ECOTOURISM is expected to ramp up the revenues generated by the country’s protected areas (PAs) this year, with the signing of a law mandating the automatic retention of the Integrated Protected Areas Fund (Ipaf), an official of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) said.
Director Theresa Mundita Lim of the Biodiversity Management Bureau (BMB) of the DENR said the BMB’s activities this year are focused on developing the ecotourism potentials of the country’s PAs while promoting environmental protection and biodiversity conservation.
The DENR-BMB, she said, is in close coordination with the Department of Tourism (DOT) and other agencies to develop more ecotourism sites within the country’s 240 PAs.
Ipaf is a trust fund created under Republic Act (RA) 7586, or the National Integrated Protected Areas System (Nipas) Act of 1992, for the purpose of financing projects of Nipas.
With the implementing rules and regulation of Republic Act (RA) 10629, or the Ipaf automatic-retention law in place, the Protected Area Management Boards (PAMBs) are now allowed to retain 75 percent of the revenues accruing to Ipaf, which include taxes from the permitted sale and export of flora and fauna, and other sources from protected areas; proceeds from lease of multipurpose-use areas; contributions from industries and facilities directly benefiting from the PAs; and such other fees derived from the operation of the PAs.
Revenues from other sources include donations, endowment and grants from various sources.
Specifically, the signing of a law mandating the automatic retention of Ipaf will encourage managers of PAs to increase rental fees and lease for the use of lands covered by Nipas, Lim said.
A 2013 study by Resources, Environment and Economics Center for Studies Inc. commissioned by the DENR, which covers 22 PAs, revealed that income from rental or lease of lands can increase the total annual revenues derived from operation from a measly P16 million to a whopping P306 billion.
The study indicates that current rental or lease of lands in PAs, including national parks, marine-protected areas, natural parks and sanctuary, are covered by Commonwealth Act 141, or the Public Lands Act, which charges a minimal fee of not less than 3 percent of value of the land to locators doing business within the PAs.
The study said charging an additional 1 percent of the minimum allowable fees for rent or lease of the land within PAs based on a higher zonal land value than that of an agricultural land under CA 141 will do the trick. The study said with the proper application of Nipas, Ipaf, the automatic-retention law and their implementing rules and regulation, the value of lands within PAs are actually higher and can be based on the zonal value of the nearest city or urban center; putting premium to the fact that the lands are special because of their unique features, aesthetic value and the fact that they are natural habitats of threatened and endangered species that need special care.
“Hopefully, with the Ipaf automatic-retention law, our PAMBs will be more aggressive to think of ways to generate more revenues,” she said.
Environment Secretary Ramon J.P. Paje and Budget Secretary Florencio B. Abad issued Joint Circular 01 last September 26 on the Ipaf automatic retention law that amended Section 16 of the Nipas law. The joint circular effectively puts in place the Ipaf automatic-retention law, which allows PAMBs to open up a bank account, where 75 percent of their revenues can be deposited, with the remaining 25 percent to be remitted to the National Treasury.
Lim had earlier called on PAMBs to open a bank account for the purpose of establishing the trust fund within the trust fund. These funds can be used solely for the purpose of protection, maintenance, administration and management of PAs, as well as projects approved by the respective PAMBs contained in the approved management plan for the PAs and cleared by the DENR. Once the Ipaf automatic-retention law is in place, PAMBs’ access to funds for the rehabilitation and development of the PAs under them will be a lot easier and faster, Lim said. Before, it takes a year for the Department of Budget and Management to release funds for PAs due to the tedious process and bureaucracy.
This discourages PAMBs to play a more active role in managing the PAs, Lim explained. To familiarize the various stakeholders with the new setup, Lim said the DENR-BMB will schedule seminars and conduct capacity-building workshops this year.
“We will provide technical assistance and capacity-building seminars to help them maximize the use of the Ipaf,” she said.