Watershed management for sustainable water

service delivery

Novlloyd CelesteAugust 4, 2016

Objectives

1. Relationship of Forest and Watershed in Water supply2. Why Watershed Management?3. Watershed Services4. Why invest in Watershed management?5. Benefits of Watershed Management6. Watershed Management Policy, Issues and Concerns7. Approaches in Watershed Management8. Conclusion

Relationship of Forest and Watershed in the delivery of sustainable water supply

Forest is a major user of water Forest and agricultural land greatly affect water quality and flow.

Conversion of forest to other land use affect water quality. Land use alter natural hydrologic cycle (Barnes et al 2009)

- Removal of trees increases flood risk which resulted from induced water discharge. Recent hydrology research shows that forest removal or clear cutting increases downstream water yields or stream flow(Calder et al 2007) tree canopies reduce groundwater and stream flow, through

interception of precipitation and evaporation and transpiration from the foliage.

2. Able to get high water quality This is achieved through minimization of soil erosion on site, reduction of sediment in water bodies (wetlands, ponds, lakes, streams, rivers) and trapping or filtering of other water pollutants in the forest litter, particularly through the following mechanisms (Calder et al 2007).3. Improve water storage capacity, soil infiltration, can also influence the timing of water delivery

Should we cut trees to get more water supply?

NO! Clearing forest may increase downstream water yield, but

it is only transitory, temporary and short-lived. It may also posed additional risk like flooding. Then if

forest regrow, the same problem will occur - water scarcity.

It is therefore unsustainable approach to achieve sustainable water supply. (Hydrologic Effects of a Changing Forest Landscape 2008)

Why watershed management?Watershed Management- the process of guiding and organizing land and other resource uses in a watershed to provide desired goods and services without adversely affecting soil, water and other natural resources (DENR Memo Circular No. 2008-05).Scientific research shows that watershed management increase water quality. Sustainable Development Goals (2015- 2030)Goal 6. Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all

6.1 by 2030, achieve universal and equitable access to safe and affordable drinking water for all

Goal 15. Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss

15.2 by 2020, promote the implementation of sustainable management of all types of forests, halt deforestation, restore degraded forests, and increase afforestation and reforestation by x% globally.

Source: facebook.com

Watershed ServicesUse Values Non-use Values

Productive use - irrigation, domestic, municipal, industrial, power generation, fisheries and livestock raising)Consumptive and non-consumptive (e.g. recreation)

Not consumed but preserved for future useNon marketed goods and services

Why do we need to invest in watershed management?

“The benefits from watersheds cannot be obtained for free. Watershed management has a financial cost, which society has to bear.”

– FAO-

Benefits from watershed functions

Reliable water supplyFuture generation will have water supplyAvoid flood and landslideRecreationLivelihood

Estimating the Benefits of Watershed Management

Aggregate (total no. of households WTP)P 1,023,019.00 /mo.

P 12,276,229.00 /yr.

Mean (individuals WTP)P 49.32 /mo.P 591.87 /yr.

Source: Celeste, 2010

Watershed management policy issues and concerns

Conflicting land-uses and practices within watershed areas- threatening activities includes firewood gathering,

charcoal making, selling of non-timber and timber products (Wunder, 2005) which many of the land users practiced in CPHPL (Malabarbas and Celeste, 2016). Inappropriate land classification and disposition of

watershed areas Continued encroachment and illegal occupancy Lack of economic incentives for watershed management

and protection.

Lack of social and political considerations in implementing watershed management programs (Javier, 1999)

- Conflict of interest between upland (tenured migrants) and lowland settlers (Celeste, 2010) Limited adoption and institutionalization of the watershed

as a planning unit approach (Javier, 1999) Reduction of budget allocation for watershed management Lack of general watershed management plan

Approaches for watershed management

Non market based Landcare approach -

combination of conservation farming, agroforestry and natural resource management (Mercado and Sanchez)- refers to a group of people who are concerned about land degradation problems and interested in working together

Landcare Technologies

Source: Mercado and Sanchez

Market based incentives

- Institutional and financial arrangements for collaborative watershed management - market-based mechanisms should be developed to recover the operation costs of watershed management though PES schemes

Service Buyers:

Tourists/ water users/lowland communities

Impacts/benefits

Climate change mitigation, resilience, clean water

Environmental Services (ES) produced

(e.g. watershed protection) Water supply,

Biodiversity, recreation, tourism, etc.

 

Farming System or Land use Change (e.g.

slash and burn to agroforestry

Service Providers:

Landholders/farmers/upland communities

Pay

men

t Mec

hani

sm

(e.g

. wat

er u

ser f

ee, t

ouris

t fee

,ado

pter

ince

ntiv

e)

Figure 1. PES framework

Payment for environmental services

(PES)

Willingness to Accept

Willingness to Pay

Determinants: Income (compensation)Land use rights (Fortenbacher, D., and Alave, K. 2014)Share of the forest classified as productive.” (Lindhjema and Mitanib, 2012)

Expensive, highly technical and laborious adoption measures (Ngilangil, et al 2013). Financial support for adopting land use change (Fortenbacher, D., and Alave, K. 2014)

Source: Herminia A. Francisco

Payment for Environmental ServicesCosta Rica – pioneer in PES scheme

- sellers are private landowners who are contracted to implement conservation activities, such as reforestation and other forest management, in exchange for cash payments from buyers such as hydroelectric companies, among others, that have conservation interests.Northwestern Oregon - a local wastewater facility is paying upstream landowners to plant shade trees along the Tualatin River. Instead of installing refrigeration systems at two treatment plants—a $35 million expense with additional annual operating costs—the water utility is investing $6 million in direct landowner incentives to achieve the same water quality goals (USDA, 2007)

Colombia – the PES scheme involved farmers in the Guabas River who negotiated with

upstream landowners to adopt improved land-use practices for the maintenance of dry-season river flows.User fees are collected from downstream farmers as payments for watershed protection services provided by the upstream farmers.Maasin Watershed - Rehabilitate the major source of domestic water for Iloilo City in the Visayas Region amid growing concern over its fast degradation (Salas)Balian Watershed (Non-cash payments)- Downstream residents mobilized themselves and negotiated with the landowners for the latter to plant trees and, in return, the former would protect these private lands from illegal encroachment through regular patrol and monitoring activities

Mt. Kanlaon Natural Park/La Tondeña Distillery Draw water inside the park - It engaged the local communities in reforestation and forest rehabilitation, and trained farmers in agro-forestry as payment for the watershed protection services the farmers provide.

REECS - PES program called the Bayad Kalikasan- to help promote sustainable management of Philippine

forests and coastal resources by undertaking PES-related research, producing bulletins and other information materials on PES, and by conducting workshops other forums

Conclusion

Local financial investments Local technical and managerial capacity Sound political culture Clear national mandates

Water Crisis Act 1995 or RA 8041Clean Water ActNIPAS Act

Balanced approach in watershed management (land use mgt. and hydrologic cycle)

Successful watershed management approach requires

(Catacutan and Duqueb 2006)

Thank You

Delia Catacutanb and Caroline Duqueb 2006. Challenges and opportunities in managing Philippine Watersheds: The case of Manupali watershed in the southern PhilippinesFAO. WHy invest in watershed management? Viale delle Terme di Caracalla, 00153 Rome, ItalyThe U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) 2007Hydrologic Effects of a Changing Forest Landscape 2008Barnes et al 2009, Forests, Water and People: Drinking water supply and forest lands in the Northeast and Midwest United States, United States Department of Agriculture Forest Service Northeastern Area State and Private Forestry 2009I. Calder, T. Hofer, S. Vermont and P. Warren, Unasylva 229, Vol. 58, 2007Derek Osborn, Amy Cutter and Farooq Ullah, 2015, UNIVERSAL SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS Understanding the Transformational Challenge for Developed Countries REPORT OF A STUDY BY STAKEHOLDER FORUM MAY 2015 Joseph R. Makuch . The Role of Trees & Forests in Healthy Watersheds Managing Stormwater, Reducing Flooding, and Improving Water Quality)