USAID-developed LAWIN Forest and Biodiversity Protection System featured on national TV

The LAWIN Forest and Biodiversity Protection System that was officially launched last week was featured on the Bandila program of ABS-CBN on March 16, 2016. The two-minute video shows Forest Management Bureau Director Ricardo Calderon, explaining the use and benefits of the LAWIN system. It also shows two forest patrollers, male and female, in the Kaliwa Watershed Forest Reserve recording observations made during patrols directly onto Android tablets. The video is available on YouTube and has been shared on USAID-B+WISER’s Facebook page under the #ISupportLawin campaign hashtag.

Read more: USAID-developed LAWIN Forest and Biodiversity Protection System featured on national TV

LAWIN forest and biodiversity protection system introduced for mangrove protection

The LAWIN Forest and Biodiversity Protection System was introduced last March 30, 2016 to more than fifty members and guests during the Executive Committee Meeting of the Protected Area Management Board of the Siargao Island Protected Landscapes and Seascapes (SIPLAS). This is part of the DENR’s plan to roll out LAWIN in other critical hotspots and protected areas beyond the seven project sites of the USAID-DENR Biodiversity and Watersheds Improved for Stronger Economy and Ecosystem Resilience (B+WISER) program.

Read more: LAWIN forest and biodiversity protection system introduced for mangrove protection

USAID trained porters and guides among first responders in Mt. Apo forest fire

Almost 300 first responders from North Cotabato, among them 80 Indigenous People trained as porters and guides under USAID’s Biodiversity and Watershed Improved for Stronger Economy and Eco¬system Resiliency (B+WISER) Program, were mobilized to respond to the recent fire on Mt. Apo. The fire broke out in the afternoon of March 26.

Read more: USAID trained porters and guides among first responders in Mt. Apo forest fire

LAWIN Forest and Biodiversity Protection System launched

On March 10, the LAWIN forest and biodiversity protection system was formally launched by USAID and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) by the signing of the Technical Bulletin on LAWIN implementation. The bulletin, signed by DENR’s Forest Management Bureau Director Ricardo Calderon and Biodiversity Management Bureau Director Mundita Lim in Ilagan City, Isabela, gateway to the Philippines’ largest protected area, will allow LAWIN to be officially implemented by DENR and USAID’s Biodiversity and Watershed Improved for Stronger Economy and Ecosystem Resilience (B+WISER) program at B+WISER sites and forest degradation hotspots in the country.

Read more: LAWIN Forest and Biodiversity Protection System launched