Final Report Project Reference Number: CBA2014-03NSY-CRUZ ...€¦ · The Grant awarded to this...

Final Report Project Reference Number: CBA2014-03NSY-CRUZ

COLLABORATIVE MONITORING FOR ENHANCED WATERSHED

MANAGEMENT IN THE PHILIPPINES

- Making a Difference – SScciieennttiiffiicc CCaappaacciittyy BBuuiillddiinngg && EEnnhhaanncceemmeenntt ffoorr SSuussttaaiinnaabbllee DDeevveellooppmmeenntt iinn DDeevveellooppiinngg CCoouunnttrriieess

The following collaborators worked on this project:

1. Dr. Rex Victor O. Cruz, Professor, University of the Philippines Los Banos, College, Laguna ([email protected]; [email protected])

2. Dr. Wilfredo M. Carandang, Professor, College of Forestry and Natural Resources, UP Los Banos, College, Laguna([email protected]; [email protected])

3. Dr. Vida Q. Carandang, Assistant Professor, College of Forestry and Natural Resources, UP Los Banos, College, Laguna([email protected]; [email protected])

4. Ms. Catherine C. de Luna, University Researcher , College of Forestry and Natural Resources, UP Los Banos, College, Laguna ([email protected])

5. Genevieve A. Galapia, Project Researcher, Environmental Forestry Program, College of Forestry and Natural Resources, UP Los Banos, College, Laguna ([email protected])

mailto:[email protected]








Project Reference Number: CBA2014-03NSY-Cruz

“Collaborative Monitoring Systems for Enhanced

Watershed Management in the Philippines”

Final Report submitted to APN

©Asia-Pacific Network for Global Change Research

OVERVIEW OF PROJECT WORK AND OUTCOMES Minimum 2pages (maximum 4 pages)

Non-technical summary To promote science-and technology based watershed management in the Philippines, long-term watershed monitoring was initiated in three selected watersheds in 2011 and another 3 watersheds in 2014 to fast track the build up of empirical databases, technologies and other knowledge products. To facilitate the monitoring of other watersheds in the country, this project aimed to hasten the development of capacity of local stakeholders in Baroro Watershed from which case best practices in capacity building shall be distilled for wider application in other watersheds. This project conducted an adaptive capacity building program to empower the LGUs, local communities, teachers and students, NGOs and technical personnel of private corporations, other local stakeholders to conduct collaborative and participatory watershed monitoring. A combination of lectures, workshops, demonstrations, field visits, online learning methods, and experiential learning were conducted. Three training courses specifically for 1) LGU personnel and farmers; 2) secondary students and their teachers; and 3) other stakeholders were held. The watershed monitoring system included instruments like Automated Water Level System and the Automated Weather Station that were installed along the Baroro River. The stakeholders were trained to maintain as well as manage and process the data from these instruments along with other information being gathered for planning, disaster risk reduction and other purposes. Database of Baroro Watershed can be viewed at www.philwatershed.org.

Keywords Science-based watershed management, collaborative management, watershed management decision support, watershed instrumentation

Objectives This capacity building program was envisioned to help enhance the capability of the identified stakeholders of the Baroro Watershed for collaborative and participatory long term monitoring and assessment of the overall health, vulnerabilities and development potentials of selected watersheds in the Philippines to promote science-based watershed management in general and to promote climate change adaptation, disaster risk reduction, conservation of soil, water and biodiversity in particular.

Amount received and number of years supported The Grant awarded to this project was US$ 44,950 for the whole duration of the Project of one year.

Activities undertaken The following activities were undertaken by the project:

1. Mobilization and organization of key stakeholders in the pilot watershed. 2. Capacity building and enrichment of indigenous knowledge and skills of local stakeholders

especially the local communities with the infusion of science and innovative tools and methods 3. Establishment of watershed monitoring systems in the pilot watershed 4. Enhancement of the capability of local governments and local communities to access various

domains of watershed knowledge and information 5. Participation in the network of learning watersheds across the country.

http://www.philwatershed.org/

Results The Baroro River Watershed (BRW) is located at the northeastern portion of the province of La Union. It lies within 16o36’59’’ to 16o44’7” latitude and 120o20’20”to 120o32’6” longitude. BRW is bounded on the North by portions of the municipalities of Santol and Bacnotan, on the east by portions of the municipality San Gabriel, on the south by portions of the municipality of Bagulin and the city of San Fernando and on the west by the China Sea where the Baroro River finally drains. The BRW has a total land area of 19,603.07 has covering the Municipalities of San Gabriel, Bagulin, San Juan, Bacnotan and Santol and the City of San Fernando, in La Union. Out of the 19,063.07 ha area of the watershed, only 28.08% or 5,353.86194 ha are timberland. Alienable and Disposable land is 71.91% or equivalent to 13,709.20806 has. A water intake pipe was installed by the La Union Water District (LUWD) at barangay Lon-oy, San Gabriel and the reservoir is constructed in Poblacion, San Gabriel. This provides water supply to the municipalities of San Gabriel, San Juan and San Fernando City. Mobilization and organization of key stakeholders in the pilot watershed Understanding the current situation of the Baroro Watershed was vital in mobilizing and organizing the key stakeholders in the implementation of development activities. On September 18, 2014, the Forum on the Management of Baroro Watershed was held at the San Gabriel Municipal Hall, San Gabriel, La Union. Jointly organized by the Municipal LGU of San Gabriel, La Union, Provincial LGU of La Union, Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Office-DENR, Fostering Education and Environment for Development, Inc. and the University of the Philippines Los Banos, all stakeholders within the watershed were represented during the forum including school teachers, community members, officials of the barangay, municipal and provincial local government units, personnel of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources and the Water District of La Union. The forum was implemented to: identify key stakeholders of BRW and their current and future roles; formulate a common vision for BRW; identify problems, land-uses, programs, best practices and opportunities in BRW; and identify training needs of stakeholders for effective management of the BRW. Currently, the BRW serves as sources of water, food, livelihood, power and recreation for the stakeholders. In order to mobilize the stakeholders to implement development activities, vision formulation was conducted so that the stakeholders’ planned initiatives are unified. For those in the municipalities of Bagulin, Santol and Bacnotan, the BRW is envisioned to be the best watershed in the Philippines. While for San Gabriel, the vision is to have a protected watershed that is able to reduce disaster risks. Those from the Municipality of San Juan and the City of San Fernando envision the watershed as a source of sustainable, clean and safe water for all. Other stakeholders envision a community-led model for successful watershed management in the Philippines. Just like most watersheds in the Philippines, the BRW faces problems like deforestation, extraction of wild plants and animals, water pollution, land-use changes, urbanization, erosion, non-implementation of comprehensive land-use plans, policies and ordinances regarding the watershed, lack of public awareness and improper waste disposal. Programs implemented in the watershed so far are mostly of the tree planting activities. The participants proposed that aside from tree planting, programs on the implementation of policies for the protection of the watershed, and creation of a watershed management council/committee that will oversee the development and management of the BRW should also be made possible. Perennial tree planting (timber, fruit, and coconut), rearing of fish or shrimp, and vegetable production were identified as

potential livelihood opportunities. Other livelihood opportunities include ecotourism, biodiversity sanctuary and renewable energy source. Potential ecotourism activities include tree parks, river cruise, and non-motorized sports. Implementing capacity-building activities There was the need to create awareness on effective watershed management, waste management, pollution control from the households, community organizing, and health, safety and sanitation. Hence, before the training courses were conducted, the needs assessment was conducted during the Forum held last September 18, 2014 at San Gabriel, La Union. As a result of the needs assessment, three training courses were implemented for the project. These courses were for 1) LGU and farmers; 2) secondary students and their teachers; and 3) other stakeholders. A total of 90 participants were able to gain knowledge and skills on participatory watershed management, climate change and agroforestry in all the three courses held. The courses were conducted to provide awareness to the participants on the value of our watershed. The participants were also exposed to various watershed monitoring equipment and procedures as well as the different sustainable sloping land farming systems in the provinces of Laguna, Ilocos Norte and Cavite. Installation of Watershed Instruments The team conducted two field reconnaissance visits to the headwaters of Baroro Watershed. This activity was undertaken to locate the possible sites for the installation of water monitoring instruments and the weather station. Water quality monitoring along the Baroro River was also conducted. Results of the water quality monitoring showed that pH in all the sampling sites are from neutral to alkaline, except for one sampling site in San Juan, La Union. In terms of dissolved oxygen, highest value was measured at the mouth of the Baroro River with 72.5%. Dissolved oxygen is an important parameter because of its influence on the organisms living within a body of water. Water conductivity was highest in the downstream portion of the watershed at 14,060 µS/cm while conductivity in the upstream and midstream ranged from 158 to 404 µS/cm. Total Dissolved Solids (TDS) were also highest in the downstream at 7.032 ppt while TDS in the upstream and midstream ranged from 0.079 to 0.202 ppt. Instruments like Automated Water Level System that is able to monitor water level and the Automated Weather Station able to monitor rainfall, temperature, wind direction and velocity, were installed along the Baroro River. Data are now being transmitted to a server via text every 15 minutes and can be seen at www.philwatershed.org.

Enhancement of the capability of local governments and local communities to access various domains of watershed knowledge and information The National Research and Development Project for Watershed Management in the Philippines (www.philwatershed.org ) has already created a portal where various types of watershed information on diverse themes are already deposited and is easily accessible to watershed stakeholders particularly to those that are marginally skillful and financially constrained. The information collected by the instruments installed along the BRW is already lodged in the aforementioned portal. The local disaster risk reduction management office of the Municipality of San Gabriel has already been trained to retrieve


data and analyze the same to predict flooding to low-lying areas based from weather data from the instruments. Participation in the network of learning watersheds across the country With Baroro River Watershed now accessible through the www.philwatershed.org portal, it has been added as a learning watershed of the Philippines. The built-up of watershed knowledge and information has been facilitated. This will allow periodic analysis of all the databases to draw up important observations that may be useful for watershed management improvement in many watersheds. The data collected from the Baroro Watershed will be linked to the already established portal of the www.philwatershed.org, to be able to contribute to the building up of data in the Philippines. The project which developed the portal is also currently being led by the Project Leader of the CBA2014-03NSY-Cruz.

Relevance to the APN Goals, Science Agenda and to Policy Processes The proposed project was envisioned to facilitate science-based watershed management in the Philippines, addressing the acute need to develop databases, and promote better understanding on the physical, biological and socioeconomic attributes of watersheds in relation to its vulnerabilities to climate change and other human and natural stressors and its impacts on watershed functions. This is ultimately expected to improve the responsiveness and effectiveness of watershed management decisions on climate change adaptation, disaster risk reduction, conservation of soil, water and biodiversity and other concerns.

Self evaluation The project has enriched our understanding of transformative change that both sharpening the minds and skills as well as touching the hearts of people are required if desired change in the management of natural resources including that of the watershed is to happen. It also affirms our past experiences that sincerity, honesty and commitment to promote the interest of local stakeholders, create an atmosphere for effective communication and transfer of technologies. The civil society, local communities, farmers, youths, women, NGOs, business sector, labor groups and other sectors must be active players as well in the change process. Together all players must be empowered through information, education and training to be knowledgeable and skillful in the pursuit of integrated and holistic development where the individual good is subsidiary to the general good. Equally vital is the need to touch the hearts of all players to rekindle their ability to feel and care for and to show compassion to others. In a creative way the application of new knowledge and skills must be linked with the reawakening of their desire to improve the quality of life of others by improving the quality of the environment.

Potential for further work Capacity building to the various stakeholders, especially the Disaster Risk Reduction and Management offices of the LGUs need to be further undertaken, particularly on the interpretation of data produced from modelling of the climate parameters collected from the installed instruments.

Publications (please write the complete citation) 2015 Integrated Watershed Management and Agroforestry Training for Baroro Stakeholders. In http://feed.org.ph/media-centre/press-releases-2015/training-course-baroro-watershed-management/ 2014 BRW Participatory Management Training Launched with UPLB, DENR and La Union Province. In http://feed.org.ph/media-centre/2014-2/2014-baroro-watershed-participatory-management-training-launched-with-uplb-denr-and-la-union-province/ 2015 Training course on Watershed Management & climate change, 5-6 Feb 2015. In: http://feed.org.ph/media-centre/press-releases-2015/training-course-on-watershed-management-climate-change-5-6-feb-2015/



http://feed.org.ph/media-centre/press-releases-2015/training-course-baroro-watershed-management/

http://feed.org.ph/media-centre/press-releases-2015/training-course-baroro-watershed-management/

http://feed.org.ph/media-centre/2014-2/2014-baroro-watershed-participatory-management-training-launched-with-uplb-denr-and-la-union-province/

http://feed.org.ph/media-centre/2014-2/2014-baroro-watershed-participatory-management-training-launched-with-uplb-denr-and-la-union-province/

http://feed.org.ph/media-centre/press-releases-2015/training-course-on-watershed-management-climate-change-5-6-feb-2015/

http://feed.org.ph/media-centre/press-releases-2015/training-course-on-watershed-management-climate-change-5-6-feb-2015/

References Acknowledgments The successful implementation of the Project was made possible with the participation and collaboration with the following: 1. Honorable Divina D. Velasco, Mayor, Municipality of San Gabriel, San Gabriel, Pangasinan ([email protected]) 2. Honorable Pablo C. Ortega, Governor-Province of La Union, San Fernando City, La Union 3. Honorable Victor F. Ortega, Representative-First District of La Union, San Fernando City, La Union 4. Mrs. Mary Jane C. Ortega, Secretary, CityNet, La Union, Philippines 5. Mr. Jacob Bakker, Chairman, Fostering Education and Environment for Development, Inc., Makati City

([email protected]) 6. Mrs. Ofelia M. Bakker, President, Fostering Education and Environment for Development, Inc., Makati City

([email protected]) 7. Ms. Anne-Marie Bakker, Fostering Education and Environment for Development, Inc., Makati City ([email protected]) 8. Engr. Samuel C. Songcuan, Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Officer, PENRO-La Union, Department of

Environment and Natural Resources, San Fernando City, La Union ([email protected])






TECHNICAL REPORT Minimum 15-20 pages (excluding appendix)

Preface

Most watersheds in the Philippines have been degraded due to deforestation, land use and land cover

change, increasing upland population, absence of management plans and weaknesses in political and

institutional systems that has been exacerbated by climate change, variability and extremes. Consequently

the sustainability and reliability of watersheds to perform its essential functions and deliver the vital services

have been significantly diminished with serious repercussions on environmental and ecological protection,

economic development, and public health and safety.

To reverse the global and local environmental degradation, changes in mindset and skillset along with

changes in sets of values, behaviors and beliefs of the people excluding no one, must take place.

Government leaders, policy makers, managers, scientists and academicians alone cannot effect the

change in the current degraded condition of the environment and ecosystems. The civil society, local

communities, farmers, youths, women, NGOs, business sector, labor groups and other sectors must be

active players as well in the change process. Together all players must be empowered through

information, education and training to be knowledgeable and skillful in the pursuit of integrated and

holistic development where the individual good is subsidiary to the general good. Equally vital is the

need to touch the hearts of all players to rekindle their ability to feel and care for and to show

compassion to others. In a creative way, the application of new knowledge and skills must be linked with

the reawakening of their desire to improve the quality of life of others by improving the quality of the

environment. In an integrated framework all the players must learn to count as their own, the benefits

of change that accrue to people outside their territory recognizing that what is good for others is also

good for themselves.

Obviously science and information are essential but are insufficient to remedy the ills of our

environment and ecosystems. Reliance on building knowledge and skills of the people alone are

oftentimes not enough. Proponents of transformative change argue that both sharpening the minds and

skills as well as touching the hearts of people are required if desired change in the physical realm is to

happen.

Rex Victor O. Cruz

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Table of Contents

1.0 Introduction

2.0 Methodology

3.0 Results and Discussion

3.1 Characterization of the Baroro Watershed

3.1.1 Importance of the Baroro Watershed

3.1.2 Formulation of common vision for Baroro Watershed

3.1.3 Identification of problems, land-uses, programs, best practices and

opportunities in Baroro Watershed

3.2 Training needs of stakeholders for the effective management of Baroro Watershed

3.3 Visit to the Headwaters and River Systems

3.4 Water Quality Assessment

3.5 Capability-building Implementation

3.6 Watershed Instrumentation and Data Collection

3.7 Establishment of network of learning watersheds across the country

4.0 Conclusions

5.0 Future Directions

1.0 Introduction Watersheds in the Philippines are vital life support systems that provide invaluable services like water supply for irrigation, biodiversity conservation, hydropower energy, and maintenance of river, lakes, wetlands and coastal ecosystems. Many watersheds in the Philippines are in varying state of degradation saddled with problems on soil erosion, unpredictable streamflow patterns, diminishing groundwater reserves, loss of biodiversity, and declining land productivity. To facilitate science-based watershed management in the Philippines, one needs to understand the physical, biological and socioeconomic attributes of watersheds in relation to its vulnerabilities to climate change and other human and natural stressors and their impacts on watershed functions. This is ultimately expected to improve the responsiveness and effectiveness of watershed management decisions on climate change adaptation, disaster risk reduction, conservation of soil, water and biodiversity and other concerns.

3.0 Methodology

The following activities were undertaken by the project:

1. Mobilization and organization of key stakeholders in the pilot watershed. This entailed the analysis of watershed stakeholder groups to determine their baseline knowledge and skills and their capability building needs based on the current and likely roles they will play in watershed management. The organization of the stakeholders were to be evaluated and strengthened if one exists already otherwise an appropriate organizational structure or mechanism for stakeholder engagement in watershed management were to be agreed on.

2. Capacity building and enrichment of indigenous knowledge and skills of local stakeholders especially

the local communities with the infusion of science and innovative tools and methods This focused on identifying and strengthening the weaknesses, and reinforcing the strengths of indigenous knowledge and skills on any watershed management related activities. The component created opportunities for the merging of science and local knowledge by minimizing the resistance to the introduction of totally new technologies and practices.

3. Establishment of watershed monitoring systems in the pilot watershed

This involved the installation of an automated weather station to monitor rainfall, relative humidity and temperature for measuring climate parameters. Also, automated water level monitoring systems were installed in strategic locations. A monitoring team were to be organized consisting mainly of selected members of local communities, selected technical personnel of local government and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, and researchers and technicians from academe and research institutions.

All the information gathered by the instruments are automatically transmitted to the central computer database where it will be processed and used for disaster risk reduction, local development planning and other purposes.

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4. Enhancement of the capability of local governments and local communities to access various domains of watershed knowledge and information

The National Research and Development Project of Watershed Management in the Philippines (philwatershed.org) has already created a portal where various types of watershed information on diverse themes will be deposited and rendered easily accessible to watershed stakeholders particularly to those that are marginally skillful and financially constrained. The information and databases that will be generated in the pilot watershed and other watersheds in the country will be lodged/linked in the portal. Local watershed stakeholders will also be trained on how to analyse and use the information and data that are retrievable from various sources including data that they are able to collect in their own watershed monitoring system. In particular the local watershed stakeholders will be trained on the use of the information and data accessed and gathered for assessing the vulnerabilities of the watersheds to climate related hazards and risks along with the appropriate adaptation and risk reduction measures that need to be implemented.

5. Participation in the network of learning watersheds across the country.

The intent of this component is to facilitate the quick build-up of watershed knowledge and information by gathering in one place all information and databases from various watersheds that are currently instrumented and monitored. This will allow periodic analysis of all the databases to draw up important observations that may be useful for watershed management improvement in many watersheds. The data collected from the BRW will be deposited to the www.philwatershed.org portal and will help build up the data requirements for effective management in the country.

4.0 Results & Discussion

The Baroro River Watershed (BRW) is located at the northeastern portion of the province of La Union Figure 1). It lies within 16o36’59’’ to 16o44’7” latitude and 120o20’20”to 120o32’6” longitude. BRW is bounded: on the north by portions of the municipalities of Santol and Bacnotan; on the east by portions of the Municipality of San Gabriel; on the south by portions of the Municipality of Bagulin and the City of San Fernando; and on the West, by the China Sea where the Baroro River finally drains. The BRW has a total land area of 19,603.07 has covering the Municipalities of San Gabriel, Bagulin, San Juan, Bacnotan and Santol and the City of San Fernando, in La Union. Out of the 19,063.07 has area of the watershed, only 28.08% or 5,353.86194 ha are timberland. Alienable and Disposable land is 71.91% or equivalent to 13,709.20806 has. Baroro River Watershed falls under Climate Type I of the Corona’s Classification system. It is dry from November to April and wet during the rest of the year. Average annual precipitation from 2006-2010 was 254.2 mm with the highest occurring mostly in August (706.3 mm) and lowest in February (8.7 mm). The Baroro River has a dendritic drainage pattern, where tributaries form acute angles as they drain to the larger stream. Average annual surface run-off within the watershed was recorded at 2,426.63 mm. The highest average surface run-off was recorded in August of 2009 at 2,890.03 mm. The water quality is within Class A which means that sources of water supply require complete treatment in order to meet the National Standards for Drinking Water (NSDW) of the Philippines. A water intake pipe was installed by the La Union Water District (LUWD) at Barangay Lon-oy, San Gabriel and the reservoir is constructed in Poblacion, San Gabriel. This provides water supply to the municipalities of San Gabriel, San Juan and San Fernando City.


Figure 1. Location of the BRW and the municipalities and city within

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Based on the 2007 census, the watershed has a total population of 56,631. San Juan has the highest population of 18,438 (33%). San Gabriel ranks no. 2 with 16,011 persons representing 28%. The remaining 39% is being shared by Bacnotan with 11,286 persons (20%); Bagulin with 5,041 (9%); San Fernando City with 4,315 (8%) and Santol with 1,540 (2%). More than 50% of the watershed area is moderately susceptible to soil erosion. These areas are generally located in the Municipalities of San Gabriel, Bagulin, Santol and some portions of Bacnotan. Areas not susceptible to soil erosion are within the low lying areas of the municipalities of Bacnotan and San Juan. Areas with high susceptibility, on the other hand, are scattered in the Municipalities of San Gabriel, Bagulin, San Fernando and San Juan. A total of 15,856.83 ha (83%) of the area of the watershed is also susceptible to landslide of which about 10,501.13 ha is highly susceptible, 5,015.31 ha is moderately susceptible, 254.79 ha is slightly susceptible and only 85.60 ha is susceptible to landslide.

Characterization of the BRW

Understanding the current situation of the Baroro Watershed was vital in mobilizing and organizing the key stakeholders in the implementation of development activities. On September 18, 2014, the Forum on the Management of Baroro Watershed was held at the San Gabriel Municipal Hall, San Gabriel, La Union. Jointly organized by the Municipal LGU of San Gabriel, La Union, Provincial LGU of La Union, Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Office-DENR, Fostering Education and Environment for Development, Inc. and the University of the Philippines Los Banos, all stakeholders within the watershed were represented during the forum including school teachers, community members, officials of the barangays, municipal and provincial local government units, personnel of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources and the Water District of La Union. The forum was implemented to: identify key stakeholders of Baroro Watershed and their current and future roles; formulate a common vision for Baroro Watershed; identify problems, land-uses, programs, best practices and opportunities in Baroro Watershed; and identify training needs of stakeholders for effective management of the Baroro Watershed. Currently, the Baroro Watershed serves as a source of water, food, livelihood, power and recreation for the stakeholders.

The participants were grouped according to municipality and geographical location within the

watershed. Based on the workshop conducted for each group, the following were the elicited

responses:

a. Importance of the BRW

The BRW serves as sources of water, food, livelihood, power and recreation for the stakeholders (Table

1).

Table 1. Importance of the watershed according to the stakeholders from the different LGUs within the BRW.

Bagulin, Santol, Bacnotan

San Gabriel San Juan, San Fernando

Other Stakeholders

• Source of water during dry season.- Bagulin

• Water for irrigation

• Water for agricultural production

• Source of livelihood –

• Source of water for domestic and irrigation

• Water for fishery

• Catchment – basin

• Water conservation

• Water supply

• Irrigation

• Drainage

• Source of energy; hydropower is the

• Basin

• Enhances biodiversity

• Improves fish quantity and quality

• Supports agricultural production

• Source of livelihood

• Source of livelihood (socioeconomic sustenance)

• (Protection of) Ancestral Domains (AD)

• Food supply

• Water supply

Participants to the Forum on the Management of the Baroro Watershed, San Gabriel Municipal Hall,

San Gabriel, La Union, September 18, 2014

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Serves as fishing ground

• Source of energy

cleanest source of energy

• Ecological balance; mitigation to climate change

• Domestic use

• Mitigates flooding

• Recreational

• Source of LGU revenue

• Source of domestic and industrial water

b. Formulation of common vision for BRW

The forum also became the venue for the stakeholders to formulate a vision for the BRW (Table 2). For

those in the municipalities of Bagulin, Santol and Bacnotan, the BRW is envisioned to be the best

watershed in the Philippines. While for San Gabriel, the vision is to have a protected watershed that is

able to reduce disaster risk. Those from the Municipality of San Juan and City of San Fernando envision

the watershed as source of sustainable, clean and safe water for all. Other stakeholders envision a

community led model for successful watershed management in the Philippines.

Table 2. Vision statements of the different stakeholders of the BRW

Bagulin, Santol, Bacnotan San Gabriel San Juan, San

Fernando Other Stakeholders

To be the best watershed in the Philippines.

To be the best watershed, the following should be in place:

• More clean water greener and more developed watershed

• denuded areas are reforested

• increased awareness on watershed management by all inhabitants/stakeholders

• settlers are given sustainable livelihood

A protected watershed that is able to mitigate disaster risk. The following should be in place:

• Reforestation activities within the next 10 years for good forest cover

• Elimination of village-level logging, mining and charcoal-making

• Well-maintained and watershed monitoring instruments are in place

• Conduct of regular evaluation of the state of the watershed

Source of sustainable, clean and safe water for all. The following should be in place:

• Watershed protection activities should be in place

• Watershed management council in place

• Ecotourism site/ destination

A community led prototype /model for successful watershed management in the Philippines. The following should be existing:

• “Green Valley” – La Union’s Prime Tourist Destination

• Well-delineated / defined watershed use zones acceptable to stakeholders

• Successful livelihood and community projects

• Sustainable water resource

• sustained or improved water discharge

• Bororo WS as (future) eco-tourism site

• Responsible stakeholders

• Irrigation and electric system in place utilizing windmill facility

• Tourist eco-park for revenue of the LGU

• Healthy habitat for numerous water plants and animals

• Abundant water supply for domestic and agricultural

• No more commercial fishponds in bodies of water that contributes to pollution

• Farmers adopt terraces style of farming for conservation and productivity

• Increase in production and livelihood

• Pupils/ youth are already well-informed about the importance of watershed

• People know their responsibilities and importance of watershed

• Formulation of watershed management plans at ordinances

• Adequate, safe water supply equitably enjoyed by stakeholders

• Engaged community/public awareness/involvement

• Empowered IPs

• Baroro-Lonoy River lined with flowering trees

• River cruise services

• Major tourist destination

c. Identification of problems, land-uses, programs, best practices and opportunities in BRW

Just like most watersheds in the Philippines, the BRW faces problems like deforestation, extraction of

wild plants and animals, water pollution, land-use changes, urbanization, erosion, non-implementation

of comprehensive land-use plans, policies and ordinances regarding the watershed, lack of public

awareness and improper waste disposal (Table 3).

Table 3. Problems identified by the stakeholders that beset the BRW


San Gabriel San Juan, San Fernando Other Stakeholders

Problems

• Presence of denuded areas

• Lack of information dissemination

• Few perennials

• Presence of patches of denuded areas

• Deforestation

• Water pollution

• Rapid/unplanned land use change

• Urbanization

• Climate Change

• Erosion

• lack of public awareness

• central governance/leadership

• Kaingin making

• deforestation/declining forest cover

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• Lack of awareness on environmental related policies

• Lack of monitoring activities

• Lax implementation of policies

• Extraction of wild plants and animals

• Presence of pollution-producing activities (e.g. piggeries, poultry, chicken-dressing plant)

• Decreasing supply of water

• Decreasing agricultural production

• Diminishing water reserve

• Kaingin system of farmers

• Flooding in low lying barangays

• Non-implementation of the CLUP

• Non-existent soil and water conservation programs

• Inadequate policies for the protection of the environment

• Inadequate knowledge in planning

• Improper Waste Disposal

• lack of funding and priority attention

In terms of programs that are currently being implemented in the watershed, tree planting was

commonly identified by all the stakeholders (Table 4).

Table 4. Current programs implemented in the BRW



Programs

• NGP

• Clean and Green

• “plant a billion trees” from the DENR

• DAP-AYAN

• IEC

• “OPLAN MINDA (Mula Intayo Nayunan Dalus Aywanan), translation “Let’s Plant

• PPP (LGU, Holcim and DENR): Lon-oy watershed development program (turn over from LGU to DENR SEPT 2014)

• Distribution of seedlings

• Fruit for Life program

• Vist and plant a tree program

• Sn Gabriel greening project

• Existing municipal ordinance

• Enforcement of existing environmental ordinances

• Tree planting

• Reforestation project

• Reforestation tree planting

• Alternative livelihood

• Flood control program

• watershed management planning

• Greening Programs (reforestation)

• Comprehensive Land Use Mapping

• Promotion of sustainability, agroforestry and ecotourism

• IEC

• community organizing and stakeholders participation

• Waste Management Programs

NGP

more and nurture them”

The programs proposed by the participants (Table 5) include continued greening of the watershed by

tree planting, implementation of policies for the protection of the watershed, and creation of a

watershed management council/committee that will oversee the development and management of the

BRW.

Table 5. Proposed programs for the BRW


San Gabriel San Juan, San Fernando

Other Stakeholders

Proposed Programs

• Promotion of agroforestry

• Sustainability of clean and green program

• Provision of livelihood programs

• Install series of jackstones barriers 100 meters away from river mouth to the sea

• creation of Baroro WS office, with sub-office in Santol

• Conservation and protection of wildlife

• Sustain gains by: maintain Bantay Gubat teams

• Tree planting

• Sustain and strengthen existing PPAs

• Barangay committee – discuss within the community the benefits of a sustained watershed

• Stronger support from Barangay LGUs in the enforcement of ordinances

• Tree planting at least twice a year

• Sustainability of the YES-O initiatives of the Department of Education

• Reforestation with sustainability

• Multi-storey farming for better soil preservation and to maximize land use

• Intensified/varied livelihood programs for farmers

• Implementation of policies

• Rehabilitation and Protection Program

• Implementation of the Comprehensive Land Use Plans

• Political will on the implementation of local policies

• Clean up Drive

• Watershed management/ environmental awareness module in all schools

• Create Baroro Lon-oy watershed management authority (with budget c/o PLGU)

• Functional, inclusive and sustainable Baroro Lon-oy watershed management authority

• Watershed management to be one of the priority programs of the local chief executive

• Promulgate/enact watershed management ordinances

• Viable watershed R&D institute/ center at San Gabriel

• IEC on Agroforestry Technology

• Lonoy Baroro nurseries

• River and ground water quality/adequacy mapping and monitoring

• Agroecotourism program

17

• Construction of flood control/ flood protection in Poblacion, Bucao and Bumbuneg

• Ban wildlife hunting to preserve the ecological balance of the watershed

Perennial tree planting (timber, fruit, and coconut), rearing of fish or shrimp, and vegetable production

were identified as potential livelihood opportunities (Table 6). Other livelihood opportunities include

ecotourism, biodiversity sanctuary and renewable energy source. Potential ecotourism activities include

tree parks, river cruise, and non-motorized sports.

Table 6. Livelihood opportunities in BRW



Livelihood Opportunities in BRW

• Orchard establishment, e.g. jackfruit

• Source of nature foods like red rice, wild fruits

• Suitable for business establishments

• Fish and shrimp culture

• Tourism opportunities

• Establishment of tree park Conducive for picnic -camping site with entrance fee

• Source of clean and potable water

• Production of livestock and poultry

• Planting of root crops

• Establishment of coconut plantation

• Planting of timber

• Water for irrigation; more water, more crops, more income

• Water for domestic

• Fertile and rich soil which is good for organically grown crops and vegetables

• Reduced pollution

• Improved tourism

• Abundance of clean water

• Fish and shrimp culture

• Forest resources

• Planting of fruit trees

• Quarrying for stone, gravel and sand

• Ecotourism

• Biodiversity Showcase/Sanctuary

• Industrial tree plantation (with private sector)

• Fruit and vegetable farming

• Renewable energy (solar, hydro, wind etc)

• Ecotourism (river cruise, non- motorized sports, etc)

• Commercial handicrafts and arts (IPs)

• Organic farming specialists

d. Training needs of stakeholders for the effective management of BRW

There is the need to create awareness on effective watershed management, waste management,

pollution control from the household level, community organizing, and health, safety and sanitation

(Table 7).

Table 7. Training needs for the effective management of BRW



Training Needs for Effective Management of BRW

• Awareness on watershed management

• Waste management

• Protection, development, conservation and rehabilitation of watershed

• Good housekeeping practices to reduce pollution on the household level

• Training for Bantay-Gubat

• Soil conservation practices

• Environmental awareness campaign

• Nursery Operation, Tree Planting Establishment Maintaining and operations

• Barangay Symposium regarding responsibilities of stakeholders in the maintenance of the watershed

• Water conservation

• Good agricultural practices

• Youth training for the importance of the watershed

• Environmental awareness and skills enhancement programs for all stakeholders

• Farmers training on pesticide management

• Conduct of community organizing to all settlers and stakeholders

• Reforestation

• Ecotourism as alternative livelihood source

• Disaster Risk Reduction

• Capacity/capability building

• Participatory Watershed Monitoring

• Watershed management and operation

• Appropriate and sustainable farming methodologies

• Agroforestry and Forestry Management

• Policy-making

• IEC Soil and water conservation program

• Livelihood programs

• Health, safety and sanitation

• Forestry management

• Biodiversity management

• Specialty skills workshops (Marketing, weaving, arts & handicrafts, etc.)

• Integrated watershed management

• Multimedia awareness campaigns

• Organic farming technology training

• Next generation / youth empowerment & training

• Water resources mapping and inventory management

• Handicrafts making

• Multi-`stakeholder dialogue

• Basic skills on watershed management

19

Visit to the Headwaters and River Systems

The team conducted two field reconnaissance visits to the headwaters of BRW (Photos 1 and 2). The

first one was done by the Instrumentation Team on September 18, 2014. The team members located

the possible site for the installation of water monitoring instruments and the weather station. The

water coming from the headwaters is clean and clear.

Water Quality Assessment

On November 11 to 13, 2014, the team went for an ocular inspection of the headwaters of BRW and

conducted water quality assessment.

The quality of the water along the Baroro River was measured using the Hannah Multiparameter Water

Quality Meter on November 12 and 13, 2014.

Results of the water quality monitoring showed that pH in all the sampling sites are from neutral to

alkaline, except for one sampling site in San Juan, La Union (Table 8). In terms of dissolved oxygen,

Photos 1 and 2 show the headwaters of Baroro in Barangay Lon-oy, San Gabriel, La Union, Philippines

1 2

highest value was measured at the mouth of the Baroro river with 72.5%. Dissolved oxygen is an

important parameter because of its influence on the organisms living within a body of water.

Water conductivity was highest in the downstream at 14,060 µS/cm while conductivity in the upstream and midstream ranged from 158 to 404 µS/cm.

Total Dissolved Solids were also highest in the downstream at 7.032 ppt while TDS in the upstream and midstream ranges from 0.079 to 0.202 ppt.

21

Table 8. Water quality parameters measured along the Baroro River in La Union

Location in the Watershed Sampling Location Date Time

°C pH pH mV ORP DO % DO ppm µS/cm µS/cm A MOhm·cm TDS ppt Salinity sigma t mbar

temperature

dissolved oxygen, %

dissolved oxygen, ppm

Conductivity micro-Siemens per centimeter

Resistivity mega ohms

total dissolved solids

atmospheric pressure

Upstream Lon-oy headwaters, San Gabriel, La Union

2014/11/12 11:21:30 23.19 8.48 -73.7 78.5 41.5 3.37 162 156 0.0062 0.081 0.08 0.0 963.7

Bakes river, San Gabriel, La Union

2014/11/12 13:10:18 23.96 8.81 -92.8 32.4 52.6 4.27 158 154 0.0064 0.079 0.07 0.0 980.0

Lon-oy Arc, San Gabriel, La Union

2014/11/12 13:28:34 28.92 8.72 -89.4 48.6 51.8 3.86 404 434 0.0025 0.202 0.19 0.0 981.0

Balbalayang hanging bridge, San Gabriel, La Union

2014/11/12 13:42:55 28.11 8.80 -93.6 24.8 46.4 3.51 217 230 0.0046 0.108 0.10 0.0 983.2

Bumbuneg, San Gabriel, La Union

2014/11/12 14:14:32 27.91 8.79 -93.2 43.3 45.0 3.50 260 274 0.0039 0.130 0.12 0.0 1005.5

Midstream Poblacion, San Gabriel, La Union bridge

2014/11/12 14:43:27 30.44 8.78 -93.5 26.0 46.9 3.50 279 308 0.0036 0.140 0.13 0.0 1008.2

Cabaroan bridge, San Gabriel, La Union

2014/11/12 14:54:47 31.85 8.34 -68.1 57.9 45.7 3.33 295 334 0.0034 0.148 0.14 0.0 1009.1

Naguirangan bridge 1, San Juan, La Union

2014/11/13 10:06:19 27.39 7.93 -43.2 53.6 31.2 2.45 307 321 0.0033 0.153 0.14 0.0 1009.9

Naguirangan bridge 2 (well), San Juan, La Union

2014/11/13 10:11:21 28.81 6.69 25.4 91.8 28.6 2.20 323 346 0.0031 0.162 0.15 0.0 1010.1

Downstream Baroro mouth, Bacnotan, La Union

2014/11/13 10:44:47 30.02 8.17 -57.7 37.8 72.5 5.24 14060 15405 0.0001 7.032 8.08 1.7 1012.4

Capability-building Implementation

There were three training courses that were implemented for the project. These courses were for 1)

LGU and farmers; 2) secondary students and their teachers; and 3) other stakeholders (Table 9). A total

of 90 participants were able to gain knowledge and skills on participatory watershed management,

climate change and agroforestry.

The course was conducted to provide awareness to the participants on the value of our watershed,

expose them to various watershed monitoring equipment and procedures and different farming systems

in the provinces of Laguna, Ilocos Norte and Cavite.

Table 9. List of training courses and number of participants

Date

(excluding travel

time)

Venue Title of the Activity Number of

Participants

December 1-3,

2014

College of Forestry and Natural

Resources, University of the

Philippines Los Baños, College,

Laguna

Costales Nature Farms,

Majayjay, Laguna

Training Course on

Participatory Management

of BRW in La Union,

Philippines

25

February 5-6,

2015

San Fernando City, La Union and

Batac City, Ilocos Norte

Training Course on

Watershed Management

and Climate Change

39

April 21-23, 2015 College of Forestry and Natural

Resources, University of the

Philippines Los Baños, College,

Laguna

Gourmet Farms and 1:4

Agroforestry farms, Silang,

Cavite

Training Course on

Participatory Watershed

Management and

Agroforestry

26

23

Participants visited a private

enterprise, Folia Tropica, in Los

Banos, Laguna to learn natural

organic compost production

Dr. Rex Victor O. Cruz, Project

Leader for this project giving his

lecture on Watershed

Management

Dr. Wilfredo M. Carandang giving

his lecture on Agroforestry for

Watershed Management

Participants visited the Learning

Laboratory for Agroforestry to

learn the different systems that

are compatible with watershed

management

Final Report: CBA2014-03NSY-Cruz 1

Watershed Instrumentation and Data Collection

Based from the ocular inspection made from the water source (Barangay Lon-oy in San Gabriel) to the outlet (Barangay Baroro, Bacnotan), location was decided to be installed on the Balbalayang and Bumbuneg bridges along the Baroro River.

Each monitoring station was installed with an Automated Water Level System, Automated Weather Station, Solar panel and sim card.

Installation of a fabricated aluminium/iron cage to secure the instruments and accessories was also done.

The different parameters collected like amount of rainfall, air temperature, relative humidity, wind velocity and water level are all transmitted via text message to the watershed information portal (www.philwatershed.org), where it will be analyzed by experts and scientists

and will be used for disaster mitigation.

Establishment of network of learning watersheds across the country

The intent of this component is to facilitate the quick build-up of watershed knowledge and information by gathering in one place all information and databases from various watersheds that are currently instrumented and monitored. This will allow periodic analysis of all the databases to draw up important observations that may be useful for watershed management improvement in many watersheds.

In the www.philwatershed.org information portal, a number of watersheds have been instrumented and relevant data have already been deposited. These data can be used for modelling watershed responses to climate changes, disaster mitigation, and disaster risk reduction.

4.0 Conclusions

Restate the study aims or key questions and summarize your findings

The project developed the best practices for developing the capacity for collaborative and participatory watershed monitoring and promote science-based watershed management decision making. Largely capacity building was done through a combination of lectures, demonstrations, field visits, online learning methods, and experiential learning. Capacity building focused on technical personnel of local government units, local communities, teachers and students, NGOs and technical personnel of private corporations. Best practices for capability building for varied stakeholders and watershed contexts were distilled for potential application nationwide. For each stakeholder group development of appropriate levels of competence for designing, planning, implementing, and maintaining monitoring systems was implemented. Through this initiative, three training courses specifically for 1) LGU and farmers; 2) secondary students and their teachers; and 3) other stakeholders totalling 90 participants were able to gain knowledge and skills on participatory watershed management, climate change and agroforestry. Instruments like Automated Water Level System that is able to monitor water level and the Automated Weather Station able to monitor rainfall, temperature, wind direction and velocity, were installed along the Baroro River. Data are transmitted to a server via text every 15 minutes and can be viewed at www.philwatershed.org.

The engagement of the stakeholders in the actual planning and visioning for Baroro Watershed was instrumental in raising the level of awareness of the stakeholders on the




2 Final Report: CBA2014-03NSY-Cruz

importance of the watershed to their daily life and on the importance of monitoring the watershed in generating information and knowledge that are useful in making sound management decisions that will improve the quality of services rendered by the Baroro Watershed. The activity also united the different stakeholder groups in improving the management of Baroro Watershed and how each of them can actively participate in watershed monitoring and other management activities. It was also seen that the leadership of local executives and local champions i.e., mayor, former mayor, congressman, governor in motivating the local stakeholders to participate is important.

5.0 Future Directions The project needs to be replicated in other watersheds in the Philippines, to build up the database and promote science-based watershed management as well as promote climate change adaptation, disaster risk reduction, conservation of soil, water and biodiversity.

References

Follow a standard format when citing your references

Appendix

Conferences/Symposia/Workshops

Agenda/Programme (including title, date and venue)

Participants list (comprising contact details of each participant, including organisation, address, phone number, fax number, and email address)


Funding sources outside the APN

A list of agencies, institutions, organisations (governmental, inter-governmental and/or non-governmental), that provided any in-kind support and co-funding for the project and the amount(s) awarded. If possible, please provide an estimate amount.

Person/Office Contribution Estimated Amount

Don Mariano Marcos Memorial State University

Bus to ferry participants, 2 round trips from San Fernando City, La Union to UP Los Banos, College, Lagun; Bus to ferry the participants from Sn Fernando City, La Union to Mariano Marcos State University

USD 2,500 (depreciation cost)

Congressman Victor F. Ortega Gasoline for the bus USD 1,000

Environmental Forestry Program, College of Forestry and Natural Resources

Use of Hannah Multiparameter, for water quality monitoring

USD 500

Office of the Mayor, San Gabriel, La Union

Multipurpose Hall, Meeting rooms, vehicle, staff

USD 1,000

Fostering Education for Environment and Development, Inc.

Coordination, Communication, supplies

USD 1,000

Department of Environment and Natural Resources

Coordination, equipment, vehicle

USD 1,000

List of Young Scientists

Glossary of Terms

BRW - Baroro River Watershed

DENR - Department of Environment and Natural Resources

DMMMSU- Don Mariano Marcos Memorial State University

FEED - Fostering Education and Environment for Development, Inc.

LGU - local government unit

MMSU - Mariano Marcos State University

UPLB - University of the Philippines Los Banos


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