Promoting responsible land governance in Mindanao (RLGM)

Context

Despite the Philippines’ more than 60 laws and regulations on land management, the country’s land-related problems remain largely unresolved. Some six million hectares of Mindanao’s 10-million-hectare surface area are classified as forest and their use is thus subject to restrictions. However, as many families do not have sufficient access to arable land, increasing numbers are settling in the forests, leading to their more intensive agricultural exploitation.

Tenure instruments (including resource use agreements) covering 4.9 million hectares exist or are being processed. Despite this, users cannot benefit from their access rights due to a general lack of management plans that is harmonized with other existing that would allow them to make long-term investments, especially in the indigenous areas. Information on the location and extent of issued usage rights, the number of people holding individual or collective rights, or the predominant or intended land use in particular zones is often lacking or not publicly accessible. There are also substantial sources of conflicts and overlapping claims between the different user groups.

Objective

Public land management is improving and has a stronger focus on adopting conflict-sensitive approaches while being mindful of climate issues in Mindanao.

Approach

The project measures have two main focuses:

• technical cooperation that provides policy advisory and support services to selected local governments as well as relevant administrative bodies from the areas of environment and natural resources, housing and urban development, land use regulations as well as bodies representing indigenous peoples.
• Strengthening capacities of relevant national agencies and civil society in addressing land-related conflicts based on emerging needs.

It operates in three fields of activity:

(1) promoting an improved institutional framework for responsible land policy at national level,

(2) developing the land management capabilities of local governments and

(3) increasing the transparency of government processes and raising public awareness of land policy.

Last update: April 2023