42 Ecosystem Servi ces and Sustainable Use RCE Cebu: Toward a Sustainable Forest Community – Ethnobotany of Campo Siete Forest Community Cielo Inocian Geofe O. Cadiz Ian Vincent C. Manticajon RCE Cebu Cebu is an island province located in the Central Philippine region of Visayas, which is comprised of 167 islands. Its main hub is Cebu City, the oldest and second most important city in the country. Historically, its central location made Cebu an ideal trading centre in the south and the metropolis is now known as “The Queen City of the South,” in recognition of the important role it plays in tourism and the economy. The Regional Centre of Expertise on Education for Sustainable Development in Cebu (RCE Cebu) has noted that efforts to promote sustainable development in the region have been advocated by various stakeholders, owing to Cebu’s strategic importance and its scarce natural resources. RCE Cebu identified pressing issues on gender, governance, poverty, and resource management and conservation, which require creative and continuing commitment and collaboration. (RCE Cebu Concept Paper 2006). RCE Cebu was acknowledged by United Nations University Institute of Advanced Studies in 2006. The RCE is engaged in creating an active, stable, regional resource, communication centre and network that documents, disseminates, and shares best practices and responses related to education for sustainable development (ESD) on poverty alleviation, responsive governance, environment, and gender issues, among others. With the University of the Philippines Cebu as its central node and secretariat, RCE Cebu aims to form a multi-sectoral network of partners and stakeholders from the academe, civil society, youth, differently-abled, local government units and agencies, business, and media, among others. RCE Cebu is organised as a non-stock, non-profit corporation duly registered with the National Securities and Exchange Commission. Upon its establishment in 2006, RCE Cebu committed to working on three focal projects, in addition to its function as a platform for dialogue and collaboration among relevant ESD stakeholders in the region. (RCE Cebu Concept Paper 2006). These projects are: 1. Integrated Water and Resource Management (I-WAR M-CEBU): I-WARM-CEBU sustainably taps water resources in response to water shortages in Cebu. It envisions the sustainable management of water resources in the entire Cebu province through the use of innovative and sustainable technologies. 2. Regional Resource, Poverty, and Poverty Response Mapping (REPORMA): REPORMA aims to inventory all available resources in the region starting with Cebu, especially those that would have the most impact in addressing poverty. 3. ESD Resource Centre: The resource centre aims to set up a multimedia library, training resources and publication facility for Information, Communication and Education (ICE) materials. One of its main features is the Knowledge Network (KNOWNET), which bridges the forest and urban communities toward ESD through the use of Information and Communication Technology (ICT ). (RCE Cebu Concept Paper 2006). The focus of RCE Cebu’s attention in the past few years has been the forest mountain community of Campo Siete in Minglanilla, Cebu. The community is one among many biodiversity-rich areas in the region that has been experiencing pressures from human population, poverty and climate change. As a first step to saving these areas from further degradation, RCE Cebu embarked on an inventory of forest community resources that was aimed, among other things, at generating knowledge of and an appreciation for indigenous and sustainable methods in the use of these resources. These initiatives are part of a project launched in 2008 entitled, “Asia-Pacific Forum for Environment and Development (APFED) Showcase Project Promoting Education for Sustainable Development Through Conservation and Sustainable Use of Forest Resources and Empowerment of the Regional Centre of Expertise 4
Traditional Knowledge and Biodiversity
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