Lead organisation: One Architecture
Partners
- Asian Institute of Management
- Philippine Reclamation Authority
One Architecture, a firm based in New York and Amsterdam, is collaborating with its partners, the Philippine Reclamation Authority (PRA), the Asian Institute of Management, and Wetlands International as “One Resilient Team” to combat flood risk in the Philippines. The project takes place in Tacloban City, an area that was devastated by Typhoon Haiyan in 2013. It is a multi-stakeholder initiative involving the community, local and national government, private sector, academics, and non-governmental organisations participating in mangrove and beach forest restoration project.
The project aims to fill in gaps in Tacloban’s green infrastructure to improve coastal protection against storm surges and flooding, while incentivising communities to protect and maintain reforested mangrove areas. The program focuses on shoreline pond and mangrove restoration, composed, in large part of restored and reforested fish ponds in the Tacloban area. The team promotes the building with nature concept.
Key Achievements:
- High-level commitment from the Philippines Reclamation Authority, including CEO and Board, on the agency’s evolution toward resilience.
- 10,000 / 1,5 ha of mangrove seedlings planted in Nula Tula, with a survival rate of 97%.
- In New Kawayan site, 5,000 beach forest (local species) seedlings were planted with a survival rate of 80% as a result of pests and diseases.
- Work has centered on disentangling the jurisdictional conflicts, overlaps and ambiguities that impede rehabilitation and resilience.
- The One Resilient Team endeavored to adapt to on-the-ground realities and more closely involve local actors (governmental and community).
- A next phase project should aim to create better, more efficient tools to select, vet, and validate potential rehabilitation sites across the region.