World Bank approves $6-M grant for Mindanao project
Eleven sites in Mindanao rich with globally significant biodiversity are granted a multimillion fund from the World Bank’s Global Environment Facility (GEF).
The World Bank has approved this month the $6.3 million (PhP305 million) for projects that aim to conserve critical coastal and marine biodiversity in targeted sites in region islands.
Specifically, the grant from the Bank’s Global Environment Facility will support the National Resource Management (NRM) component under the second phase of the Mindanao Rural Development Project (MRDP2). The MRDP2 is a five-year program designed to reduce poverty in Mindanao, promote growth with social inclusion, and strengthen decentralization, devolution, and collaboration between the national government and local government units.
The 11 identified sites are from the three regions in the island namely: Region 9, ARMM, and Caraga.
Of the 11 sites, seven are in Region 9 namely the towns of Olutanga, Mabuhay, and Talusan in Zamboanga Sibugay; Vencinzo Sagun and Margosatubig in Zamboanga del Sur; and Sibutad and Rizal in Zamboanga del Norte.
In Caraga Region, two sites are identified namely: Marihatag and San Agustin both in Surigao del Sur. Two towns were also identified ARMM Region namely Lamitan in Basilan and Datu Blah in Maguindanao.
Fishing accounts for an average of 4% of the total gross domestic product (GDP) of the country, and accounted for about 20% of gross value added in the agriculture, fishery and forestry sectors.
“That would seem small compared with the more hi-technology sectors like financial services, but in Mindanao, these sectors are even more important as they accounted for one-third of the Mindanao Region’s GDP,” explained Agriculture Secretary Arthur Yap.
“Environmental risks like climate change are weighing down heavily on natural ecosystems in Mindanao on which many local communities depend. This is a great tragedy because the Philippines has been identified to have a biodiversity that is among the world’s richest. We need all the help we can get for our people in the south to fully benefit from and sustain such a rich biodiversity,” Yap added.
Meanwhile, program director Lealyn A. Ramos said the investment will help mitigate the impending impacts of climate change, “at the same time it will scale up the achievements of the program during the phase when it implemented the Coastal and Marine and biodiversity Conservation,” she added.
Further Ramos said through the NRM biodiversity concerns are mainstreamed in the local and national policies.
“Almost one-third of the Philippines’ poor is in Mindanao and the health of the island’s seas and forests is critical to their livelihood. This grant is another example of the World Bank’s commitment to support the government in realizing its goal of inclusive growth through better natural resource management,” World Bank Country Director Bert Hofman said.
The selection of the sites were based on the independence and interconnectivity of the upland, the lowland and the coastal areas, presence of globally significant species like Dugong, marine turtles, manta rays, giant clams, whale sharks, sea cucumber, and other unique important organisms and social inclusion such as poverty incidence and presence of indigenous peoples.
By the end of the grant, the World Bank and the National Government expects to raise fish population in project sites in 11 municipalities by a 30 percent increase in fish biomass, reduce silt and sediment in targeted coastal areas by 10 percent, and build up live coral and sea grass cover by 10 percent. The project is also designed to widen the number of protected mangrove areas in the covered municipalities and heighten public awareness and community participation in protecting endangered species by 20 percent.
