Quezon city: The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) is actively developing a national policy on nature-based solutions (NbS) aimed at embedding forest restoration, watershed protection, and other ecosystem-based strategies into the Philippines’ core climate adaptation and disaster risk reduction frameworks. The initiative seeks to transform these approaches from isolated project-based efforts into sustained governance practices.
According to Philippines News Agency, the policy is being crafted with support from the United States Agency for International Development, United Nations Development Programme, and other partners. DENR Assistant Secretary for Policy, Planning, International Affairs and Climate Change, Noralyn Uy, emphasized that this policy will establish Philippine-specific standards, monitoring systems, and incentives to encourage both government and private sector participation.
The shift towards NbS comes amid growing awareness that traditional infrastructure is insufficient for shielding communities from escalating natural disasters like floods, droughts, and typhoons. Ray Thomas Kabigting, DENR Forest Management Bureau Assistant Director, highlighted that treating ecosystem restoration as an investment is crucial and that NbS provides a holistic and strategic approach wherein nature is leveraged as the primary solution.
Kabigting noted that the Philippines’ rich biodiversity offers unique resilience pathways that engineered infrastructure alone cannot achieve. He cited President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s remarks during an irrigation system inauguration in the Visayas, where the President underscored the importance of forest cover in ensuring project sustainability.
The DENR Climate Change Service has convened a multi-stakeholder technical working group to promote the institutionalization of NbS. This group includes practitioners, policymakers, and academics dedicated to advancing NbS in the country.
Forest Foundation Philippines Chairperson Edwina Garchitorena pointed out the importance of partnerships, particularly in empowering women and indigenous groups, to ensure the integrity of NbS initiatives. Canada’s Head of Cooperation to the Philippines, Simon Snoxell, expressed Ottawa’s support, highlighting NbS’s multifaceted benefits, from improving water quality to enhancing biodiversity.
Uy also mentioned that NbS principles are already incorporated into significant national frameworks such as the Philippine Development Plan, National Adaptation Plan, and National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Plan.
