The Philippines island of Mindanao will soon launch a major island-wide undertaking that shall focus on ensuring integration of Mindanao’s economy and environment to achieve sustainable development. Jesuit research institute Environmental Science for Social Change (ESSC) is a partner agency and one of only two non-governmental groups working with the Mindanao Development Authority (MinDA) on this flagship programme.

Entitled MindaNOW! (Mindanao Nurturing Our Waters), the programme is designed to integrate, harmonize, and rationalize plans, programs, policies, and processes for the protection and rehabilitation of the 13 riverbasins and 262 watersheds found in Mindanao.

“This programme seeks to strike a balance between economy and environment in Mindanao by pursuing programs and projects through an ecosystems integration approach,” said Cecilia Trino, a technical staff member of MinDA.

She said that the program would look into the condition of Mindanao’s forests, river basins and watersheds as Mindanao’s major production areas have now also become high risk or prone to flooding problems and related environmental threats.

ESSC has collaborated with MinDA before, by contributing to the development of the environment chapter of MinDA’s 2020 peace and development framework plan.

To read the full MinDA story, click here.