Guidelines for CBFM in Watershed Reservations

Improve conservation, protection, and rehabilitation of watershed reservations, reducing soil erosion and sedimentation.
Enhance water yield and quality, and promote biological diversity.
Provide livelihood opportunities to local communities, tenured migrants, and indigenous peoples to improve socio-economic well-being.
Encourage community participation and strengthen capabilities for sustainable watershed resource management.

CBFM projects allowed within watershed reservations must adhere to NIPAS law and its implementing rules.
Indigenous peoples’ and tenured migrants’ rights within protected areas are respected.
Implementation follows Administrative Order DAO 96-29 and related policies with involvement of Protected Area Superintendent (PASU) and Protected Area Management Board (PAMB).
Appropriate tenurial instruments are issued per DAO 96-29 upon PAMB endorsement.
Formulation of Community Resource Management Framework (CRMF) and Annual Work Plan (AWP) comply with MC 97-12, aligned with Initial Protected Area Plan (IPAP).
Upon PAMB endorsement, CRMF and AWP are affirmed by PASU and Community Environment and Natural Resources Office (CENRO).
Implementing Organization (PO) carries out CRMF and AWP with assistance from PASU, CENRO, local government units (LGU), and other agencies.
Joint monitoring by CENRO, PASU, LGU, PAMB, and PO guides management improvements.

Community management includes protection against fire, encroachment, illegal logging, and other destructive acts.
Protection of primary forests and conservation of biological diversity.
Rehabilitation and reforestation of degraded areas.
Promotion of land uses that enhance productivity and conserve soil, water, and forest resources.
Resource development allowed only in designated management zones under DAO 25, s. 1992 and the CRMF.
Priority to non-extractive uses like agro-forestry, plantation, eco-tourism, and food production improvements.
Preferential extraction of non-timber species, abandoned logs, fallen timber, dead trees, plantation timbers, and lesser-used species.
Part of income from resource utilization goes to the Integrated Protected Area Fund (IPAF) for reinvestment in watershed and community development.
Detailed Resource Use Plan (RUP) must accompany the AWP, identifying negative impacts with prescribed mitigation measures compliant with the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) system.

Existing Ancestral Domain Management Plans (ADMPs) and CRMFs affirmed before this order remain valid.
Requests for resource utilization by CBFM participants require PAMB endorsement and compliance with resource management provisions.
Regional Executive Director mandated to prepare IPAP for watershed reservations lacking one within six months of this Order.
PO, assisted by CENRO and PASU, must review and amend ADMP or CRMF to integrate with the watershed management plan.

This Administrative Order modifies provisions relating to the entire watershed reservation management.

The Order becomes effective fifteen days after publication in a newspaper of general circulation and submission to the UP Law Center.