Philippines continues to be at the forefront of NCA for Southeast Asia as PCSDS adopts an innovative framework for measuring Palawan’s Natural Resources

Philippines continues to be at the forefront of NCA for Southeast Asia as PCSDS adopts an innovative framework for measuring Palawan’s Natural Resources

The Palawan Council for Sustainable Development Staff (PCSDS) participated in a 3-day training on the Sukat ng Kalikasan (SnK) toolkit from September 4-6, 2024, a framework developed by USAID’s Sustainable Interventions for Biodiversity, Oceans, and Landscapes (SIBOL) Project.

The SnK toolkit combines Natural Capital Accounting (NCA) approaches with High Conservation Value Areas (HCVA) to measure six key components or “Sukat” of the environment:

1. Species

2. Landscape and Seascape Ecosystems

3. Rare and Threatened Habitats

4. Regulation and Maintenance Services

5. Provisioning Services

6. Cultural Services

The training was attended by representatives from Local Government Units (LGUs) and other government agencies, who learned the step-by-step process applied to project sites in Palawan. Participants were also presented with real-world assessment results to understand better how the SnK framework works.

Developed under the USAID SIBOL Project, which began in July 2020, the SnK toolkit is poised to become one of the Philippines’ references for NCA with the recent passage of the Philippine Environment and Natural Capital Accounting System Law (PENCAS). This toolkit will help integrate the international UN System of Environmental-Economic Accounting (UNSEEA) into the local context, improving the country’s capacity to account for ecosystem services in planning and decision-making and ensure sustainable development.

With this new framework, the Philippines is set to continue leading in NCA for Southeast Asia.