Fires, grassland and people: opportunities and constraints in the rehabilitation of marginal grasslands in Carrangalan Nueva Ecija, Philippines
2014
Florece, L.M. | Ancog, R.C.
The rehabilitation of about 2.2 million hectares of grassland areas in the Philippines warrants urgent attention because of its high vulnerability to climate change-induced weather extremes. As grassland fires remain a perennial threat hampering success of reforestation programs with dire socio-economic effects, the effectivity of using fire to eradicate fire hazards and strategies to prevent fire among upland ares need to be enhanced. This study presents an analysis of a total of 196 small farm-holders in four adjacent upland communities in Carrangalan, Nueva Ecija, northern Philippines, in terms of their knowledge and attitude on grassland fires, and typologies and determinants of grassland fires risk-mitigation strategies including the preferred modes of cooperation for a sustained upland rehabilitation. Results show that instituting property rights regime in grassland areas would provide strong incentives for reciprocal cooperation and investment on upland conservation measures both at the farm and community levels. Overall, an enhanced grassland fire management is indispensable in achieving agricultural productivity that could in turn strengthen adaptation to climate change among upland communities in the Philippines.
显示更多 [+] 显示较少 [-]