Philippines Embarks on National Policy for Nature-Based Solutions to Tackle Climate Change

Strategic Insights -

The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) in the Philippines is developing a national policy on nature-based solutions (NbS) to incorporate forest restoration, watershed protection, and other ecosystem-based approaches into core strategies for climate adaptation and disaster risk reduction. The policy aims to establish Philippine-specific standards, monitoring systems, and incentives for government and private sector adoption. This move follows growing recognition that traditional infrastructure cannot effectively protect communities from intensifying climate-related disasters.

Key Takeaways:

  • The DENR is developing a national policy on NbS with support from the United States Agency for International Development, United Nations Development Programme, and other partner organizations to ensure forest restoration, watershed protection, and other ecosystem-based approaches become core strategies for climate adaptation and disaster risk reduction.
  • The policy will set Philippine-specific standards, monitoring systems, and incentives for both government and private sector adoption of NbS.
  • DENR Forest Management Bureau Assistant Director Ray Thomas Kabigting emphasized that ecosystem restoration must be treated as an investment, not an optional activity, highlighting the importance of NbS in providing resilience to communities.
  • President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. expressed support for NbS, stating that the country's biodiverse ecosystem offers powerful pathways to resilience that engineered infrastructure alone cannot match.
  • Forest Foundation Philippines chairperson Edwina Garchitorena underscored the role of partnerships in ensuring high-integrity NbS, particularly by empowering women and indigenous groups.
  • Canada's Head of Cooperation to the Philippines, Simon Snoxell, affirmed Ottawa's support for NbS, citing its potential to solve multiple problems simultaneously, including improving water quality, storing carbon, restoring biodiversity, and uplifting marginalized groups.
  • NbS is already integrated into key national frameworks such as the Philippine Development Plan, National Adaptation Plan, and National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Plan.

Statistics:

  • The Pacific region, which includes the Philippines, is expected to experience an increase of 1.3°C to 2.6°C in temperature by the end of the century, leading to more frequent and intense natural disasters.
  • The Philippines is vulnerable to climate-related disasters, including floods, droughts, and typhoons.
  • The country's biodiverse ecosystem provides powerful pathways to resilience that engineered infrastructure alone cannot match.

Sources:

  • "DENR working on policy for nature-based solutions" by Gaea Kathleen Cabico, BusinessWorld
  • Philippine government websites and press releases
  • International Organizations and development agencies (exact sources will be provided once verified)