Butuan City, Agusan del Norte – December 4, 2024 – In a concerted effort to advance forest restoration in the region, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Caraga, in partnership with the Community Environment and Natural Resources Office (CENRO) Bunawan and the Forest and Landscape Restoration (FLR) National Project Management Unit, organized a Regional Multi-Stakeholder Consultation Workshop on December 4, 2024, in Butuan City. The workshop aimed to develop comprehensive monitoring parameters for the FLR project to ensure the success of forest restoration initiatives.
Representatives from key government agencies, local government units, and non-governmental organizations joined the event to collectively shape the monitoring framework for the restoration efforts. Notable attendees included officials from the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), the Department of Agriculture (DA), the National Irrigation Administration (NIA), Local Government Units (LGUs) of Santa Josefa and Trento, as well as the DENR Caraga team, CENRO Bunawan, PENRO Agusan del Sur, and the DENR Regional Office. The event also saw the participation of the National Project Management Team, led by former DENR Assistant Secretary Ricardo L. Calderon, and FLR Extension Officers.
The key objective of the workshop was to foster collaboration among various stakeholders to establish a robust, inclusive, and holistic monitoring framework that would evaluate the success of forest restoration efforts. In her opening message, OIC-Regional Executive Director Maritess M. Ocampo emphasized the significance of pooling technical expertise from all sectors to create a monitoring system that addresses the complex dimensions of restoration.
“The insights you provide in this activity will help us achieve our shared goals towards environmental conservation and climate resilience,” Ocampo said, encouraging the attendees to actively contribute their knowledge.
The FLR project, which is rooted in ecological restoration, aims to establish a user-friendly monitoring system that assesses restoration success beyond just tree survival rates. This system will incorporate a broader set of ecological, social, policy, and economic indicators to ensure comprehensive restoration evaluation.
The workshop focused on three main objectives:
- Collaboration: Fostering discussions among stakeholders to integrate diverse perspectives into the development of the monitoring framework.
- Parameter Development: Refining and identifying key parameters and indicators across various dimensions to better monitor the progress of restoration efforts.
- Stakeholder Engagement: Ensuring that the proposed monitoring parameters align with the broader goals of the FLR project, particularly its emphasis on long-term sustainability and community involvement.
This collaborative effort signals a strong step forward in promoting a holistic approach to forest restoration and environmental protection in Caraga, with the active involvement of both government and local stakeholders. The workshop’s outcomes are expected to play a critical role in shaping effective and sustainable restoration practices that benefit both the environment and local communities.