Challenges and opportunities in managing Philippine watersheds: the case of Manupali watershed in the Southern Philippines

This paper discusses the management of the Manupali watershed in Lantapan, Bukidnon, in the southern Philippines. A case study was conducted to analyse watershed management in the context of local governance. The Philippine Local Government Code provides that local government units (LGUs) should manage the natural resources within their jurisdictions. However, many LGUs experienced difficulties in executing their new management roles. They are met with challenges ranging from lack of budget, manpower, technical skills, and poor community involvement. Apparently, the Municipality of Lantapan did well in overcoming these constraints. The LGU developed their Natural Resource Management and Development Plan (NRMDP) through a participatory planning process. The NRMDP was implemented through public-private partnerships, capitalising the presence of research and non-government organizations, agri-business and other community sectors. A key feature in the NRMDP is the Landcare Program – a grassroots approach for rapid and inexpensive dissemination of agroforestry and conservation practices. The Landcare approach centres on formation of community landcare groups that mobilise resources for wider adoption of conservation practices. The availability of simple, low-cost technologies was a strong success factor. It was found that communities have important roles to play, but LGUs have greater responsibility to provide the policy and institutional basis for community-based initiatives. Community-initiated change is essential for successful watershed management, but such change requires greater push from committed external supporters. This implies that successful management of watersheds requires support from within and outside their immediate environments.

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