Indigenous Peoples (IPs) vow to protect DavOr’s forests

Recognizing the tremendous role of the Indigenous Peoples communities in helping protect and conserve the environment, members of the newly organized IP group called Davao Oriental Provincial Tribal Council (DOPTRICO) have vowed to do their fair share to help save Davao Oriental’s rich forests and biodiversity. During the Trainers’ Training on “Sustainable Natural Resource Management within Ancestral Domains” attended by IP representatives from the ten municipalities and one city of the province, the newly elected officers of DOPTRICO signified their commitment to safeguard the environment, particularly on their ancestral domains.

Governor Nelson L. Dayanghirang, who officiated over the oath-taking of the new officers, said that the “IP communities are the government’s key partners in protecting the forests and its biodiversity since they dwell in proximity to forest lands; they are the stewards in the maintenance and management of their forest ecosystem.”

Funded by the German government’s REDD (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation)Plus Project, the said activity is part of the Provincial Government’s Capacity Enhancement for a Davao Oriental Province-wide Top Bottom Natural Resources Management Biodiversity Conservation and Carbon Enhancement Program. It aims at capacitating the IP leaders on forest management, allowing them to influence their communities on the importance of sustainable natural resource management. Following this activity, the IP leaders are set to work in their respective communities to conduct information, education and communication (IEC) activities to raise environmental awareness. They are also set to mobilize their communities to establish nurseries, conduct tree planting activities, and identify areas to develop permanent forests as well production areas intended for livelihood, thus, ensuring balance in forest management.

Intending to lessen the impact of climate change and global warming, the project also aims to capacitate local tribal councils to formulate plans based on the Provincial Environment Code and to participate in policy-making processes. The DOPTRICO activity with the REDD Plus expanded support this year comes out as a special feature for the IP month of October, especially in the liturgical calendar. This year, Davao Oriental is blessed with full coverage of the REDD Plus project after it was successfully launched in 2013 for only three municipalities: Tarragona, Manay and Caraga. Aside from the biodiversity conservation and the reduction of emissions, REDD Plus is also pouring out funds to encourage other co-benefits, such as provision for livelihoods and safeguarding of IP rights.