DENR offers 144,000 hectares of Davao Region forest land to private investors

The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) has made about 144,000 hectares of forest land in the Davao Region available to private investors, according to SunStar. The area is part of roughly 500,000 hectares across Mindanao now open for agroforestry, tree plantations and renewable energy projects.

DENR Undersecretary for Field Operations-Mindanao Joselin Marcus Fragada presented the figures on Wednesday, October 28, 2026, at the Mindanao Development Forum 2026 at Dusit Thani Davao in Davao City. The forum was organised by the Mindanao Development Authority (MinDA). Fragada spoke on behalf of Environment Secretary Juan Miguel Cuna.

Based on his presentation, the DENR's Forest Management Bureau has mapped 500,011 hectares in 2,451 parcels. These are production forests outside protected areas, critical watersheds and existing tenures. The Davao Region has 144,035 hectares, or 28.8 percent of the total, but the most parcels at 1,195. Caraga has the largest area at 177,201 hectares, followed by Soccsksargen, Zamboanga Peninsula and Northern Mindanao.

Fragada said natural forests are not included. "These are not pristine old-growth forests," he said, adding that protection forests, high-elevation watersheds and critical protected areas remain off-limits.

Of the total, 272,057 hectares are earmarked for agroforestry crops such as cacao, coffee and rubber; 216,081 hectares for timber, wood processing and biomass plantations; and 11,873 hectares for pasture and ecotourism. With the Department of Energy, the DENR also identified 132,896 hectares in 431 parcels suitable for utility-scale solar and wind projects, located within 20 kilometres of national grid substations.

The areas will be covered by the Sustainable Forest Land Management Agreement, which Fragada said replaces older tenure instruments with a single agreement to simplify dealings for local governments and private firms. Applicants pay a flat P10,000 fee. Plantations and agroforestry will pay 3 percent of gross revenue, renewable energy P7,200 per hectare per year with a 10 percent annual increase, pasture P200 per hectare and ecotourism P85,000 per hectare. Protection forestry pays nothing.

Fragada also promoted the government's critical minerals framework under Executive Order 122 and said enterprises operating in Mindanao must comply with environmental, social and governance standards and free, prior and informed consent rules for indigenous communities. The DENR directed interested investors to the Forest Management Bureau's forest investment portal.