Bukidnon Environmental Summit background and rationale
There is now a growing concern on the state of Mother Earth today—the only planet meant for us humankind and our ecosystems. But around us are alarming news on disasters here and there—most of which are triggered by resource degradation and global warming and its impetus to the shift in global climatic conditions. Parallel to these catastrophes surging everywhere, are the continuing trend of exploitation and extraction of our remaining natural resources be it in the forested lands, seas, and fresh water habitats. At the lead of these ventures are industries on exploration of minerals which are targeted in most southern and developing countries. As these extractive industries intrude to fragile areas, including ancestral homelands of the indigenous peoples, the bleeding of the land is deepened. These activities have deleterious effects that contributed to the gradual loss of important species other resources within our so called important biodiversity and conservation areas. If plunder in these areas could not be stopped, the integrity of our environment as well as the survival of our humanity would be at high risk. At this point, citizen’s actions to stop these unwarranted plunder of Mother Earth is more urgent than ever.
The 1992 Rio de Janeiro Earth Summit sets the precedence wherein heads of states among member states of the United Nations along with the influential people who are activists and advocates of environment and social development were gathered together to level off understanding on the state of Planet Earth and to find solutions to the impending global environmental crisis. The Earth Summit inspired the notion on Sustainable Development which can only be achieved through a wide extent of cooperation among countries, government, institutions, and all citizens of the world.
Notwithstanding the resurging hopes and the impact of the Earth Summit, it is ironic that the deterioration of our planet continues today and its causes are still largely manmade—evident in habitat destruction through over utilization and over-exploitation of natural resources, increasing human population and widespread poverty; the conversion of our ecosystems e.g., forests into agricultural and industrial land uses, toxic and biological pollution, and adverse use of technology. As these damaging trends impact our environment, it inevitably affects not only our quality of life but also our future and that of our succeeding generations.
With the complexity and vast implications of our deteriorating environmental situations, its solutions no longer anchored on conventional ways. This means that to address environmental issues and challenges the answers no longer hinged on the monopoly of expertise from the government, nor the civil society and the private sector. This means appropriate actions to counter these harmful environmental problems concerns would require collaborative efforts among public and private institutions.
Corollary, the Millennium Development Goals sets eight (8) goals that require collective global action to ensure people’s well-being and sustainability on this planet. Two of these goals—the (1) “eradication of extreme poverty and hunger” and (2) ensuring environmental sustainability illustrate the practicality and importance of instituting effective partnership between state and non-state agency in the attainment of its goals. Hence, it is imperative that a more urgent means to consolidate a citizen’s initiatives and strategies toward sustainable natural resources and environmental management (SNREM) would have to be forged at all levels from the community, to its governments and its neighboring states.
In addition, the Philippine Strategy for Sustainable Development recognizes the importance of biodiversity conservation as one of the component in attaining its sustainability goals and that, upon the ratification by congress, the Philippines becomes one of the signatory to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). The CBD likewise underscores the importance of ecosystems approach which necessitates broad partnership alliance and a convergence of multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary approaches in SNREM. In this regard, linkages and networking between indigenous communities, the civil society and state agents is essential to its success.
Parallel to the above development, the Local Government Code of 1991 seeks to transform local government units (LGUs) into self reliant entities and active partner in the attainment of national goals through a more responsive and accountable local government structure instituted through a system of decentralization. In the case of the environment, the national government through the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) devolved to the LGUs its community based projects, enforcement of environmental laws and institute mechanisms for co-management and participation in the aspect of reserved and protected area management.
It is interesting to note that best practices and lessons learned after almost 17 years of the local government code implementation in the area of environmental management may be a good platform to push forward for a multi-stakeholder consolidated plan of action. This necessitates the need to define an effective mode of governance and institutionalization of our important biodiversity and conservation areas. These are essential elements a sound and participatory planning for effective implementation of SNREM.
The Bukidnon Province of Northern Mindanao is one interesting locale on eco-governance. The agenda on environment is a serious concern that could easily draw out multi-sectoral engagements. During the 80’s, a people’s movement on “Fasters of the Forest” campaign successfully obtained support from the Church and local officials such that it scaled up at the national level contributing to the proclamation of logging moratorium in the entire province. The holding of logging moratorium is a feat worth reckoning for other parts in the country whose forest cover is on rapid decrease. Actions for the environment in the province (and in the region) demonstrate courage and tenacity among citizens who would barricade logging trucks, aired out protests with the government while indigenous communities converged into forest guards volunteers while their leaders strengthen their “gate keeping” roles to their sacred domains now turned protected areas.
At present, the need to rethink and reevaluate the state of environment in the province is a priority concern as this has been articulated by the chief executive of Valencia. This concern found resonance at the Provincial Government and its ally city in Malaybalay. Individuals active in protected area systems easily responded to this interest and were tapped to facilitate convening an influential group who would lead an environmental summit. Initial meetings began in April until the idea of holding the “Bukidnon Environment Summit” ripened. A simple vision of the Summit is to simply provide a venue for the convergence of various sectors—representing communities and stakeholders whose voices need to be heard and responded to by proper authorities and by all those concerned. The vision of the group is to be able to ensure the preservation of the integrity of the environment that would contribute to common welfare, with healthy population and safe environment for habitation, and enhanced with cultural diversity and rich and dynamic traditional heritage. These elements when combined, contributes to the strategic importance of Bukidnon as a practicing eco-governance and a culturally diverse political unit.
