BIODIVERSITY CONSERVATION PROGRAM FOR THE IWAHIG PRISON AND PENAL FARM

In line with the celebration of the 46th year anniversary of Earth Day, the Palawan Council for Sustainable Development (PCSDS), Department Of Environment And Natural Resources – Community Environment and Natural Resources Office (DENR-CENRO), City Environment And Natural Resource Office (City ENRO), Katala Foundation, Inc. (KFI), and Iwahig Prison And Penal Farm (IPPF) will be having a Memorandum of Agreement signing this coming April 22, 2016 at Lingnam Restaurant, Puerto Princesa City. The MOA is about the establishment of the IPPF Biodiversity Conservation Program (IBCP), the overall framework of cooperation among the parties and setting of their roles and obligations for the said program. The IBCP’s overall goal is to conserve, protect and maintain the diversity and function of ecosystems and wildlife species in Iwahig Prison and Penal Farm (IPPF). The other objectives of the program are the following: • To raise awareness of the importance and functions of biological diversity among all stakeholders; • To rapidly assess biological diversity in the entire IPPF area; • To identify, delineate and declare priority sites for protection (e.g. for watersheds, ecosystem, species); • To identify and preserve priority sites for conservation and maintain their ecological functions; • To improve potential income provided by protected ecosystems and species through mandatory establishment of CBST and other related livelihood programs and ecotourism; • To prevent illegal settling, farming, resource extraction and poaching, through joint and coordinated monitoring and patrolling and other efforts; • To facilitate and support prosecution of alleged illegal natural resource users and settlers; • To conduct specific projects in coordination and involvement of all the parties herein, and co-active participation of Brgy. Officials and residents; • To share and provide resources, information (data, inventory) to specific projects established and formulated in furtherance of this MOA to all the numbers and parties herein. The program will be in force and shall be effective for one year from the signing of the agreement of the parties involved.