Two new UP Open University (UPOU) projects submitted to the International Partnership for the Satoyama Initiative (IPSI) were approved for implementation. The University of the Philippines Open University (UPOU), through the Faculty of Management and Development Studies (FMDS), has been a member of the International Partnership for the Satoyama Initiative since 2012.

For the Satoyama Development Mechanism (SDM) 2017 Project , 23 applications were submitted to the SDM Secretariat and only six applications were selected that are deemed most promising for the implementation and promotion of the concept of the Satoyama Initiative. FMDS-UPOU’s submission is “Contextualization of the Instructional Materials for the Training of Youths toward Conservation of Ifugao Rice Terraces as a Satoyama Landscape” in partnership with the existing project of UPOU in Ifugao which is the Youth for Ifugao Rice Terraces. This project aims to contextualize through translation the instructional materials for the training of youths toward conservation of Ifugao Rice Terraces as Satoyama landscape. The said project will run from January 2018 to January 2019.

For the IPSI Collaborative Activity, which are activities undertaken by two or more members of IPSI, UPOU’s project is “Development and sharing of multimedia learning resources for Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) on Satoyama.” This is a collaborative activity between UPOU and Kanazawa University (KU). UPOU and KU have collaborated in various projects related to the conservation and sustainable development of Ifugao Rice Terraces since 2013.

IPSI is comprised of 202 member organizations committed to supporting socio ecological landscapes and seascapes (SEPLS) for the benefit of biodiversity and human well-being through the implementation of their respective activities.