In celebration of its 20^th Anniversary, APN, together with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) of the Philippines and University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB), will organise a five-day Southeast Asia Regional Media Visit to two APN-funded project sites located in Ifugao, the Philippines. The media visit is designed to engage media in expanding efforts to raise awareness about, and disseminate information on and lessons learned from, APN funded projects on global change and sustainability issues.

The Media Visit is open to Journalists / Media workers working for national media based in APN Member/Approved Countries in Southeast Asia (Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Viet Nam). A total of eight media representatives (journalists/media workers) will be invited to join the media visit and develop news/feature stories about the projects.

The theme for the media visit is Adaptation Strategies for Upland Agriculture Systems in the Face of Climate Change. The two project locations are:

1. Conservation Farming Village in Alfonso Lista, Ifugao

Conservation Farming Village (CFV) is a modality for enhancing the transfer of conservation farming technologies and practices anchored on participatory planning, monitoring, and evaluation processes at the community level. CFV adopts a community-based participatory approach to technology development, promotion and utilisation, wherein researchers, extension workers, farmers and other upland development workers learn and work together. The APN supported capacity building for Local Government Units (LGU) to assist upland farmers in improving their economic conditions by strengthening their capacities to manage natural resources, and thereby protecting their communities against environmental degradation while ensuring the sustainability of their sources of livelihood and the “multiplier effect” of existing technology diffusion processes at the local level.

2. Ifugao Rice Terrace (UNESCO World heritage Site)

The Ifugao Rice Terrace is a world-renowned sustainable rice terrace that was listed as a UNESCO World heritage Site in 1995. This designation promotes the terraces as a tourist destination, but has created a complex dynamic for the terraces between international conservation standards and the Ifugao people to manage their terraces. The Ifugao communities currently face a complex combination of challenges, including low incomes from rice terraces leading to out-migration, abandonment of terraces due to lack of funding to properly maintain rice terraces, water shortages because of climate change; biodiversity loss due to logging use and use of pesticides, and declining interest in traditional knowledge, techniques and rituals on which the rice terrace systems depend. The APN supported a research project that investigated potential development models that would support equitable development while preserving the ecological integrity of the rice terraces. The project identified the potential of eco-tourism to enhance the economic benefits to the region if both tourism and rice terrace systems are managed by the local communities.

Tentative Agenda

The Southeast Asia Regional Media Visit will be held from 13–17 January 2016. 

For more details: Media Visit Announcement

Eligibility

1. Applicant is a journalist/media worker at a national/international media company based in APN Member/Approved Countries in Southeast Asia (Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Viet Nam)
2. Applicant must have a good working knowledge of English
3. Applicant should have keen interest in environmental communication/journalism. Experience in environmental reporting is preferable.
4. Young/early-career journalists/media workers under 40 years of age are encouraged to apply.

Application Process

To apply for the media visit, please fill in the Application Form and submit the form with a short CV and a brief company profile of the media that you are working for by email to Dr. Linda Stevenson ([email protected]) with a carbon copy to Ms. Dyota Condrorini ([email protected]). Please submit your application no later than 31 October 2015.

Limited travel support is available for participants.

For more information on the media visit, please contact: Ms. Dyota Condrorini ([email protected]).