COTABATO CITY — The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) – Region 12 presented to the Ministry of Environment, Natural Resources, and Energy (MENRE) – BARMM the objectives and preparatory activities for bahçelievler escort the Watershed Characterization and Vulnerability Assessment of the Mindanao-Simuay River Watershed that the former proposed to jointly conduct with the latter for the formulation of DENR-12 Integrated Watershed Management Plan.

The scope of Mindanao-Simuay River Watershed encompasses parts of the areas in the Soccsksargen and Bangsamoro Regions, hence the partnership for its overall characterization and vulnerability assessment. Article XIII, Section 9 of R.A. 11054 or the Bangsamoro Organic Law (BOL) of 2018 states that the “management and protection of nature reserves and aquatic parks, forests, watershed reservations, and other protected areas in the territorial jurisdiction of the Bangsamoro that have already been defined by under the authority of the National Government shall be transferred to the Bangsamoro Government.”

MENRE Bangsamoro Director General Atty. Badr E. Salendab thanked the DENR-12 delegation, headed by Chief of Conservation Development Division (CDD) Ali M. Hadjinasser, for acknowledging the jurisdiction of the BARMM over the concerned watershed and protected area. He brought the need to officialize the division of work through a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) before the research undertaking.

Forest Management Services Director Abdul-Jalil S. Umngan stressed that a “joint research is welcome as we have a common goal to protect and conserve our environment.”

Biodiversity Ecosystems, Research and Development Services (BERDS) Director Mohamad Ali R. Dimaren, Environment Managament Services (EMS) Director Jalani M. Pamlian, Chief Biodiversity Management Specialist Baharodin Baulo and technical personnel from the said services and the Provincial ENRE Office of Maguindanao joined the BDG as well in representing the Ministry.

Moving forward, the DENR-12 shall draft a MOA, which will include provisions about the areas for intervention and services that MENRE may provide during the joint research.

The meeting was held at Kalikasan Hall of MENRE on 20 April 2022 when both environmental agencies also discussed matters regarding Kabulnan Watershed, Timako Hill, the creation of Watershed Management Planning Team/Council, and the potential inter-agency meetings and consultation.