While most people are only now becoming concerned about carbon sequestration, the IKalahan have been measuring the carbon storage in their forests since 1994. Thousands of hectares of forest lands have been preserved to store up tones of carbon.
The Site:
The site is known as Ikalahan Ancestral Domain (IAD), and covers 38,000 hectares in Nueva Vizcaya plus about 10,000 hectares in Nueva Ecija. The entire area is mountainous. It is located approximately at latitude 11° N and longitude 122° E, with elevation from 600 – 1,717 meters above sea level, with average rainfall recorded at over 4000mm per annum and temperatures between 8 to 24 degrees. Rainfall ranges from 3,000 to 5,000 mm per year. Much of the area is forested, mostly with dipterocarp species although the western edge is mostly pine. Some of the forests are primary, but most are secondary. Broad areas in the east are barren because of logging which was done by outsiders several decades ago.
The population belongs to indigenous tribes, mostly Ikalahan. Also, some I-wak resides on the north side, Kankanaey in the north central portion and Ifugao in the extreme eastern portion. Interrelations are good. Most families practise subsistence swidden farming although a few have begun to plant commercial high value vegetables. Average income in cash and in kind is about 3,500 pesos per family per month. A few families are employed by the government.
The Issues:
In the past, each family was allowed to make kaingin anywhere, especially targeted areas were the forests since the soil is still very fertile. This has resulted to widespread burning and conversion of the forested areas to farmlands. Although the Ikalahan were observing fallow periods to regain soil fertility, the time needed for successful rotation was 15 to 18 years or even longer. As the Ikalahan tribe population increases, the traditional farming system required more land for cultivation, resulting to the continuous reduction of the forested area (Dolom and Serrano, 2005).
The Rewards:
The Ikalahan ancestral domain is an ecologically sensitive area with rich biodiversity. It is also a very important watershed for three river systems: The Talavera in Nueva Ecija; the Magat in Nueva Vizcaya and Isabela; and the Pampang, which goes into Pangasinan. The Kalahan forests recharge the aquifers which benefit the downstream farmers, but the Ikalahan caretakers of those forests are not even able to recover their costs in providing this service. They also sequester huge amounts of carbon from the carbon dioxide pollution released into the atmosphere by transportation, power generation and other industries. Each of these environmental services has potential for being rewarded by RUPES-type mechanisms.
The IAD as a RUPES pilot site focuses on the carbon storage as the key environmental service (ES) and a case site for the development of a carbon sequestration payment mechanism. Through the KEF1, one of the activities of RUPES Philippines project is helping communities surrounding the Kalahan Reserve to build capacity for entering the international carbon market through the CDM and to look for potential buyers for this ES. Potential buyers for the biodiversity services include bird watcher groups, church groups, student groups, foreign groups, and others. The Magat Dam and, perhaps, Talavera dam, may be also potential buyers for water being produced. The Ikalahan, with the help of RUPES is still searching for the proper buyer for carbon.
The rewarding mechanism for the environmental services will be through their ‘people’s organizations’ (indigenous peoples within their ancestral domain) which provides educational, medical and other services plus employment.
Site Partners:
Kalahan Educational Foundation
Mr. Delbert Rice, kalahan2@gmail.com
Contact:
Name: Grace B. Villamor
Email: grace.villamor@gmail.com
Name: Emma Abasolo
Email: e.abasolo@irri.org
Mobile: +63-927-728-9244
Links:
International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD): http://www.ifad.org/
Asia-Pacific Network of IFAD Projects and Partners (ENRAP): http://www.enrap.org/