2nd International Conference on INREM (Photo from UPLB-INREM Twitter Page)
Original post from UPLB Website and UPLB-INREM Website.
The University of the Philippines Board of Regents (UP BOR) in its 1379th Meeting on 3 April 2023 has approved UPLB Center for Integrated Natural Resources and Environmental Management (UPLB-INREM) to become a full-fledged center and an affiliate hub of the UP Resilience Institute (UPRI). UPLB-INREM was initially established in 2013 as a virtual center through Administrative Order No. 140 by the UPLB Office of the Chancellor.
UPLB-INREM will serve as the resilience hub for resilient and sustainable ecosystem management in Los Baños. It will receive stronger support and closer ties with the UP system through the UPRI.
For 7 years, UPRI and UPLB-INREM have collaborated on numerous projects and programs. At present, they serve as partners in implementing “Establishing Safe and Resilient Universities (SAFER-U) in the Philippines through Risk-Sensitive and Climate Change Calibrated Land Use, Development and Infrastructure Planning” and a resilience project in Albay funded by the Asia-Pacific Network for Global Change Research. They also collaborated in 2017 for the ADB-funded Component C1 of the Improved Resilience for Future Disasters that strengthened the capability of 29 LGUs in Yolanda-stricken areas, as well as the 2nd and 3rd International INREM Conference held in 2019 and 2021, respectively.
UPLB-INREM is aligned with the mission statement of the UPRI, to have a wider reach and improve the capability of the UP System as an agent of change for disaster resilience in the Philippines, specifically in natural resources and environmental management. Its institutionalization will open greater opportunities and partnerships to develop science-based technologies and solutions to complex and interconnected problems in natural resources management and environmental protection. It also aims to produce and disseminate scholarly outputs that will serve as a sound basis for policy and decision-making, build capacities of local government units, communities, and other stakeholders on climate-resilient and sustainable natural resource management, and organize national and international conferences and fora to advance the science, policy and practice of integrated natural resources and environment management in the Philippines and the Asia-Pacific Region.
The center has completed 20 research and development and extension projects, built institutional capacity of 7 SUCs and 31 municipalities located in 8 provinces, established linkages with 11 local and 11 international organizations and networks, and provided technical assistance to various government agencies, NGOs, private and local communities, to name a few.
UPLB-INREM implements five ongoing projects in bioproduction systems, payment for water ecosystem services, natural capital accounting, and multi-hazard resilience-building.