3 October 2018, Secretariat of the International Partnership for the Satoyama Initiative, Tokyo, Japan.

Article prepared by FEED Scholar, Elson Ian Nyl Galang (UNU-IAS)

After more than two months of IPSI’s review and evaluation process, Fostering Education &  Environment for Development, Inc. (FEED) has been accepted as a member of the International Partnership for the Satoyama Initiative or IPSI, which is hosted by the United Nations University- Institute for the Advanced Study in Sustainability (UNU-IAS) in Tokyo, Japan. This makes FEED the 4th IPSI partner from the Philippines – after the University of the Philippines Open University, Hydrology for the Environment, Life and Policy (HELP) Davao Network, and Montanosa Research & Development Center- Tebtebba Foundation.

About the IPSI

Established on 19 October 2010 during the 10th Conference of Parties for the Convention on Biological Diversity, the IPSI has served as a global body for organizations that push forward the vision of “societies in harmony with nature”. It aims to establish knowledge building and exchange among academic, private, governmental, and non-governmental organizations alike that works with maintaining and rebuilding landscapes and seascapes in a more sustainable manner. The Initiative follows a three-fold approach which include:

• Consolidating wisdom on securing diverse ecosystem services and values,
• Integrating traditional ecological knowledge and modern science to promote innovations, and
• Exploring new forms of co-management systems or evolving frameworks of “commons” while respecting traditional communal land tenure.

To become a member of IPSI, an organization must submit a Letter of Intent to the IPSI Secretariat. After then, the organization must fill-out an application form and submit supporting materials that provides strong evidence on activities that could contribute the Initiative’s vision and approaches. More than 180 organizations from all parts of the world (and still growing) are already members including Leuphana University in Germany, the Ministry of Environment of Peru, the United Nations Development Program, Asahi Kasei Corporation of Japan, and Ghana National Biodiversity Committee in Ghana.

As part of IPSI, members could be qualified to opportunities including research grants, seed funds for developmental activities, invitation to conferences and workshops, and publications of on-field learning and experiences among many others. More importantly, the IPSI Secretariat maintains strong steering programs to assure continuous collaboration and knowledge exchange among its members to scale-out local and tested solutions for conservation and restoration of landscapes and seascapes.

For more information about the IPSI, please visit https://satoyama-initiative.org/.

FEED’s Global Commitment

Through more than a decade since it was established, FEED has focused its developmental works on environmental sustainability. Specifically, FEED has been implementing activities that focus on (1) restoration, preservation, and protection of biodiversity in the midst of impacts of global environmental changes, (2) conservation and restoration of endemic and endangered tree species, (3) promotion and enhancement of social forestry livelihood opportunities, and (4) the advancement of research into agricultural, environmental, forestry, sustainable development and related subjects.

Through its “Living Legacy” Climate Change Action oriented programs, FEED has spearheaded the protection and restoration of critical landscapes and seascapes in the Philippines including the Sierra Madres and the coastlines in Bulacan, La Union and Sorsogon Provinces. Hundreds of thousands of indigenous Philippine trees have already been planted in these areas while following a reforestation methodology that promotes sustainable livelihood among local communities. Equally important, FEED is also contributing to the creation of a network of Filipino “eco-warriors” through its seminars and lectures.

This membership with the IPSI, FEED has further strengthened its commitment in localizing global frameworks especially in the context of landscapes and seascapes. FEED is also a signatory to the Earth Charter, UN Global Compact and the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) ‘s Global Partnership for Business & Biodiversity.

As an IPSI member, FEED and its partner researchers, led by FEED Scholar Elson Ian Nyl Galang, are currently developing a case study on mobilisation of the private sector for conservation and restoration of critical landscapes in the Philippines. This study aims to highlight FEED’s approaches – as a non-corporate organization – in engaging corporations – from SMEs to multinationals – to convert local environmental targets into actual actions with sustainable impact.

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