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Ten years of German-Philippine Cooperation on Climate Protection and Biodiversity Conservation
The German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMU) through the International Climate Initiative (IKI) has provided support of at least 62 million Euros (more than Php 3.8 billion) for technical cooperation projects in the Philippines since 2008.
The IKI is a key element of Germany’s climate financing mechanism and the funding commitments made under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). The initiative’s focus areas are on climate change mitigation, adaption to the impacts of climate change and the protection of biological diversity. These efforts provide various co-benefits, particularly the improvement of living conditions in partner countries.
Considering that the Philippines remains one of the focus countries under IKI in Southeast Asia, the BMU is now committing additional funds of up to 35 million Euros based on priorities that are defined by the Philippine Government consistent with IKI’s areas of support.
Important achievements of IKI in the Philippines include the improved management and livelihood in 60 out of the total 240 protected areas and the establishment of 57 new protected areas which cover a total area of 183,277 hectares.
The main IKI implementing organizations in the country are the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), UN Habitat, Plan International, Renewables Academy AG (RENAC), Rare Inc., International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives (ICLEI) – Local Governments for Sustainability, and World Wildlife Fund for Nature (WWF) – Philippines.
See below some past and present IKI projects in the Philippines:
Ten years of German-Philippine Cooperation on Climate Protection and Biodiversity Conservation
WWF - The Sustainable Diner project of WWF-Philippines is a pioneer project on sustainable consumption and production in the country, focused particularly on the food service industry. By partnering with restaurants and national and local government units, and providing information to the dining public, the project hopes to reduce food waste, promote healthier eating habits, support local ingredients and cuisines, and ensure food security for present and future Filipinos.
Photo: Launching of Savour Planet in March 2018, in partnership with The Cravings Group, Center for Culinary Arts Manila, WhenInManila.com, Chef James Torres, and Chef Robby Goco and his team. The workshop series aims to empower and educate Filipino diners on the importance of sustainable food systems and sustainable dining.
WWF - Participants were taught how to cook dishes on the spot using local ingredients and utilizing seasonal fruits and vegetables.
GIZ - A high-level delegation of Philippine government officials visited Berlin and Hamburg from June 18-23, 2017 to get a deeper insight into the German Energiewende (energy transition) and how the country had integrated renewable energy into the country’s power system. The delegation visit, led by Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi, was composed of key energy policy decision makers including Senator Sherwin Gatchalian and Congressman Lord Allan Velasco who both chair the Committee of Energy at the Senate and House of Representatives respectively. Chairman Jose Layug Jr. of the National Renewable Energy Board (NREB) and Director Mario Marasigan of the Renewable Energy Management Bureau of the Department of Energy (DOE) were also members of the delegation.
GIZ - Participants from Bantay Gubat, Barangay, Local Government Units, Municipal Environment and Natural Resource Office staff and project beneficiaries attend a Rainforestation training which supports the effort of using indigenous species for forest restoration activities in the Central Panay Mountain Range.
GIZ - At the end of the field activities of the five-year Forest and Climate Protection (ForClim) project in 2017, the country's Environment Ministry reported an 18.5% increase in official sightings of Panay's Big 5 endemic species, including the Rafflesia speciosa flora, in the target area, and a reduction of 16,800 tonnes of CO2 emissions from deforestation each year. ForClim partnered with local government units, civic groups, companies and communities to protect the globally important biodiversity of the last remaining area of contiguous natural forest on the Panay Mountain Range in the central Philippines.
GIZ - Forest and Climate protection in Panay (ForClim), January, 2015. The project also supported trainings for 161 cocoa farmers (37% women). These trainings were carried out as part of a Public-Private Partnership with the Cocoa Foundation of the Philippines, Inc. (CocoaPHIL) to improve income of farmers in upland areas of Panay through sustainable cocoa production, management and marketing.
GIZ - The Support to the Philippines in Shaping and Implementing the International Climate Change Regime (Support CCC II) project implemented by GIZ aims to strengthen the Philippine Climate Change Commission and key actors in implementing and coordinating the national climate change regime as well as developing and operationalizing national contributions to the international climate change regime. Photo: Support CCC II organized a High Level Meeting between Philippine and German government representatives in April 2017.
GIZ - Support CCC II organized an IKI Networking Workshop in April 2017 which gathered more than 80 participants representing IKI government partners and implementing organizations in the country.
Plan International - Children and youth groups in Haiyan affected communities covered by the Regional Child-Centered Climate Change Adaptation (4CA) Project of Plan International were trained on basic photography as their child-led monitoring and documentation tool for the implementation of the Small Grants Initiative (SGI) in their community. Other project activities included a Participatory Capacity and Vulnerability Assessment (PCVA) as well as training children and youth as facilitators on Climate Change Education using flipcharts. The training aims to develop youth peer educators on climate change, its effects and impacts to the different sectors, adaptation measures, and communication and facilitation skills.
ICLEI -The Ambitious City Promises (ACP) project aims to support selected large cities in Indonesia, the Philippines and Vietnam to establish strong GHG reduction commitments, local climate action plans directed by concrete targets, enhanced multi-stakeholder engagement and integrated strategies. In the Philippines, Pasig City has been selected as a model city while Marikina and Paranaque will be engaged in the project as satellite cities.
Photo: Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon, ICLEI officials, and city representatives from Jakarta, Bekasi, Tangerang, Pasig, Parañaque, Hanoi, Soc Son, and Son Tay proudly declare their commitment to support citizen engagement and GHG emissions reduction during the ceremonial launch of the Ambitious City Promises project.
GIZ ACCCoast - The Adaptation to Climate Change in Coastal Areas (ACCCoast) project that ended in 2014 improved the governance of 139 marine protected areas in 12 regions, 26 provinces, and 93 municipalities and cities in the Philippines for greater resiliency to climate change.
GIZ ACCCoast - The Adaptation to Climate Change in Coastal Areas (ACCCoast) project that ended in 2014 improved the governance of 139 marine protected areas in 12 regions, 26 provinces, and 93 municipalities and cities in the Philippines for greater resiliency to climate change.
GIZ REDD+ : The National REDD+ System for the Philippines project closed with a national framework created for Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD+), to lessen the impacts of climate change on the country by protecting and sustainably managing the country’s forests. CO2 emissions in the three project sites in Albay, Eastern Samar, and Davao Oriental were reduced by approximately 467,000 tons through co-management and tenure arrangements with local communities and indigenous peoples groups for long-term forest conservation, integrated in forest land use plans covering 366,407 hectares of forest areas.
Photo: Alipio Dadap, 60, is dwarfed by a huge Balete tree in the natural forest mountains of Silago.
GIZ PAME - The Protected Area Management Enhancement project in the Philippines ended in 2017 with significant increases in the management effectiveness scores of 64 national protected areas (PA), 56 new PAs established through local ordinances, and over 17,000 stakeholders trained on PA management.
GIZ PAME - The “Protected Area Management Enhancement” project in the Philippines ended in 2017 with significant increases in the management effectiveness scores of 64 national protected areas, 56 new PAs established through local ordinances, and over 17,000 stakeholders trained on PA management.
GIZ - The Sulu-Sulawesi Seascape Project supports the effective management of marine protected areas (MPAs) in the biodiversity-rich seascape, the establishment of a network of nationally declared MPAs in the region for the conservation of sea turtles, and the promotion of the Ecosystem Approach to Fisheries Management in selected marine managed areas. Photo: Satellite telemetries were deployed on whale sharks of Honda Bay, Puerto Princesa in Palawan to identify the long range movement of the whale sharks in the area. Initial results showed the sharks swimming towards Sabah, Malaysia.
GIZ Sulu-Sulawesi Seascape Project: Community interaction and learning exchange with locals and delegates from Indonesia and Malaysia. (upper left- Suyac Island Mangrove Ecopark; upper right- Ermita Fisherfolks Association husband and wife members at Sipaway Island; lower left- Museo Sang Bata sa Negros; lower right- interaction with Bantay Dagat at San Carlos City.