AKO BICOL Partylist lawmakers have re-filed a bill to establish a National Coastal Greenbelt Program to mitigate climate change impacts. The bill seeks to create greenbelts of mangroves and beach forests along coastlines to reduce damage from natural disasters like typhoons. Under the bill, the Climate Change Commission would organize agencies to create a National Coastal Greenbelt Action Plan designating priority areas for greenbelts and outlining rehabilitation, reforestation, and structure removal plans. Local plans would also be prepared to facilitate implementing actions at the local level. The program aims to protect biodiversity, fisheries, tourism, and transform vulnerable areas into resilient communities.
AKO BICOL Partylist lawmakers have re-filed a bill to establish a National Coastal Greenbelt Program to mitigate climate change impacts. The bill seeks to create greenbelts of mangroves and beach forests along coastlines to reduce damage from natural disasters like typhoons. Under the bill, the Climate Change Commission would organize agencies to create a National Coastal Greenbelt Action Plan designating priority areas for greenbelts and outlining rehabilitation, reforestation, and structure removal plans. Local plans would also be prepared to facilitate implementing actions at the local level. The program aims to protect biodiversity, fisheries, tourism, and transform vulnerable areas into resilient communities.
Original Description:
National Coastal Greenbelt Program pushed
Original Title
aug01.2016National Coastal Greenbelt Program pushed
AKO BICOL Partylist lawmakers have re-filed a bill to establish a National Coastal Greenbelt Program to mitigate climate change impacts. The bill seeks to create greenbelts of mangroves and beach forests along coastlines to reduce damage from natural disasters like typhoons. Under the bill, the Climate Change Commission would organize agencies to create a National Coastal Greenbelt Action Plan designating priority areas for greenbelts and outlining rehabilitation, reforestation, and structure removal plans. Local plans would also be prepared to facilitate implementing actions at the local level. The program aims to protect biodiversity, fisheries, tourism, and transform vulnerable areas into resilient communities.
AKO BICOL Partylist lawmakers have re-filed a bill to establish a National Coastal Greenbelt Program to mitigate climate change impacts. The bill seeks to create greenbelts of mangroves and beach forests along coastlines to reduce damage from natural disasters like typhoons. Under the bill, the Climate Change Commission would organize agencies to create a National Coastal Greenbelt Action Plan designating priority areas for greenbelts and outlining rehabilitation, reforestation, and structure removal plans. Local plans would also be prepared to facilitate implementing actions at the local level. The program aims to protect biodiversity, fisheries, tourism, and transform vulnerable areas into resilient communities.
AKO BICOL Partylist lawmakers have re-filed a bill establishing a coastal greenbelt program to form part of the long-term solution to mitigate the impact of climate change. Reps. Rodel Batocabe, Alfredo Garbin Jr. and Christopher Go said House Bill 527 or the National Coastal Greenbelt Act seeks to establish greenbelts of mangroves and beach forests along coastlines as preparation for the damaging effects of natural disasters. Much of the losses from typhoons are brought by storm surges and strong winds coming from the open ocean. The establishment of mangroves and beach forests can reduce the force, depth and velocity of a tsunami which would be minimal damage to property and loss of lives, Batocabe said. Under HB 527, the Climate Change Commission (CCC) shall organize all national agencies to create an integrated National Coastal Greenbelt Action Plan (NCGAP). The summoned agencies shall be responsible for foreshore management, mangrove and beach forest protection and utilization, coastal land and sea-use planning, coastal tourism development, social welfare of coastal communities and other relevant mandates. According to Gabin, the establishment of the National Coastal Greenbelt Program shall provide the agency mandates, funding and general guiding principles for implementing a sciencebased and cost-effective program. The NCGAP shall include quick inventory of the status of coastlines and foreshores including the status of mangroves, beach forests, settlements, structures and fishponds within 100 meters. It shall also contain assessment of priority areas to be declared as coastal greenbelts for each coastal province, city and municipality. The program shall also designate priority areas for coastal greenbelts that are already included as a protected area under the National Integrated Protected Areas System or RA 7586. Further, it shall also consist of operational plan for the rehabilitation, reforestation or afforestation of designated priority coastal greenbelts and operational plan for the reversion of all abandoned fishponds to mangroves through natural regeneration and operational plan for the removal of illegal structures in the priority coastal greenbelts. Aside from the NCGAP, a Local Coastal Greenbelt Action Plan (LCGAP) shall also be prepared in each city and municipality in the identified priority greenbelt areas to facilitate the implementation of mandated actions in the NCGAP. The establishment of science-based coastal greenbelts is expected to protect biodiversity, improve fisheries productivity and enhance the tourism and livelihood potential of the area. It can also transform vulnerable coastal villages into highly resilient and sustainable communities, Go said. (30) nap