A community‑led nature‑based restoration project is helping protect over 1,000 Ata‑Manobo residents in Sitio Patil, Barangay Gupitan, Kapalong from worsening riverbank erosion and climate‑driven hazards. Ten major flood and landslide events hit the area between 2020 and 2023, as strong currents at the Kapalong‑Maguimon river confluence wore away soil and threatened homes, farms and ancestral lands.
Launched in July 2023 under the E2RB project, the initiative is a partnership between the Department of Environment and Natural Resources and German development agency GIZ, following President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr.’s directive to reduce disaster damage. It restored a 2.1‑kilometre riverbank stretch covering eight hectares by planting malibago, bayog bamboo, vetiver grass and tricanthera—species whose root systems bind soil against erosion. More than 80 percent of the planted vegetation has survived, forming part of the wider 394.97‑hectare Tagum‑Libuganon river basin watershed that supports wildlife and helps buffer dry spells from El Niño.
DENR and local officials note that restoring riverbank ecosystems builds long‑term flood resilience, while training sessions helped residents understand the value of protecting the new plant growth. Thirty members of the local Indigenous People’s Organization received capacity‑building training, and participating farmers earned honorariums for restoration work. Community leaders said the joint effort helps safeguard their homes, livelihoods and deep‑seated connection to the river.
The Kapalong municipal government has also backed the work through a supporting resolution, annual funding for watershed and riparian programs, and a framework for a Payment for Ecosystem Services scheme. Authorities stressed the restoration remains ongoing—plants need time to mature, and continued care is required. While nature‑based solutions cannot eliminate flood risks entirely, they provide a sustainable way to stabilise riverbanks and secure the Ata‑Manobo community’s ancestral home for years ahead.
