Nature-Based Solutions For Climate Resilient Infrastructure Planning In The Philippines
KEY FINDINGS:
- Ecosystems most impacted by road infrastructure and settlement development within 15-25km support climate resilience for nearly 54 million people and 66% of the road network on just 19% of Philippines’ lands.
- Evaluating all intact ecosystems nationwide that could support NbS benefits, conserving priority areas on just 16% of Philippines’ land area supports climate resilience for 43 million people and 42% of the road network.
- Restoring degraded forests to support multiple NbS to enhance climate resilience found on just 13% of the country would benefit about 51 million people and close to 52% of the road network.
- Most of these priority areas are outside the protected area network, necessitating new regulatory approaches or land use management schemes for successful conservation or restoration efforts.
- There are, however, immediate “win-win” opportunities for NbS investments under conservation or restoration inside protected areas and Key Biodiversity Areas that would simultaneously support climate resilience for people and infrastructure and biodiversity outcomes.
- These analyses would be particularly useful for planning and prioritization processes of the NEDA’s Infrastructure Flagship Program, the next update of the Philippine Development Plan (PDP), and the ongoing update of the Philippine Biodiversity and Conservation Plan (PBSAP).
- Achieving this requires investments in training and capacity building programs at all levels across these agencies and key departments on how to assess and integrate NbS in infrastructure planning. WWF and the University of Philippines Los Banos (UPLBFI) have developed such training materials for this purpose under the SIPA project.
- Maps and associated data should be integrated into existing key agencies and departmental web platforms and centralized national data and mapping platforms like the NAMRIA Geo Portal to ensure maximum utility for planners across departments and agencies.
