One Nature, One Community Ifugao Open Invitation

INTRODUCTION

To the ONE NATURE, ONE COMMUNITY FAMILY, environmental issues are of vital concern as it 

implements its mandates in alleviating people’s livelihoods and suffering all over the world-be it in the thematic areas of health, water, energy, agriculture, waste management, biodiversity conservation, poverty alleviation, gender and development-for these are all cross-cutting issues of human 

survival and well-being, hence, the timely formulation of ONE NATURE, ONE COMMUNITY IFUGAO. 

The strategy, dubbed “ONE NATURE, ONE COMMUNITY” is to assist the different organizations, clubs, offices put in focus most environmental issues in their noble human and developmental mandates. The goal and objective of the strategy is to have environmental conditions improved in the communities as a whole, due to active participation by offices and community-based working groups in awareness and capacity building. Therefore, in support of the realization of the strategy, the RSDI-WOW-HICC INC. unveiled an Initiative dubbed “ONE NATURE, ONE COMMUNITY.” The Initiative is to be implemented as part of the The One Billion Tree Planting Initiative by P NOY and all organizations, clubs in Ifugao and other profound partners, associates and stakeholders, and through the organization RSDI-WOW-HICC INC., thus; it is to address critical issues of sustainability in the conservation of forests and biodiversity protection, and environmental management in Ifugao. This is due to the forest cover having reduced drastically as a consequence of over exploitation for timber, charcoal and related uses. This has 

brought many a predicament to existence of sustainable forests and its consequent conservation. More so, lack of awareness and education on conservation has been lagging behind. Poverty and climate change have further aggravated the situation. The depletion of our forests, among others in the country, has resulted to the unfavourable climatic changes with far reaching consequences, including; 

• Unreliable and inadequate rainfall for agriculture. 

• Poverty due to loss of livelihoods. 

• Food insecurity in the country. 

• Water sources drying up, including rivers. 

• Land resource degradation due to erosion. 

The situation is likely to worsen in the absence of deliberate efforts to improve the forest cover in the country. Rotary responses to challenges mentioned above and others posed to the environment and societies include; 

• Adopting and supporting community groups to plant trees. 

• Promotion of environmental education and sustainability. 

• Promotion of environmental friendly technologies, e.g., in agriculture and energy. 

• Recognizing and publicly reward best environmental practices in society, including companies, organizations, schools and communities.

• Promotion of the adoption of climate change reduction technologies in all sectors.

Target areas 

The ‘ONE NATURE, ONE COMMUNITY IFUGAO’ targets the forest areas that have drastically been depleted so as to refurbish them and accrue a better forested future. These areas would include all major forest areas in Ifugao. These areas would also include schools, community and residential 

areas, organization grounds and industrial areas.

Impacts and benefits of the Initiative The ‘ONE NATURE, ONE COMMUNITY IFUGAO’ is to; 

• Address issues of sustainability in forest management and conservation by planting trees. 

• Curb climate change. 

• Provide resistance to soil erosion and thus protect rich land areas. 

• Promote water conservation. 

• Agro-forestry would curb out food insecurity of which would also form the bases for income generation activities. 

• Promote environmental aesthetics and landscaping. 

• The initiative will be promoting corporate citizenry in the Ifugao. 

In partnership with the different organizations, agencies, and through the different communities, RSDI-WOW-HICC INC intends to initiate the ONE NATURE, ONE COMMUNITY IFUGAO. 

The programme aims at achieving sustainable environmental management at the local level through the communities. Using the RSDI-WOW-HICC INC YOUTH CHAPTER as spring-boards for reaching communities, the programme offers a flexible way of supporting environmental education processes at the community level through integrating development experiences. In this way the programme assists in solving real and existing environmental problems while planning in advance to prevent future advent of adverse environmental impacts.

The concept provides appropriate avenue for surrounding communities to cooperate in identifying, planning and building realistic actions in solving their environmental problems.

Through the programme, the promotion of environmental education approach, whereby communities are empowered to tackle their own environmental and developmental problems by utilizing local available knowledge and skills, is therefore enhanced.

Tree Planting Initiative

The tree planting exercise is to take part in Lamut, Ifugao and around the main field. Around 1500 seedlings are needed to have such an exercise completed. This includes indigenous and selected exotic tree species. THIS ACTIVITY WILL BE ON NOVEMBER 11, 2012.

Development of a Nature Trail

-The nature trail is to include natural (indigenous) and exotic trees and planned well as per designated area. This will include the careful selection of trees and areas where creativity and innovation will be employed to create natural looking environments that form part of a recreational arena deep inside a forest. This includes creating routes that connect to natural sheds and resting sports. 

Expected outcomes 

• Environmental education and awareness on the environment and the conservation of resources in the community to have improved. 

• Attitudes and behaviour towards environmental protection to have changed for the better. 

• Environment and forest policy framework to be in place, and so are eco-codes. 

• Environment and community forest centre to have been established. 

• Linkages of RSDI-WOW-HICC Inc. and other organizations to have been established. 

• Community environment best practices to have been show-cased and exhibited.

PLAN OF ACTION:

By: Maam Ghemar Pawid