Jelly and Other NTFPs from the Forests of the Kalahan Reserve, Lozon, Philippines

by Biodiversity Conservation Network Staff

Project Overview

The primary and secondary forests in the Kalahan Reserve, in Nueva Vizcaya, Luzon, support diverse plant and animal species as well as approximately 550 Ikalahan families that live within the reserve. The resources of the reserve, which covers 14,730 hectares of ancestral land, are managed by the indigenous people under an agreement with the Philippine Government. Compared to other localities, these resources are well managed. Nevertheless, there are still threats from road building, expropriation of land by commercial developers, and overharvesting of certain nontimber forest products.

To meet these threats, KEF, a local NGO formed by the Ikalahan Tribe, is implementing an integrated program of community forest management and NTFP extraction. Enterprise activities include the production of jams and jellies from forest fruits, extraction of essential oils, collection and cultivation of flowers and mushrooms, and the manufacture of furniture. In addition, local communities are undertaking timber stand improvement in a small percentage of the secondary growth forest. KEF is thus diversifying the community's economic base by adding value to the resources and developing alternative marketing channels for these products. The project site is formally recognized by the government of the Philippines, and the project is an important step in building the case for the local management of these resources. KEF and the Ikalahan people are also developing monitoring and evaluation systems to document the status of the biological resource within the reserve and then assess the impact of the proposed economic activities on these resources over time.

	Current Accomplishments
Successes and Challenges
"OK...So What?"

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