Overcoming Barriers to Smallholder Carbon Forestry Development in the Philippines

Main Activities:

1. Assessment is being undertaken to find out the constraints hindering the full implementation of carbon forestry projects in the Philippines;
2. Proposed methodology for carbon forestry projects implementation in the Philippines. A handbook for smallholder carbon forestry project will be developed.
3. To complement the above, an assessment of the potential of REDD mechanism in the Philippines will be conducted, and likewise evaluate the constraints of the Philippines to participate in such mechanisms.

Climate change and variability are the most important challenges that beset developing countries like the Philippines due to its strong reliance to the natural resources, the forests especially, and on the agricultural activities therein.For countries that are depending on agricultural production, to achieve food security for the increasing population means intensifying production on existing and/or expanding agricultural lands or croplands both in the lowlands and uplands. However, while efforts are directed towards improvement in the productivity and the sustainability of the production systems of the people directly dependent on agricultural activity for their livelihood, environmental considerations should also be taken into account.

The 1997 Kyoto Protocol to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change established an international policy to address climate change. Although developing countries have no obligations to constrain GHG emissions, on a voluntary basis, are still able to contribute to global emission reductions by hosting projects under the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM).

The CDM offers developed countries to offset some of their GHG emissions reductions by funding carbon projects that would contribute to the sustainable development in the developing countries. The emerging market potentially offer opportunities for developing countries, like the Philippines to finance good forestry, sustainable agriculture and other sustainable measures on the use and management of natural resources.

The project explores the potential of carbon forestry projects in the Philippines as carbon sequestration projects to be viable for carbon emission reduction credits, and explores in which way smallholder agroforestation (land rehabilitation by tree establishment and agroforestry farm development) project participation can be facilitated and benefited in the carbon markets.

The research is undertaken based on the rationale that in the Philippines, agriculture is the most important sector in the economies and integral part of the forests. In 2005, 38% of its total population are living in the rural areas and derived their livelihood from land-based activities. Majority of these lands are considered public lands, and of marginal productivity.

For the smallholder farmers, this carbon markets could potentially support them to adopt a wide range of sustainable land management practices that would enable them respond to the climate variability while contributing to climate change mitigation.

World Agroforestry Centre
PHILIPPINES Country Office
Khush Hall, International Rice Research Institute
Los Baños, Laguna, Philippines
PO Box 35024, UPLB, College, Laguna
4031, Philippines
Telephone: +63 2 845 0563/70/75
Telefax: +63 49 536 2925