Integrated River Basin Management in Mindanao for Climate Change Adapation

DAVAO CITY, Philippines - With the rising threats of climate change, drought and other environmental risks, key river basin stakeholders in Mindanao are pushing for an integrated effort to protect and sustain the island’s fertile river basins and watersheds.

                                           Mindanao River Basin: Vulnerable to Climate Change

The Mindanao Development Authority, key government agencies responsible for the management of Mindanao river basins are strongly pushing for a Mindanao-wide River Basin Development Roadmap that will guide towards a coordinated and sustainable river basin rehabilitation and management in Mindanao.

“Our water resources have been at risk and therefore a collaborative effort among all stakeholders is needed to protect and conserve our headwaters,” said Luwalhati Antonino.

Mindanao has eight major river basins - the Agus river basin, Cagayan de Oro river basin, Tagoloan river basin, Agusan river basin, Mindanao river basin (Cotabato), Tagum-Libuganon river basin, Davao river basin and Buayan-Malungan river basin.

                                                             Mindanao River Basin

According to the Mindanao 2020 Peace and Development Framework, the region is endowed with rich ecosystems and dominated by fertile river basins and watersheds but these have been threatened by heavy reliance on extractive industries such as logging, fisheries and mining.

Mindanao 2020 said that watershed degradation in Mindanao has been largely due to heavy siltation, water pollution, unsustainable farming practices, and destruction of fish breeding grounds.

If not addressed, it will give rise to food security threats and hamper economic development. Mindanao’s total forest cover has also been rapidly denuded from 70% in 1900s to 23% in 1988 and down to six percent as of last year.

The island’s agri-based economy is also vulnerable to risks in rainfall change, El Niño and projected temperature increase brought abut by changes in climate.

"Sustainable development of Mindanao's river basin is very important to achieve security for its people. Climate change is already here, all we can do is to adapt to the changes"

Via Reuter

Climate change and agriculture

by Sen. Edgardo J. Angara

Agriculture is intricately intertwined with climate change. Depending on how it is managed, agriculture can either aggravate or mitigate the climate-change problem.

According to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, 70 percent of freshwater use in the world goes to agriculture, compared with industry use (20 percent), and municipal and domestic use (10 percent). In Asia, agriculture accounts for 80 percent of freshwater withdrawals.

An International Food Policy Research Institute (Ifpri) recent study estimates that agriculture contributes about 15 percent of the annual greenhouse-gas (GHG) emissions warming up the globe. The World Trade Organization projects an even larger contribution—it estimates that all agriculture—related sectors combined is possibly emitting up to 25 percent to 30 percent of the annual GHG emissions to the atmosphere.

At the same time, agriculture, through biodiesels, increases the options for renewable energy.

Practices such as increasing crop production, introducing carbon sequestration and providing for effective land-use management can mitigate agriculture’s impact on climate change.

On the other hand, climate change has been affecting harvests because the frequent and extreme changes in the weather have ravaged farms and crops.

Thus, our country, which is still largely agricultural (over a third of our work force is engaged in agriculture and agriculture-related activities), is particularly vulnerable to the dynamics between agriculture and climate change.

Such huge decline in harvest will ultimately lead to food-price increases like what we experienced last year.

"Filipino farmers will definitely the ones will be hit by these changes, hence the government must empower our farmers."

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Climate change impacts and the Philippines

The earth is definitely warming. Signals of a changing climate, including increasing trends in temperature, sea level rise and extreme climate events, are already evident in the Philippines. And as the warming continues, the effects will become more catastrophic.

With climate change will come water shortages and decreases in agricultural productivity and food security. Our health will be threatened by heat stress and increased chances of exposure to infectious diseases. Those living in low-lying coastal areas may become climate refugees as their homes are destroyed. And tourism, an important source of income for many, will decline.

"Every Filipino must be prepared for the on-going changes of our climate"

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