LGU reps undergo Biodiversity Monitoring System Training

SURIGAO DEL NORTE, May 8 (PIA) - Representatives from the eight-member municipalities of the Lake Mainit Development Alliance (LMDA) have completed the five-day training on Biodiversity Monitoring System (BMS) Enhancement held recently at Kasili Lakeside Resort, Mainit, this province.

According to LMDA Biodiversity Partnership Project Team Leader Omar Barillo, the five-day training was aimed to help local government units assess biodiversity and formulate plans and policy-making support to conservation.

"BMS as a resource monitoring tool is very important for the LGUs for it helps them assess their local biodiversity with primary consideration in planning and policy-making support to conservation," Barillo emphasized.

LMDA is an alliance of municipalities composed of Tubay, Santiago, Jabonga and Kitcharao in Agusan del Norte and Alegria, Mainit, Sison and Tubod in Surigao del Norte, government line agencies (DA, NEDA, DENR, BFAR, PIA, DOT) and civil society organizations in Lake Mainit area. Its significant role is to serve as the coordinating body of multi-stakeholders in preserving and promoting Lake Mainit ecosystem. (SDR/Jimster B. Samson, LGU-Tubod/PIA-Surigao del Norte)
Source: http://r13.pia.gov.ph/index.php?article=2731399446308 

BPP to conduct skills and product enhancement to LMKBA

By Johny S. Natad

Alegria, Surigao del Norte, March 10 – The Biodiversity Partnerships Project (BPP) will be conducting skills and product design improvement on April 28 to May 9, 2014 at municipalities in  Lake Mainit Key Biodiversity Area (LMKBA) as part of the BPP support intervention to identified biodiversity-friendly business enterprises.

In a statement during a meeting-visit to four lakeshore municipalities, BPP investment specialist Vivian Castillon bared that the project will be assisting the identified peoples’ organization (POs) engaging biodiversity-friendly business enterprises to sustainably manage their existing enterprises by providing them relevant skills training and product designing enhancement.

“The project is engaging the expertise of the Design Center of the Philippines (DCP) for the capacity upgrading of our POs in product enhancement,” Castillon said during the meeting-visit.

With the approval of the LGU representatives and participating POs, the BPP through the DCP will be conducting capacity and skills enhancement training which include product enhancement and product development to Tubod, Surigao del Norte on April 28 to May 1, 2014 and to Jabonga, Agusan del Norte on May 7 to 9, 2014. A training-workshop on product enhancement and product development will be conducted to Alegria, Surigao del Norte on May 2 to 3, 2014 and to Kitcharao, Agusan del Norte on May 5 to 6, 2014.

The DCP will lead the conduct of the skills training especially on bleaching, dyeing, scouring, finishing and designing using the native raw products such as bamboo, abaca, rattan, nito, agsam, water lily among others to 15 to 20 identified participants each from the four municipalities.

BPP investment, design teams visit LMKBA

By Johny S. Natad

Alegria, Surigao del Norte, March 10 – The Biodiversity Partnerships Project (BPP) investment specialist and product design specialist recently visited the four Lake Mainit municipalities on March 4-5, 2014.

Vivian Castillon, the BPP investment specialist met the LGU officials, employee and peoples’ organization (POs) of the municipalities of Tubod, Alegria, Kitcharao and Jabonga to validate the identified existing biodiversity-friendly business enterprises and to determine needed supports of intervention.

“The BPP is promoting biodiversity-friendly enterprise existing in the area and help to determine the needed intervention to scale up the enterprise in order to match it in the prevailing market,” Castillon emphasized.

Castillon added that the visit also intend to determine existing skills of the POs on their existing business enterprise. The enterprise identified should be enhanced and the products should be value added. With this, the project aims to help the existing enterprise enhance its design or improve the product packaging.

Along with Castillon are the designing specialist from Design Center of the Philippines like Ms. Ria Ann Legaspi, the senior industrial designer and Mr. Jesus Dumilod, the junior researcher who identified necessary skills training and product development to POs who engage their biodiversity-friendly enterprises.

During the visit, the participating POs presented their products mostly used of fabric cloths and jean, bamboo, rattan, abaca, nito, agsam and water lily.

Based on the colloquial conversation with the POs and the LGU representatives, the team identified skills enhancement and product design development of the participating POs who are engaging biodiversity-friendly enterprises as part of the project support intervention.

The visit was made possible with the assistance of the LMDA-BPP Team Leader Omar Barillo, DENR-13/PAWZCMS-BPP Staff Albe Duyapat, and the four LMDA action officers of Jabonga, Kitcharao, Alegria, and Tubod. (JSN/LMDA)