June 1, 2022

Forest Foundation Philippines and Palawan Council for Sustainable Development Staff Strengthen Collaboration for Sustainable and Inclusive Landscape Governance

Forest Foundation Philippines and the Palawan Council for Sustainable Development Staff (PCSDS) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to strengthen their partnership for the protection, sustainable management, and conservation of forests in Palawan.

“It is a milestone for our work here in Palawan. We have always wanted to reference the work that we do to the outcomes that your leaders want, and with this instrument, it will contribute directly to the goals, objectives, and the thrusts of PCSDS and the rest of the leaders here in Palawan. We sincerely hope that we would be able to foster collaboration in both institutions, build our capacity to understand the conservation threats, and contribute to solutions for the problems being faced here in Palawan,” said Atty. Jose Andres Canivel, Executive Director of Forest Foundation Philippines.

The partnership will facilitate the exchange of knowledge, expertise, and other resources that will result in the development and implementation of conservation programs, plans, and projects in Palawan. Ultimately, their shared commitment aims to enrich the sustainable and inclusive landscape governance approaches in response to the social, environmental, and economic challenges in the landscape.

Atty. Teodoro Jose Matta, Executive Director of PCSDS added, “We believe that through this MOU, both organizations would benefit Palawan. Managing the biosphere is very complex. It requires multidisciplinary efforts, and a renewed and revitalized partnership is the first step we have in tackling the problems we face one at a time. With partnerships like this, we hope that we can make Palawan a more sustainable biosphere reserve.”

In line with this partnership, Forest Foundation officially joined the Palawan Knowledge Partners to support the Palawan Knowledge Platform for Biodiversity and Sustainable Development, a multi-agency sharing mechanism that endeavors to facilitate, coordinate, maintain, improve, and enhance biological and socioeconomic data and information in Palawan. It will support the realization of the goals of the Strategic Environmental Plan for Palawan (RA 7611), the relevant national and local laws and policies, and the Philippines’ international commitments.

About the Organizations:

Established in 2002 under two bilateral agreements between the governments of the United States of America and the Philippines, Forest Foundation Philippines is a non-profit organization that provides grants and technical assistance to organizations that empower the people to protect and conserve forests.

PCSDS is the technical support staff of the Palawan Council for Sustainable Development (PCSD), which was established in 1992 through Republic Act 7611, or the Strategic Environmental Plan for Palawan Act. The Council is dedicated to transforming Palawan into a globally innovative and dynamic center for sustainable development through the adoption of strategies and standardization of activities and programs resulting in the implementation of the Environmentally Critical Areas Network (ECAN).

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