It is with pleasure that we share with you Stratbase ADR Institute’s 2023 Special Study entitled, “Local Environmental Governance: Baseline Assessment of Climate Change Adaptation and Disaster Management Practices in a Philippine Province“, authored by Dr. Francisco A. Magno and Mr. Ian Jayson R. Hecita.

This paper presents the localization of climate change action and disaster management, which is basically anchored on inter-LGU dynamism. By drawing on the practices and conditions in the province of Iloilo, the study identifies the factors that will sustain interest and motivation among LGUs to collaborate in environmental governance.

The findings of the study centered first on the discussion of the opportunities and challenges to inter-LGU cooperation in the area of climate change adaptation and DRRM. In Iloilo, the local government consortium’s performance spans across the service areas of economic development, health service delivery, watershed and coastal resource management, metropolitan governance, and flood management.

In terms of developing and implementing DRRM plans and climate change adaptation action plans, most of the LGUs covered in the study are updating their CLUPs where they face several capacity challenges. Local planners often need to enhance their technical skills in certain areas of research, problem identification, data analytics, and policy analysis. These two focal areas highlight the role of collaborative governance in strengthening the capacity of LGUs in the domain of DRRM and CCA. Inter-local partnerships are strategic collaborative governance arrangements for co-learning and joint-capacity building activities through continuous institutional learning.

It is comprised of the following sections: (1) Introduction; (2) Collaborative Arrangements as Risk Management Strategies; (3) Identifying LGU Capacities for DRRM and Climate Change Adaptation, and (4) Conclusion.