Balanga City, Bataan — The provincial government of Bataan and the University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB) signed an agreement recently to promote sustainable land use and resource management.

The Memorandum of Agreement aims to incorporate a Ridge-to-Reef/Watershed Ecological Management approach into the province’s Provincial Development Physical Framework Plan.

The UP Los Baños Institute of Renewable Natural Resources, College of Forestry and Natural Resources, is implementing a Department of Science and Technology (DoST)-Philippine Council for Agriculture, Aquatic and Natural Resources Research and Development-funded project to support the initiative.

Bataan Governor Joet Garcia expressed gratitude to the UP Los Baños project team and DoST representatives, stressing the project’s importance for environmental sustainability and economic progress.

“The aim of the agreement is to boost the capacity of the Provincial Government in ensuring a sustainable development of the environment in the province and the Bataeños thru the use of science and evidence-based practices in the process of planning,” Garcia said.