Malay, Aklan — The Forest Management Bureau conducted the 2nd Cluster Workshop on the Inventory of Structures within Forest Lands at Hue Hotels in Boracay, Malay, Aklan.

The four-day workshop brought together GIS practitioners and technical representatives from DENR Regional Offices V, VI, VII, and VIII, with representation from the Field Offices across the Visayas Regions participating remotely via the Zoom platform.

In her welcome remarks, the PENR Officer of Aklan, Forester Merlene Aborka, underscored the importance of using science-based tools in enhancing data-driven planning, informed decision-making, and in the effective enforcement of environmental laws, rules, and regulations.

The Inventory of Structures within Forest Lands is a nationwide initiative to leverage and harmonize geospatial technologies such as ArcGIS, Google Earth Engine, and Offline Data Collection Tools to establish a comprehensive baseline on the extent of forest lands that are occupied, and examine associations between man-made structures with population growth, upland migration, deforestation and forest degradation, and climate-related vulnerabilities.

Participants were introduced to the fundamentals of remote sensing and its applications in forestry. Sessions included practical demonstrations on spectral index analysis, land cover change analysis, and the integration of structure inventory data into the Forestry Spatial Datasets enterprise geodatabase.

Awaiting the approval of the Department Administrative Order, the DENR Regional and Field Offices have begun aligning their 2026-2028 work plans to incorporate and mainstream the inventory of structures within forest lands into their regular forest protection and monitoring activities. The third cluster workshop is set to be held on 2-6 June 2025, in Davao City.