New forest monitoring system launched
The Japan International Cooperation Agency (Jica) and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) have signed a new four-year technical cooperation project aimed at strengthening forest monitoring and management systems in the Philippines.
Named “Enhancing Forest Monitoring Capacity for Sustainable Management and Conservation of Forests,” the project will be implemented in the Upper Magat and Cagayan River Basin in Nueva Vizcaya, and the Pampanga River Basin in Nueva Ecija.
These sites were previously covered by the Forestland Management Project from 2012 to 2024, which established 71,300 hectares of tree and agroforestry plantations.
“The four-year project will develop and operationalize a near real-time forest disturbance alert system and strengthen forest management capacities,” Jica said in a statement.
“The new initiative builds on the results of the earlier twelve-year development cooperation project, which promoted community-based forest management and livelihood development in selected watersheds in Luzon and Panay,” it added.
The near real-time forest disturbance alert system will be linked with the expanded Lawin forest monitoring system, a web-based mobile application used by the DENR to modernize planning, patrolling and the response of forest managers and field patrollers to environmental threats.
The project also includes capacity building through targeted training programs and policy recommendations.
Jica experts will work alongside the DENR’s Forest Management Bureau and Biodiversity Management Bureau.
The technical cooperation project comes at a crucial time, as forest cover in the Philippines has declined to 24 percent from roughly 60 percent in the 1930s, mainly due to logging, agricultural land conversion, mining and forest fires over the decades.
According to Jica, continued monitoring and management are necessary to sustain forest restoration efforts, particularly as forest degradation has contributed to landslides, flooding and reduced watershed capacity.
“These vulnerabilities are further intensified by the impacts of climate change, which amplify the frequency and severity of extreme weather events,” Jica said.
“Effective management of upland forests is critical not only to conserve these areas but also to help safeguard lowland communities. Strengthening forest monitoring and management systems remains essential to safeguarding forest resources and sustaining restoration efforts,” it added.
