China-Africa Timber Governance

In 2005, Marinduque Province came in third place in a ranking of the regions of the Philippines with the scarcest forest resources made by the Department of Environmental and Natural Resources of the Philippines. In order to tackle deforestation, Marinduque Province started programs of tree planting and a highland development project to implement the National Green Plan and the Community Forest Management Act. In the National Green Plan, the local government approved the rent of 369 acres of land to the United Marinduquenians Inc. (UMI), a local company, in the use of forest recovery. Part of the land will also be used to plant cash crops.

The SPR Philippines Program aims at collaborating with UMI to carry out forest recovery projects, encourage the planting and processing of cash crops and develop the tourist economy. In the meanwhile, by creating new industrial sectors, the SPR Philippines Program will create new job opportunities to benefit and empower the local residents, promote the local sustainable development goals and achieve multi-agent themed networks between China and the Philippines.

Program Objectives:

Protecting the local environment and ecosystem through planting trees – planting cash crops (mainly cocoa trees) and trees, improving the local living standards – creating employment opportunities through activities such as crop farming and tourist farms and increasing the local income – imparting professional agricultural technologies, improving professional technical skills.
Establishing China-Philippines multi-agent themed networks – including themes such as NGOs in China and the Philippines, the environment for companies, governments and higher education institutions, business and trade, overseas Chinese women (this topic will lay a good foundation for SRP’s protection on overseas Chinese women’s rights programs and other women’s rights-related programs).