ESSC undertook an analysis of local government initiatives in environment and natural resource management and documented 10 such efforts emerging in different parts of the country. The Carood Watershed Management Council or CWMC is one such initiative.

The CWMC is a consortium of six local government units within the Carood Watershed area in the province of Bohol. The six local government units are Candijay, Alicia, Mabini, Pilar, Ubay and Guindulman.

Carood Watershed is ranked as the fifth largest of the 12 major watersheds in Bohol, yet it was not recognized or commonly known as a watershed in the past. Carood is not viewed critical on the national level, unlike the watersheds that service major dams, such as the Magat or Chico, or other watersheds that are subjects of Presidential Proclamations. Recently however, Carood has gained a certain level of prominence, partly because of the organization of the CWMC. CWMC is the first watershed council in Bohol. Because Carood is not a declared watershed and therefore not recognized as a protected area, the management of the watershed does not receive any money from the national government or DENR.

The experience in the Carood Watershed has had positive impact on other watershed areas in Bohol. The Abatan and Loboc watersheds are also forming watershed management councils now. The provincial government is hoping to organize a province-wide network of these watershed management groups. Already, there is the Bohol Watershed Advisory Council (BOWAC), and although this was supposedly provincial in scope, but in reality the efforts are focused in the Loboc Watershed. BOWAC however is meant to be an interim group; the main objective is to organize the Bohol Network of Watershed Councils. The drive of the province to organize these management councils is largely a result of the CWMC initiative.

To read this ESSC-PWG report, please visit http://essc.org.ph/images/ESSC/Publications/essc-pwg_report_carood_watershed_management_council_bohol.pdf