Sustainable Environment and Natural Resources
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3. Improve the disposal of solid and other wastes All LGUs have closed their open dumpsites and have operational sanitary landfill 4. Improve the state of the region’s biodiversity and ecosystems Increase the number of declared protected areas 5. Increase the region’s resiliency to disaster risks and climate change All LGUs have DRR/CCA-enhanced plans 6. Improve the capacity of the National Government agencies and local government units of the region in the enforcement of policies and implementation of interventions toward sustainable environment and natural resources.
Strategies The region shall adopt an integrated management approach to the protection and rehabilitation of the region’s environment and natural resources to ensure their sustainability.
1. Rehabilitation, protection and management of forest resources and watersheds The region’s forest cover shall be increased by fast tracking the expansion of the coverage of tenurial instruments like the Community Based Forest Management Agreements (CBFMA) and Integrated Forest Management Agreements (IFMA). The capability of LGUs in forest land use planning shall be strengthened to ensure the sustainable development of upland areas. The National Government shall invest more in the protection of the region’s forests by deploying more forest guards with the objective of achieving the ideal forest guard to forest area ratio. LGUs shall also invest more to complement the National Government’s efforts. Forest boundary assessment and delineation shall likewise be undertaken. The region shall pursue the full implementation of the National Greening Program (NGP) as mandated under Executive Order No. 26, Series of 2011. Watersheds shall be restored and regenerated. The region shall include among its priorities the formulation of Watershed Management and Development Plans with accompanying vulnerability assessments to improve the chances for watersheds to be restored and regenerated.
2. Establishment and management of protected areas The establishment and management of more protected areas shall constitute the main strategy for the protection and conservation of the region’s biodiversity and ecosystems. Stakeholders’ participation, especially the affected communities, in the planning to monitoring and evaluation shall be the norm. The Protected Area Management Boards, including all other government instrumentalities and the private sector, shall be further strengthened through improved capacity and capability to enforce environmental and similar laws and to effectively manage the protected areas such as the Baganga Bay Protected Landscape/Seascape and Mati Protected Landscape in Davao Oriental, Mabini Protected Landscape/Seascape in Compostela Valley, Samal Island Protected landscape/Seascape, Mt. Apo National Park in Davao del Sur, among others.
Davao Regional Development Plan, 2011-2016