Quezon City – The wrap up meeting for the scoping study for the WB’s PROFOR Technical Assistance on the “Role of Forests in Reducing Poverty and Enhancing Climate Resilience†was held on June 26, 2015 at the FMB Conference Room with the attendance of representatives/staff from the World Bank, Foreign Assisted and Special Projects Office (FASPO), River Basin Control Office (RBCO), Forest Management Bureau (FMB), Laguna Lake Development Authority (LLDA) and DENR Regional Offices (IV-A, V, and XIII) .
The meeting was presided by FMB Director Ricardo Calderon, Chairman of the Technical Working Group (TWG) for PROFOR. The World Bank Team presented the result of the scoping study with the assistance from the RBCO and FMB. The presentation consisted of the conceptual framework of the study, the accomplishment of the scoping activities, the results of the consultation meetings with the respective River Basin Management Council with its selected sub-basin study sites (Upper Marikina River Basin Protected Landscape for Marikina, Libmanan- Pulantuna for Bicol, and Agusan Marsh for Agusan River Basins) with its the biophysical modelling and economic valuation of the ecosystem services (software to be used, necessary data and its data source), the study’s organizational structure and its work plan/timeline.
Some of the issues/concerns that were raised are the valuation process/approach, the whole Marikina River Basin as the study site, the valuation of the land, energy, biodiversity and ecotourism to be included in the study, and the proposed conduct of household survey.
During the meeting, it was agreed that the FMB shall formulate the Work and Financial Plan and will be the agenda for the next TWG Meeting. The World Bank Team will be sending the scoping study report to the TWG members in due time.
RBCO Executive Director Jacob Meimban Jr., Vice Chair of the TWG, gave the closing remarks for the meeting.
