith increased income from improved livelihood activity

LIV ELIH O O D T R AN SFO R M AT IO N T O W AR D SU STAIN ABILIT Y from resource (N R M ) destructive – based to sustainable livelihood -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- no improvement in livelihood status below (includes livelihood sources that are not sustainable, w hether N R M -based or not)

SU BSIST EN C E

T 1 T 2 T 3 T 4 T 5 T 6

3. Scale up the enhancement of livelihood in the uplands only as one (not the only) objective. Design appropriately agroforestry, upland farming schemes and reforestation as separate approaches for diff erent objectives and in dissimilar sections of the forestland

4. O bserve science to guide choice of crops and tree species; protect ecosystem services: to conserve w ater, protect/avert soil erosion, and allow nutrient cycling and carbon sequestration.

Strategy 2: Stepped up sustainable fi nancing schemes to protect ecological services

Ecosystem services (ES) benefi t both the poor and the well-off sectors in society who are likewise aff ected by reduction in the provisioning, regulation, supporting and cultural functions of the ecosystem. ! ose who access or benefi t from public lands and those who are recognized owners/stewards over private lands must be engaged to avert climate change through creatively and judiciously crafted protection schemes. Institutional mechanisms, actively reformed policy contexts, and very actively engaged governance players, civil society and business sectors are positive factors in stepping up climate change adaptation initiatives.

A range of possible options and activities at the community level can be explored to step up eff orts in sustainable ES fi nancing.

1. Identify what ecosystem services can be paid (i.e., market to be created), and how these are accessed

directly or indirectly. Services may be bundled or with separate intrinsic uses: clean air; water; climate

regulation; control of fl ooding, erosion; aesthetic, recreation, biodiversity, etc.

2. Identify natural resources managers and in what ways they manage (through the services they do). ! ese may include households, local government units, people’s or community organizations, stewards/domain title holder, and the business sector. C ommunities and the business sector can serve as natural resource managers instead of relying on destructive use of environmental resources. Some roles are in forest enrichment and habitat rehabilitation; reforestation and maintenance of critical watersheds; conservation of threatened species through habitat protection as deputized patrols; maintenance of riverways, coasts, seas (keeping them from water use impairments).

3. According to economic (as primary) and other benefi ts, explore institutional, private, and public users.

4. Structure the (a) collection and management of payments for the ecosystem services and (b) release of payments and benefi ts to natural resource managers, according to the natural managers and users’ ES protection behavior. Payments for environmental services still need markets to be created. M arket and fi nancing scheme for ES is as important (not the alternative) to livelihood development; neither one is supplementary.

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Human Wellbeing Strategy www.conservation.org

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Strategy 3: Ecosystem-based settlement management to infl uence population growth, expansion of settlement and physical infrastructure

Partnership in the corridors shall be at the forefront in infl uencing both policy and action for managing settlements consistent w ith human w ellbeing and conservation. C I-P’s main instruments for promoting the sound management of settlements are through technical assistance in land-use planning and spatial analysis, capacity building, and IEC on population-environment dynamics to assist poverty reduction. ! e local government unit’s devolved function in managing population grow th (through fertility and migration) can be assisted by science-based and technical expertise matched by the eff orts of other partners in improving human and social assets.

! e strategy for ecosystem-based settlement management covers the follow ing concerns:

1. R eview and update land use plan consistent w ith human w ellbeing goals in development and biodiversity conservation.

2. Infuse ecosystem services and conservation in settlement management.

3. Expand and improve physical infrastructure to improve quality of life .

4. R egulate expansion of settlements (through promotion of low human density) in buff er zones and w atersheds in K BA s.

5. Improve management of population grow th through reduced fertility and migration trends according to the carrying capacity of settlements.

6. C reate an action body to institutionalize ecosystem-based settlement management.

Human Wellbeing Strategy www.conservation.org

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Strategy 4: Scaled up partnering in the ecosystem-human wellbeing link through effi cient and sustainable co-leadership

Human wellbeing concerns cut across; the partnership strategy has to engage multi-stakeholders. � e diff erent modalities and types or degrees of partnering must be well explored when sharing responsibilities over enabling tools. � e dynamics in working together must be recognized by all partners, with clear roles of C I-P unit: as a facilitator or catalyst (with LG U s, N G A s and community groups in direct conservation actions at the local level) or an implementor (in indirect conservation action corridor-wide and direct conservation action in focus sites).

To strengthen C I-P’s gains in partnership to ensure that human dimensions are well addressed, the strategy involves the following:

1. Enhance effi cient and sustainable co-leadership in conservation and human wellbeing, not just selective partnerships in one shot or short-term projects. C ollective partnerships are based on synergy: the idea that the combined eff orts of the partnership will achieve a greater outcome than otherwise possible. C I-P’s current partnerships are very rich and expansive. V is-à-vis human wellbeing (e.g., improved livelihood, higher education, better health status), partnerships still have to be improved.

� e range of partners has to expand reach beyond habitat and species protection; the scope and/or period for eff ective partnership has to be long-term; and still to be equally shared are learning, responsibilities, benefi ts/risks and leadership roles.

2. Sustain prioritized partnership relationships To make partnering maximized and advanced, understand the agencies and organizations in terms of key components of each relationship (such as organizational mission, strengths, and what they bring to the partnership); determine if it is currently in a collective or selective partnership; develop guidelines for selective and collective partnerships; assess partnership relations.

W ith the needs vast and resources and staff limited, it is important for C I-P and partners to discern where to focus their attention and what relationships are the most important to develop. An assessment of C I’s current partnerships within the three corridor programs, however, shows an opportunity to not only further develop existing relationships, but also explore new partnerships, especially in areas related to human welfare.

Human Wellbeing Strategy www.conservation.org

Project Ideas

With these priority strategy elements, specifi c ideas that can be developed for human wellbeing projects linked with conservation actions are the following:

Poverty reduction through livelihood enhancement

• mainstreaming sound environmental management in livelihood improvement schemes in protected areas • community stewardship of forest cover and watershed management status in protected areas • social mobilization and capability building of upland communities and indigenous peoples engaged in protection of ecosystem services with benefi ts • supporting the economic responsiveness and capability of indigenous and traditional people in fragile upland ecosystems

Ecosystem services and links to human wellbeing

• improvements in settlement planning and management (ecosystem-based) for protection of ES • resource valuation in watershed management initiatives • re-crafting institutional mechanisms and policy context at the local and national level to innovatively have models in the management of ecosystem services • market creation for ES • developing benefi t-sharing schemes to natural resource managers • management schemes for water use impairments in watersheds • opportunity to incorporate risk of illegal logging, with disaster mitigation aspect of landslides and fl ooding

R esearch and enabling eff orts

• change in forest cover, status of selected ecosystem services (watershed, erosion/fl ooding control, carbon sequestration) and human wellbeing (e.g., poverty status of communities, pressure from population growth, health status) • updating/upgrading the M apping Population-Biodiversity C onservation, with focus on 2 or 3 corridors as cases • analyzing the conditions, defi ning and constituting the economic responsiveness and capability of households in communities of indigenous people within fragile upland ecosystem • assessing the opportunities and capacities of household networks and local government units for conservationist but economically productive management of high altitude forest resources • institutionalization of eff orts in scaling-up/upgrading tools in M & E (the work on indicators in conservation and H W) • replication of the vulnerability analysis of Palawan forests in SM BC and EM BC • opportunity in developing forest cover monitoring systems vis-à-vis governance and livelihood component, e.g., illegal logging risk, governance and alternative livelihood • application of forest cover mapping and analysis of red list indices to be correlated with H W

With these initial project ideas, human wellbeing shall be advanced to realize the envisaged direction of conservation actions in the biodiversity corridors.

Human Wellbeing Strategy www.conservation.org

Human Wellbeing Strategy www.conservation.org

Human Wellbeing Goals and Objectives

Across scales in conservation actions, goals in human wellbeing in the light of the country’s situation are translated operationally in objectives (Box 1) which are targeted to be synergyzed in the current and next medium term program period.

B ox 1. Goals and objectives in human w ellbeing

Goal 1. M anage the resource base (land, w aters, biological and physical resources) w ell to protect functions of ecosystem services. Examples are provisioning of basic materials and regulation of ecological processes (climate change control, w ater and soil erosion control, nutrient cycle regulation)

• C ontrol and regulate human access to public lands and waters.

• Strengthen enforcement of policies and private sector accountabilities over both public and private lands.

• Secure private lands to engage responsible citizens in conservation.

• Involve the business sector, land owners, stewards, civil society, to assume responsibilities in protection.

• Pursue inter- and intra-agency reforms in institutions, mechanisms, and processes of local government units and national government agencies.

Goal 2. M anage and expand physical assets to promote good health and opportunities.

• Promote effi cient fl ow of goods and services for improved social assets, livelihood and fi nancial opportunities.

• M anage the expansion of settlements according to carrying capacity, regulate its link to environmental protection.

• Support improvements in physical infrastructure for managed settlements.

Goal 3. D evelop human assets for people to experience good quality of life through improved livelihood activities, education, skills, and abilities.

• R educe PG R by supporting actions to disseminate reproductive health knowledge, lower fertility rate and monitor migration.

• U pgrade educational level attainment and skills to enhance livelihood options.

• Improve knowledge on environment, population, and development links.

Goal 4. D evelop fi nancing schemes to protect ecosystem services and sustain adequate livelihoods, security, and freedom of action.

• C reate markets and incentive programs for ecosystem services

• Step up the establishment of sustainable PES schemes

Goal 5. Strengthen the community (social capital) to sustain social relations w ith cohesion, mutual respect, and ability to maintain social roles

• Support social networks and institutions to sustain security.

• Strengthen leadership and engagement of empowered sectors in pursuing sustainable development.

Human Wellbeing Strategy www.conservation.org

Acknowledgement

Over a decade of experiences in addressing human dimensions in conservation and development work across ecosystems aff ords the rich base of approaches, models, and strategies assessed in the project to develop a framework in analysis and action for C onservation International – Philippines and partners. G overnment units at the national and local levels, private agencies, non-governmental organizations, academic and research institutions, community-level stakeholders, and other sectors in civil society generated the stimulating experiences and demonstrated learning, with fi nancial assistance from the C ritical Ecosystem Partnership Fund for this project.

C onservation International— Philippines6 M aalalahanin Street, Teachers’ Village, D iliman1101 Q uezon C ity, PhilippinesTel: 632 924 8235 | Fax: 632 435 6446

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© C I, W illiam Azucena

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