PUNLA Forum Identifies National Priorities to Scale Nature-Based Solutions in the Philippines

QUEZON CITY, Philippines (September 9–10, 2025) – The Philippines, one of the world’s most biodiverse countries yet highly vulnerable to climate change, faces rising sea levels, extreme weather, and ecosystem degradation. Protecting and restoring natural ecosystems through nature-based solutions (NbS)—including reforestation, mangrove restoration, and sustainable agriculture—offers a cost-effective, climate-resilient, and socially inclusive approach to safeguard biodiversity and strengthen community resilience.

At the Multistakeholder Forum on Nature-based Solutions (PUNLA), attended by the International Institute of Rural Reconstruction (IIRR), DENR, Forest Foundation Philippines (FFP), and the Government of Canada, participants identified key national priorities for scaling NbS. These include alignment with local plans and tenure rights, gender-responsive livelihoods, evidence-based design, effective monitoring, and multi-stakeholder coordination, ensuring NbS initiatives are inclusive, science-informed, and community-rooted.

The forum also launched critical partnerships and networks to advance NbS nationwide, including the Nature-based Solutions Support Network by DENR, the IUCN National Committee Philippines, and the Philippines-Canada Partnership on NbS for Climate Adaptation (PCP4NbS). Speakers emphasized the importance of ecosystem-based solutions that deliver measurable benefits for both people and nature, and the inclusion of Indigenous Peoples and local communities in climate and conservation efforts.

The PUNLA Forum concluded with a resounding call for collaboration, localization, and equity, uniting voices across sectors to ensure NbS efforts effectively address climate change, biodiversity loss, and social challenges.