Landscape ecology approach for sustainable management of Mt. Makiling and Laguna de Bay [Philippines]

Integrated ecosystem management of Mt. Makiling and Laguna de Bay is one of the recommendations of the UPLB External Panel (2008) to promote inter-unit and interdisciplinary research and development and to make UPLB as a leader in environmentally-based education and research. Limited researches have been done that comprehensively integrate the terrestial environment of Laguna de Bay at the landscape level. Mt. Makiling-Laguna de Bay landscape consists of Bay subwatershed, Los Baños-Makiling subwatershed, and the rest is part of San Juan Subwatershed and Laguna de Bay, particularly the immediate influence area of this landscape. Calamba City, Los Baños, Bay and Calauan are lakeshore city and municipalities while Sto. Tomas, Batangas and Alaminos are inland municipalities. Inland and lakeshore flooding; floral and faunal biodiversity, conversion of forest into farmlands and settlement in Mt. Makiling Forest (MFR); garbage, sewage, animal and chemical waste pollution of the surface water; introduction of invasive species into and loss of endemic species in the lake and occurrence of fish kills; autonomous settlers in reparean zone; land development and human settlement in the lakeshore below 12.5 elevation are some of the environmental concerns of this landscape. The implementation of the Master Plan for Laguna Lake Basin has not fully complemented by the Master Plan for MFR. None of the local government units in the Makiling-Laguna de Bay landscape has availed of the environmental projects prioritized in the community based micro-watershed planning sponsored by LLDA. Landscape ecology is being used in landscape planning and management of watersheds and water resources, national environmental inventory, regional and urban planning and forest classification and resource management among others in developed countries. However, it is its infancy stage in the Philippines. Some research, extension and instruction agenda are proposed for sustainability of the ecosystem services of this landscape. These are landscape analysis at different scales for the proposed ecological infrastructure to protect groundwater recharge and biodiversity, sustain the base flow of dry season and to protect from landslide and flooding; green infrastructure development for the proposed UPLB Science and Technology Park; vulnerability assessment of this landscape to climate change and other environmental disturbances; landscape limnological studies of the Laguna de Bay and Tadlac Lake; inter-municipalities and city coordination for establishment of unified vision and plan for this landscape; recommendation for the institution of provisions for land use planning strategy of the proposed Environmental Code for Laguna Province; establishment of landscape monitoring and evaluation system for environment and resources management, use of this landscape as studio for the SESAM proposed institution of Environmental Design and Management and Laboratory for proposed institution of Environmental Design and Management and Laboratory for proposed institution of Advanced Landscape Ecology and Landscape Science, and enhanced inter-unit transdisciplinary partnership in research and extension program at UPLB for understanding and managing the complex Mt. Makiling-Laguna de Bay landscape.