The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) announced Thursday that its Forest Management Bureau will be integrating forestry permits and mechanisms for the benefit of communities under the Sustainable Forest Land Management Agreement (SFLMA).
“The SFLMA represents a major shift in how the Philippines manages its 15.8 million hectares of forest lands, offering 25-year renewable agreements that allow multiple management strategies within a single forest area from agroforestry and ecotourism to forest plantation development and conservation initiatives,” Environment Secretary Raphael Lotilla said.
The SFLMA consolidates seven forestry tenure instruments into a single, streamlined production-sharing agreement to create more jobs in beneficiary communities.
The agreement supersedes multiple instruments used for different purposes, including the Integrated Forest Management Agreement, Community-Based Forest Management Agreement, Forest Land Grazing Management Agreement, Socialized Industrial Forest Management Agreement, Forest Land Use Agreement, Forest Land Use Agreement for Tourism, Special Land Use Permit and Community-Based Forest Management Agreement.
“This consolidation eliminates the fragmented application processes and overlapping requirements that have historically discouraged potential investors and delayed project implementation. The streamlined approach creates clearer pathways and management strategies for sustainable forest enterprises,” Lotilla said in a statement.
According to the DENR, the SFLMA marks the beginning of a new era where environmental stewardship and economic opportunity work together to secure the Philippines’ forests while contributing to global climate commitments.
