Team Malindang and PH NatCom Visit Southeast Asia Organizations

The MDP Field Experience is certainly a dynamic project, since it is concerned with research, management, and community consultation, it was no surprise that the MDP Team will inevitably collaborate with numerous international, national, and local institutions. Through the Biodiversity Management Bureau (BMB) of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) and the PH NatCom for UNESCO, the team welcomed a positive development in the project: Getting introduced to two regional organizations that are gateway to countless valuable scientific and social research on Mount Malindang.

PH NatCom organized a trip on June 3, 2015 to the Los Baños campus of the University of the Philippines, located in the Province of Laguna, south of Manila. Regional organizations concerned in the environment and agriculture hold office in the Los Baños campus, and these include: the ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity (ACB) and the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA).

The MDP Team exchanged perspectives on conservation of heritage parks

through UNESCO and ASEAN frameworks. (c) L. Barrientos

ACB carries the mandate of facilitating “cooperation and coordination among the ASEAN Member States and with relevant national government, regional and international organizations, on the conservation and sustainable use of biological diversity and the fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising from the use of such biodiversity in the ASEAN region.” To this end, ACB also functions as the secretariat of the ASEAN Heritage Parks (AHP) Programme. The Programme delegates the highest recognition to “selected protected areas in the ASEAN region which are known for their unique biodiversity and ecosystems, wilderness, and outstanding values.” The aim of the AHP is to “promote greater cooperation between ASEAN countries in conserving and managing these parks.” As Mount Malindang successfully obtained an ASEAN Heritage Park designation in 2011, collaboration with ACB regarding research and management on the protected area will be highly valuable for examining the viability of nominating the site for a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve designation.

Along with officers from the PH NatCom for UNESCO and DENR-BMB, the MDP Team was graciously welcomed by the ACB team, headed by its executive director, Roberto Oliva. Other key staff members were also present in the discussion, namely, Lauro Punzalan, Liaison and Protocol Specialist, Mary Grace Aquino, AHP Programme Associate, Rhia Galsim, Capacity Development Officer, and Anthony Foronda, Project Coordinator.

A hike up Makiling Botanic Garden gives a glimpse of the biodiversity
and natural beauty of the Mount Makiling Forest Reserve,
an ASEAN Heritage Park. (c) F.D. Barroso

In the meeting, the MDP Team introduced the University of Minnesota, the Master of Development Practice Program and its field experience component, and introduced the visual representation of the team’s deliverables throughout the 9-week engagement. Through the discussions, the MDP Team and ACB have jointly identified the regional research studies that have been undertaken concerning Mount Malindang and how these can help prove that the site could contribute meaningfully to regional cooperation through the UNESCO Man and the Biosphere Programme. A key insight from the meeting was the recognition that both the ASEAN Heritage Park and the UNESCO Man and the Biosphere Programmes share the perspective that conservation of sites should both include protection of natural and cultural values, and geared towards sustainable management and development to meet the concerned communities’ human development needs.

After the meeting with ACB, the MDP Team was accompanied by Rhia Galsim to the office of the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA). This organization is one of the 21 regional centers of the Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization (SEAMEO)*. Unfortunately, SEARCA’s head of knowledge resources unit, Dr. Mariliza Ticsay was attending to other matters and was unable to meet the team. However, SEARCA staff was still able to furnish the team print copies of research studies conducted on Mount Malindang. Of particular interest for the team are the research studies that have been led and coordinated by Dr. Ticsay, as they both covered the biophysical and socio-economic components of the site, under the framework of a USAID-funded research project entitled, “From Ridge to Reef: An Ecosystem Based Approach to Biodiversity Conservation and Development in the Philippines.”

Suffice it to say that the coming weeks would be spent on digesting all the information culled from the initial literature review and contextual scan of organizations concerned with the conservation of Mount Malindang Natural Park.

* A curious coincidence: the MDP Team is sharing the office of UNESCO-CLLSD, which is located within the compound of another SEAMEO regional center, INNOTECH, a center concerned with educational innovation and technology.

Acclimatizing to the Philippines and Navigating Manila

Manila City is just one of the 17 localities (cities and town) that

 make up Metropolitan Manila and it is home to several 

historic sites. (c) F.D. Barroso

The Filipinos share at least one thing in common with Minnesotans: they love to talk about the weather. However, as the team quickly found out the moment they stepped out of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport, Filipinos really mean it when they say that it is hot and humid in Manila. The team arrived in Manila from three separate flights that landed on May 18 and May 21 and a (real-feel) temperature of nearly 100F greeted them. The transition from Minnesota’s cool spring to a scorching hot Manila was certainly facilitated by the bounty of sweet tropical fruits from the local market. Another point of transition was navigating the labyrinth of roads, streets, alleys in Manila and negotiating with vehicular traffic that is sometimes chaotic. Fortunately, the Philippines is the first country in the world to develop and enforce a government regulatory system for Uber. Hence, the team is able to avail of safe and dependable ride-sharing services from the company as they go around Metro Manila.

Felipe and Abdiwahab pose in front of San Agustin Church,
with representatives of UNESCO Category-II Centers on Education.
(c) UNESCO-SEACLLSD

At the national level, the team’s main project partner is the Philippines National Commission for UNESCO or PH NatCom, in short. PH NatCom is the primary government agency in the Philippines that is tasked to link UNESCO with the concerned public, private, and non-profit organizations in the country. It is in charge of overseeing and ensuring the Philippines’ compliance to its obligations with UNESCO.

On May 26, Team Malindang met with programme officers from the Philippines National Commission for UNESCO (PH NatCom). Freddie Blanco (Natural Sciences Sector) and Adriann Caldozo (Culture Sector) briefed the team about the outcome of PH NatCom’s initial visit to Misamis Occidental (province where Mt. Malindang is located) during which they met with key partners and stakeholders for the site’s possible nomination as a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve.

The programme officers, along with NatCom’s Deputy Director Lindsay Barrientos, undertook the initial visit to Misamis Oriental on May 12 to 13, 2015. They were joined by Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) officials, namely, Regional Director (Region 10) Ruth Tawantawan and Biodiversity Management Bureau (BMB) Officer Teresita Blastique. They went on to meet the Mount Malindang Protected Area Management Board and its Superintendent Office staff, representatives of the Provincial Government of Misamis Occidental, as well as mayors of selected towns, and leaders of the indigenous community. Based on the meetings held, there was a general consensus identifying the need for the MDP Field Experience team to conduct a field visit on the mountain, an in-person consultation with the community, and a stakeholders conference to present the nomination framework and summary of community consultation.

The flags on the compound represent all the ASEAN member

countries and states that support the organization.

(c) mdpteammalindang

After this briefing meeting with Freddie and Adriann, the MDP team went on to join the rest of the NatCom staff as they hosted representatives from UNESCO Category-II Learning Centers on Education from across the world. Abdiwahab and Felipe joined in a historical and cultural tour of Intramuros, the walled city of old Manila, built during the Spanish colonial period. Through a tour of key sites within the historical district, museums and shrines dedicated to the country’s national hero, and culminating in a special dinner and cultural show, the MDP duo started to get to know the Philippines’ heritage, noted some stark similarities with Latin American countries’ culture and history, and built rapport with NatCom staff.

The rest of the MDP team’s first week of work focused on identifying and planning a specific itinerary for the proposed trip to Mount Malindang, coordinating with the Protected Area Superintendent’s Office, and the MDP faculty adviser.

While in Manila, the team shares the office of the UNESCO-Southeast Asia Centre for Lifelong Learning for Sustainable Development at the SEAMEO-INNOTECH compound in Quezon City and is hosted by Mavic’s parents in the same city.

Meet Team Malindang

The group explores the Makiling Botanic Garden at

the University of the Philippines Los Baños campus.

(c) L. Barrientos

Three graduate students from the Master of Development Practice program of the University of Minnesota have embarked on a nine-week field experience (aka field school/project) in the Philippines. Abdiwahab Ali, Felipe Dyna Barroso, and Maria Victoria Punay will be working towards nominating Mount Malindang Range Natural Park for a designation as UNESCO Biosphere Reserve. The team will examine its viability as a potential biosphere reserve through review of related literature, knowledge-sharing with regional organizations, consultation with local stakeholders and concerned indigenous communities, and a site visit. The team members’ diverse backgrounds reflect UNESCO’s interdisciplinary and multifaceted approach to conservation and development. Felipe, who hails from Brazil, brings in his background on economic development, Abdiwahab, a Somali-American, builds on his research interest on international agriculture, and Mavic, whose home country is the Philippines, shares her work and research experience on conservation sciences.

The field experience will run from May 25 to July 24, 2015. Ultimately, the team envisions developing a process framework that management authorities in the country could use should they consider nominating their sites for UNESCO designations.

MDP Program Coordinator David Wilsey serves as the team’s faculty adviser. The field experience is supported by the Stassen International Grant, MDP-ICGC Program Funds, the Philippines’ National Commission for UNESCO, and the Philippine Department of Environment and Natural Resources through the Biodiversity Management Bureau.