Social Systems

Improving watershed rehabilitation outcomes in the Philippines using a systems approach

Line drawing of chicken people and plants representing Social Systems program
Project code
ASEM/2010/050
Program
Social Systems
Budget
AUD 2,034,788
Project leader
Professor John Herbohn - University of Sunshine Coast
Commissioned organisation
University of the Sunshine Coast
Duration:
MAR 2012
MAR 2017
Project status
Concluded
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Overview

This project aimed to rehabilitate critical watersheds in the Philippines.

Substantial deforestation has occurred in many critical watersheds in the Philippines. In March 2011, the Philippine government launched the National Greening Program (NGP), which aimed to reforest 1.5 million hectares of denuded forestlands by 2016. The program has been expanded until 2028 to rehabilitate another 7.1 million hectares of degraded forest. Following the community-based forestry approach, the NGP focuses on how reforestation can benefit local communities.

    Project Outcomes

    • Conducted scientific investigations to determine the success of reforestation programs in the Philippines including the current National Greening Program (NGP)
    • Developed a policy assessment model to identify key intervention points to improve outcomes of watershed rehabilitation
    • Designed and pilot-tested an evidence-based community-led watershed rehabilitation program to inform policy makers and program implementers on best practice in people-based forest landscape restoration
    Conservation agriculture
    Food systems
    Key partners
    Department of Environment and Natural Resources
    Harvard University
    James Cook University
    Queensland University of Technology
    Southern Cross University
    Visayas State University
    Documents
    final report placeholder image
    Final report ASEM/2010/050