Assessing the effectiveness of the engagement of local people in restoring degraded forest landscapes in leyte and Biliran Provinces, the Philippines

Abstract

Engaging local people is essential for the success of forest landscape restoration (FLR). However, community engagement in FLR remains a challenge and understanding of the dynamics of local engagement is limited. In this study, we explored the engagement of four People’s Organizations (POs) in implementing the National Greening Program (NGP) in Leyte and Biliran provinces in the Philippines. We developed the spectrum of engagement as a framework to assess the effectiveness of the engagement of the POs in NGP reforestation projects. We found that the involvement of local people in decision-making about the design and implementation of NGP projects is limited. The POs implementing NGP projects undertook reforestation activities according to contractual agreements, but without the necessary devolution of power to influence decisions, resulting in the POs being obligated to implement approaches that do not accommodate local conditions and community preferences. We discuss ways to improve the process of engagement towards participatory decision-making, long-term partnerships, and securing tenure rights of POs over land and planted products. This study highlights the need to understand how local contexts influence local engagement, and that this needs to be incorporated throughout NGP project design and implementation processes, in order to achieve effective engagement. The recommendations provided have relevance beyond the NGP to other FLR initiatives in the Philippines.