Mainstreaming Climate Change in Biodiversity Planning and Conservation in the Philippines: Project Collaborators Conduct 3rd Team Meeting

Collaborators of the USAID funded project entitled Mainstreaming Climate Change in Biodiversity Planning and Conservation in the Philippines successfully conducted their 3rd project team meeting on June 18-19 2012 at the ICRAF Philippines Office, 2nd Floor Khush Hall, International Rice Research Institute, College, Laguna.

Present during the team meeting were representatives from the World Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF), International Research Institute for Climate and Society (IRI) - Columbia University; Institute of Environmental Sciences (CML) Leiden University; Mabuwaya FoundationInc (MFI); Landcare Foundationof the Philippines Inc.(LFPI); and Protected Areas and Wildlife Bureau (PAWB) of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR). USAID was represented by Mr. Oliver Agoncillo, Mr. Randy John Vinluan and Mrs. Fatima Versoza.

The meeting was organized for the collaborators to provide progress on activities and works that still need to be undertaken within the project components, and to solicit comments among the team members. The project, now on its second year, is set to be concluded on January 2013. Updates from the different components reveal that all activities are right on track with meeting the project objectives.

This project is a local climate-change initiative that develops strategies and actions to address climate change threats to terrestrial biodiversity and tropical forests in the Philippines. It aims to integrate the adaptation to a changing climate into biodiversity planning and management. To know more about the project, visit this link.

Participants during the 2nd day of the project team meeting. (From left to right) Back row: For. Alfie Torres (ICRAF), Mr. Lyndon Arbes (LFPI), Dr. RodelLasco (ICRAF), Dr. Bradfield Lyon (IRI), Mr. Oliver Agoncillo (USAID), Mr. Randy John Vinluan (USAID), Mr. Nelson Devanadera (PAWB-DENR), Dr. Amor Ines (IRI). Front row: Ms. Regine Evangelista (ICRAF), Ms. Kristine Garcia (ICRAF), Dr. Denyse Snelder (CML), Ms. MaritesBalbas (MFI), Dr. Florencia Pulhin (ICRAF), Ms. Norma Molinyawe (PAWB-DENR).