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Good practice Imported

Philippines National Greening Program (NGP)

Philippines · Quezon City · See the Philippines profile · See the Quezon City profile

Evidence: Quasi-experimental Top 81% 33/100 · Ask Evidence Copilot about this practice

DENR contracted communities to plant 1.5B trees on 1.5M ha of public forestland at >US$700M cost. World Bank evaluation (2024): 6 pp poverty reduction, 71.4–303 MtCO₂ sequestered at $2–10/tCO₂. 5.6M person-jobs created by 2022.

1.5 billion trees
Trees targeted (2011-2016)
1.5 million ha
Forestland area targeted (2011-2016)
over 700 million USD
Total programme expenditure (2011-2016)
6 percentage points
Reduction in poverty incidence in recipient municipalities
8 percentage points
Decline in unlit settlements
at least 7 years
Duration of sustained effects
71.4-303 million tonnes CO2e
Carbon sequestered
2-10 USD/tonne CO2
Effective carbon cost
~5.6 million person-jobs
Person-jobs generated (by 2022)

Details

Maturity
Established
Promoter
Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR)
Period
2011–present
Keywords
forestry, reforestation, poverty reduction, national government

Context

The National Greening Program (NGP) was launched in 2011 by Philippine Executive Order No. 26. The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) contracts local government units, people's organisations, indigenous peoples' communities, and other entities to plant and maintain trees on public forestlands, a form of public-works ecosystem-service payment.

Objectives

During 2011-2016, the programme targeted 1.5 billion trees on 1.5 million hectares of degraded public forest across all Philippine regions, at a total expenditure exceeding US$700 million. An Enhanced NGP (2016-2028) continued the programme with a revised species mix prioritising native trees.

Activities

DENR contracted local government units, people's organisations and indigenous peoples' communities to carry out planting and maintenance across the targeted forestlands.

Results

A 2024 rigorous difference-in-differences evaluation by World Bank researchers found that municipalities receiving the programme experienced a 6 percentage-point reduction in poverty incidence and an 8 percentage-point decline in the proportion of unlit settlements, effects sustained for at least seven years after rollout. The evaluation estimated total carbon sequestration of 71.4 to 303 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent at an effective cost of US$2-10 per tonne. Cumulative participation generated approximately 5.6 million person-jobs by 2022.

Conclusions

A 2025 investigative report by the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism (PCIJ) raised concerns that some plantings used non-native or monoculture species and that official survival rates may be overstated; these concerns remain unresolved. The wide CO2 sequestration range (71.4-303 MtCO2) reflects scenario modelling uncertainty rather than direct measurement.

Implementation
Indicative cost
Very high (> €5M) — Total expenditure exceeded US$700 million for the 2011-2016 phase alone, covering 1.5 million ha -- rated very_high cost band given the national scale and explicitly documented expenditure.
Time to results
Long (> 3 years) — The programme launched in 2011, its initial phase ran to 2016, and the Enhanced NGP extends the programme to 2028 -- a multi-decade national commitment -- rated long timeline.
Staffing & skills
Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), Local government units (LGUs), People's organisations, Indigenous peoples' communities and other contracted entities

Conditions for success

  • Statutory backing via Executive Order No. 26 (2011) with sustained political commitment through the Enhanced NGP extension to 2028
  • Broad contracting model engaging LGUs, POs and indigenous communities created large-scale local employment (5.6 million person-jobs by 2022)
  • A rigorous World Bank DiD evaluation validated poverty and welfare co-benefits, supporting continued institutional buy-in

Common failure modes

  • A 2025 PCIJ investigative report raised unresolved concerns that some plantings used non-native or monoculture species
  • Official tree-survival rates may be overstated, per PCIJ, with concerns unresolved as of reporting
  • The wide carbon sequestration range (71.4-303 MtCO2e) reflects scenario modelling uncertainty rather than direct measurement, limiting the precision of carbon claims

Where it fits

Governance type
national statutory government programme (DENR-led)
Scale
national, 1.5 million ha
Income level
lower-middle-income

Commonly funded by

National / regional programmes

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Data sources

Where this practice's information was retrieved from, and when.

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