This study proposes three
major activities to address the problem of interactively linking data
generation with policy formulation. These include a policy analysis and review;
establishment of a database following a standard protocol for data; and GIS
databasing and training.
In the first instance, the
DENR managers are not new to these recommendations. As the workshop revealed,
to a certain degree, the data that are required to generate a more or less
acceptable overview of the state of forestry in the country, even on a yearly
basis, are available although not readily. In other words, some of these data
pass through the system of reporting in one way or another. It is simply a
matter of defining such standards clearly to allow users to access these data
and use them for their purposes. The baseline data must be available in a
generic form that will allow various needs to be met.
Responsive
management must be based on realistic and empirical foundations. This implies
well-defined protocols for data generation at the field level. Parameters for
data collection should be present and standard formats for collection and
encoding should guide field personnel. Raw data consequently undergo deliberate
transformation according to the requirements at the next higher level of
management and use. This aggregation transforms the data from mere
alphanumerical characters and digital numbers to a form that will be useful for
decision-making.
Efforts are underway, within
the DENR, to review policies and relevant administrative orders and decrees. A
priority is to demarcate forest boundaries. Current practices show that the boundaries,
as provided by law through the 18 percent slope prescription, have been
violated grossly and forests have been encroached. There is a need for a
careful analysis of illegal land-use change.
The provision of timely,
accurate, accessible and relevant data and information facilitates the decision-making
process. Thus, a framework for management including a user-friendly
implementation procedure through a database system is essential.
The DENR and its attached agencies manage an extensive
collection of spatial and statistical data. The FMB , for instance, supports a GIS-based database of CBFM areas. The database
may be guided by four major components, i.e. physical resources and
infrastructure, biological, social and economic components. Their characteristics
at the lower and more detailed levels should be encoded following a logical
recording structure. Thus, specifications and coding structures will be based
on these four major components. Protocols for data formatting, encoding, elements
and fields including processing, analysis and output should be enumerated.
One approach is to generate a forest and natural resource database
following generally acceptable boundaries. There are two ways to accomplish
this: (i) via geographic coordinates by establishing, for instance, kilometer
grids (Revilla et al. 2000). Such
grids should support the Philippine Reference System of 1992 (PRS92) and
support the densification efforts of NAMRIA. Each square kilometer grid should
contain relevant information following the components mentioned above; (ii) the
dataset may be generated following another generally acceptable boundary, which
refers to the lowest administrative government unit – the barangay. There are
practical implementation issues that support this approach. For one, each
barangay is mandated by law to prepare a land-use plan. All of the necessary
information can be generated and accessed through this activity. Another
practical advantage is jurisdiction. Each CENRO is composed of one or more
municipalities, and each municipality is composed of barangays. Close
coordination between the local government units and the DENR with regard to the
generation of this dataset in support of the development of the database should
be pursued.
A program for forest and
natural resource assessment must be based on sustainable development principles
and embrace the watershed approach. Under these circumstances, a GIS-based
sustainable resource assessment can proceed. The DENR, in principle, already
embraces the concept of the GRID-based system when it implemented such a
project in 1999. The time has come for its full implementation complemented by
GIS for feature and attribute data handling. It divides the entire country into
100-ha “grid cells” using permanent/fixed grid lines such as PRS92 (Revilla
2000). Such a system fully describes land and water areas of any given
geographic territory in terms of physical, social, biological, economic and
environmental characteristics.
The implementation should
focus on the three phases in GIS implementation: encoding; processing and
analysis; and display and output. Certainly, data quality and accuracy are just
two of the more important requirements for a meaningful assessment. All types
of assessment and modelling are futile if they are not based on accurate and
timely data.
GIS encoding involves
gathering and compilation of all relevant data and converting these into GIS
format. In other words, a digital database should be established along with
scanning and digitizing of maps. GIS encoding involves geo-referencing
(locating features within a model of the surface of the earth) geo-coding
(assigning a geographic reference to non-geographic data), and the creation of
topology (the branch of mathematics that defines the relationships between
features) that will systematically associate the features with their
corresponding attributes.
Once relevant thematic data
and information are available in GIS format, the system can be used to generate
answers to spatial questions. These questions can range from presence or
absence of features within a geographic boundary or proximity to points of
interest or even, and more importantly, estimates of susceptibility to
degradation/hazards including a preview of mitigating measures based on modelled
scenarios. Certainly, the issue of updating is straightforward given the nature
of the data, which is digital. A system must be put in place that will support
data entry, processing, analysis and output.
This phase includes
presentations to policy-makers and other interest groups. As far as possible,
different public groups must have access to Phase III to generate the necessary
response to and debate of the results.
For the successful
construction of a sustainable resource assessment, monitoring and evaluation
system, the development of a spatial decision support system is required.
Conceptually, this is embraced by the DENR. However, the practical applications
are still fragmented and isolated. The Decision Support System Office within the
DENR can facilitate the unification of these datasets into one synergistic
system that provides the necessary services and benefits to users.
To
implement a truly sustainable resource assessment, monitoring and evaluation
system, the DENR must make the necessary adjustments to allow for an efficient
aggregation and disaggregation of data and information across all levels. As
mentioned earlier, a GRID-based system should be generated for each CENRO and
tagged and classified accordingly. Thus, the jurisdiction and “management
influence” for a specific CENRO will be clearly listed and reported. Whereas in
the past, CENRO officers changed guard occasionally without a clear set of
accomplishments, through this system, a CENRO with say, 100 grid cells should
be able to report its accomplishments statistically and more importantly in a spatial-explicit
fashion through maps.
