The Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) has identified central Mindoro and eastern Mindanao as pilot areas to become the country’s ‘biodiversity corridors’ in what is considered the largest project in the country. government agency receiving foreign aid.

In a statement, DENR said the Global Environment Facility (GEF) would help finance its Biodiversity Corridor (BC) project, which requires an investment of $ 74.961 million.

Of the investment needs for the BC project, $ 12.26 million will be funded by the GEF Trust Fund, making it the government agency’s largest foreign-assisted project.

The remainder of the funding required for the BC project will come from millions of dollars from various Philippine government agencies, the DENR said.

The GEF is based in Washington DC, USA, and is a partnership of 18 agencies, including United Nations agencies, multilateral development banks, national entities and international NGOs.

He is currently working with 183 countries, including the Philippines, to solve the world’s toughest environmental problems.

To start the BC project, DENR will first create the two pilot corridors, namely Central Mindoro and Eastern Mindanao, as part of the government’s efforts to strengthen the management of 11 Protected Areas (PA) in the Philippines.

“Biodiversity corridors” will be defined as “terrestrial, marine and coastal ecosystems that promote the conservation of biodiversity with sustainable use”.

The two pilot areas were chosen on the basis of their importance. Criteria include endemism of flora and fauna, threats to biodiversity and economic importance.

The project will then establish at least 200,000 hectares of Key Biodiversity Areas (KBAs) which are now outside the PA system through the management of indigenous peoples.

Currently, a total of 16 KBAs are located in the above two biodiversity corridors, with a combined total area of ​​1.026 million hectares.

At the same time, the project will also implement a new biodiversity conservation framework called Integrated Ecosystem Management (EIG), which will promote regional development, investment planning and the creation of comprehensive land use plans ( CLUP) municipal.

The DENR said the project would benefit the environment with carbon sequestration of 44.3 million metric tonnes over 20 years.

“At least 65,000 people, 30% of whom are indigenous peoples belonging to 15,000 households, will directly benefit from the sustainable management of natural resources and improved livelihoods,” he added.