DENR strengthens watershed rehabilitation in Northern Mindanao

• Source:http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?nid=8&rid=850692
• Tuesday, January 26, 2016

(PNA), LAP/CD/ERCEL MAANDIG

CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY (PNA) -– The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) in Northern Mindanao is embarking on a program to strengthen the rehabilitation of watershed areas in the region, a senior official said Tuesday.

Ruth Tawantawan, DENR regional director, said that the seven-year program known as IntegratedNatural Resources and Environmental Management Project (INREMP) would focus on the rehabilitation of various river basins in the region.

Tawantawan cited the Upper River Basins in Bukidnon consisting of six rivers, which watersheds need to be rehabilitated and be made sustainable.

The program aims to reduce and reverse watershed degradation and associated environmental services caused by forest denudation and unsustainable farming practices, she said.

She said that the project is particularly focused on the Indigenous Peoples (IPs) and resource-poor communities within the identified watershed areas in Northern Mindanao.

Tawantawan said the project also aims to provide incentives to the local communities and local government units.

The INREMP was the product of the DENR watershed characterization and vulnerability assessment, which was completed in 2015.

She said the INREMP incorporated the Watershed Management Investment Plan of the six watersheds comprising the Upper Bukidnon River.