The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) has forged a landmark multisector partnership with the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), the Municipality of Tanay, the Bureau of Corrections (BuCor), A Brown Company, Inc., the University of Rizal System (URS), and the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP) to implement the "regenerative tourism for resilient Tanay" project in Tanay, Rizal.

The initiative is being carried out under the DENR’s Project TRANSFORM (Transdisciplinary Approach for Resilience and Environmental Sustainability through Multistakeholder Engagement) and was officially launched through the signing of a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA).

The ceremony was led by DENR Secretary Raphael P. M. Lotilla and Regional Executive Director Nilo Tamoria, together with Tanay Mayor Rex Manuel C. Tanjuatco, Provincial Board Member Reynaldo San Juan, BuCor Director Melencio S. Faustino, DILG Provincial Director Lionel L. Dalope, A Brown Company, Inc. Assistant Vice President Jason Santos, NCIP Director Reynaldo A. Dingal, and URS President Nancy T. Pascual.

A ceremonial tree planting followed the MOA signing, symbolizing the partners’ collective commitment to sustainable development, climate resilience, and inclusive environmental governance.

In his keynote message, Secretary Lotilla highlighted Tanay’s unique ecological context, noting that much of the municipality falls within a protected area. This, he emphasized, requires a careful balance between development and conservation.

“As part of Project TRANSFORM, we would like to congratulate you and your partners. This is a partnership among you. This is your project. We are here to facilitate and support, but at the end of the day, it is you who will sustain this project and who will ultimately benefit from it,” Lotilla said.

“We assure you that we will continue to work with you to ensure that future generations in Rizal, particularly in Tanay, will have a bright future living in harmony with nature and the environment,” he added.

Project TRANSFORM brings together diverse institutions to co-create solutions, ensuring that local realities, scientific knowledge, community insights, and multisector collaboration guide decision-making and implementation.

The partnership aims to position Tanay as a model for regenerative tourism, an approach that goes beyond minimizing negative impacts and instead seeks to actively restore and enhance the area’s environmental, social, and cultural well-being.

The project area will be selected from existing National Greening Program (NGP) sites established between 2011 and 2015 within the Kaliwa River Forest Reserve and areas covered by Presidential Proclamation No. 1636.

Key objectives under the MOA include promoting sustainable practices such as waste reduction, energy efficiency, and habitat conservation to mitigate the negative impacts of tourism; providing educational programs for tourists and residents on sustainable and regenerative practices; developing tourism management strategies based on the area’s carrying capacity; and encouraging investments that restore degraded ecosystems and strengthen community resilience.

Planned activities include resource management, conservation, protection, and reforestation efforts, as well as urban greening initiatives grounded in science-based assessments. Local people’s organizations will play an active role in implementation to ensure community ownership and inclusive development.

Project TRANSFORM is a flagship DENR initiative that mobilizes a whole-of-society approach—bringing together government agencies, the academe, the private sector, civil society organizations, and local communities—to advance environmental sustainability and climate resilience at the local level. Rizal Province, particularly the municipality of Tanay, was selected as a pilot area due to its ecological significance and its diverse mix of upland and lowland environments.

The province hosts key protected landscapes such as the Upper Marikina River Basin Protected Landscape and the Kaliwa River Forest Reserve, which provide essential ecosystem services for both CALABARZON and the National Capital Region.