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Post-Yolanda Environmental Rehab Ongoing Through FPE Special Project

FPE is addressing the impacts of Typhoon Yolanda on the environment and the natural livelihood sources of affected communities in Guiuan and the Gigantes Islands through a new ongoing program.

In light of the devastation brought upon the Visayas region by the November 2013 super-typhoon Yoldanda (Haiyan), the Foundation for the Philippine Environment (FPE) is currently implementing a new special project in an effort to contribute to the ongoing recovery efforts being made there. The initiative, which covers FPE conservation sites in Guiuan (Eastern Samar) and in the Gigantes Islands (Iloilo), was launched at the start of the year and will run until 2015.

FPE is seeking to provide assistance to the affected communities by addressing the environmental impacts of the recent natural catastrophe. Apart from the tremendous loss of human lives and destruction of property, the areas’ natural ecosystems — and consequently the various forms and sources of livelihood that support the local communities — had likewise been gravely affected. In fact, the super-typhoon managed to ruin and even set back several years’ worth of conservation work. (A first-hand account and assessment of Yolanda’s impacts and implications on the coastal reef resources of Guiuan may be read here.)
 

The Foundation aims to assist in the rehabilitation and restoration of ecosystems and resource-based livelihoods in Guiuan and the Gigantes Islands within 6-12 months as its short term objective. A total of 20 coral reef sites and 50 hectares of mangrove green walls are expected to be rehabilitated and re-established in FPE’s partner municipalities within the first year of the project.

To realize this objective, the project will mobilize activities such as research and assessment on the damage incurred by Guiuan’s coral reefs and mangroves and the Gigantes Islands’ caves and habitats of endemic species; capacity-building for ecosystem restoration and for alternative means of livelihood while the former is ongoing; and the review and recalibration of conservation frameworks and plans for the areas concerned — with the inclusion of disaster risk reduction and management (DRRM) and climate change adaptation (CCA) considerations. In addition, FPE will also publish an anthology of survival experiences to be entitled, “Remembering Yolanda: Stories of Survival and Hope.”

Beyond this initial phase, the medium (1-2 years) and long term (2-5 years) targets of the project entail the establishment of systems and networks of partnerships intended for building the sites’ capacity and resilience against future extreme weather hazards resulting from climate change.

Among the Foundation’s local partners are the Southeastern Samar PO Consortium (Seaspoc) and the Guiuan Development Foundation, Inc. (GDFI). FPE is also partnering with the Philippine Tropical Forest Conservation Foundation, Inc. (PTFCF) for its mangrove rehabilitation efforts. On top of these, additional collaborations with other local implementing partners, as well as with funding organizations for co-sponsorship support are being discussed and finalized at the time of writing.