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Coordinated and published by The Grassroots Institute, the Grassroots Journal of Natural Resources (GJNR) is an international journal dedicated to the latest advancements in natural resources throughout the world. The goal of this journal is to provide a platform for scientists, social scientists, policy analysts, managers and practitioners (on all academic and professional levels) all over the world to promote, discuss and share various new issues and developments in different arenas of natural resources.
Liezl B. Grefalda*1, Juan M. Pulhin2, Kazuhiro Harada3
1Forest Resources and Society Laboratory, Department of Forest and Environmental Resources Sciences, Graduate School of Bioagricultural Sciences, Nagoya University, Japan, & Department of Social Forestry and Forest Governance, College of Forestry and Natural Resources, University of the Philippines Los Baños, Philippines.
Email: grefalda.liezl.brogada.y7@s.mail.nagoya-u.ac.jp, lbgrefalda@up.edu.ph | ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4658-6305
2Department of Social Forestry and Forest Governance, College of Forestry and Natural Resources, University of the Philippines Los Baños, Philippines, & UPLB Interdisciplinary Studies Center for Integrated Natural Resources and Environment Management, University of the Philippines, Los Baños, Philippines. Email: jmpulhin@up.edu.ph
ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3271-7351
3Forest Resources and Society Laboratory, Department of Forest and Environmental Resources Sciences, Graduate School of Bioagricultural Sciences, Nagoya University, Japan.
Email: harada@agr.nagoya-u.ac.jp | ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0020-6186
*Corresponding author
Grassroots Journal of Natural Resources, 9(2): 78-107. Doi: https://doi.org/10.33002/nr2581.6853.090204
Received: 25 June 2026
Reviewed: 23 July 2026
Provisionally Accepted: 26 July 2026
Revised: 30 July 2026
Finally Accepted: 09 August 2026
Published: 30 August 2026
Protected landscapes are increasingly recognized as both ecological conservation areas and complex governance systems exposed to climate and disaster risks. This study assesses perceived governance capacity in the Upper Marikina River Basin Protected Landscape (UMRBPL) in the Philippines. Using a survey adapted from established resilience and institutional capacity frameworks, the study examined seven dimensions: access rights and entitlements, information flows, decision-making processes, application of new knowledge, capacity to anticipate risk, capacity to respond, and capacity to recover and change. Data were gathered from 55 respondents across five local government units, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, the Rizal Provincial Planning Office, and the Protected Area Management Board. Descriptive statistics assessed perceived institutional capacity, while Spearman's rho and Cramér's V tested associations between resilience conditions and selected sociodemographic variables. Results showed an overall mean score of 3.76, indicating a high level of perceived institutional capacity. Application of new knowledge (3.88) and capacity to respond (3.87) received the highest scores, whereas information flows (3.59) and capacity to recover and change (3.64) received comparatively lower scores. Age and years in office were significantly and negatively associated with selected institutional dimensions. While UMRBPL institutions demonstrate robust operational capacity in response, risk anticipation, and knowledge application, they are constrained by fragmented information flows, weak institutional memory, and limited transformative recovery mechanisms.
Institutional resilience; Protected landscape governance; Forested protected area; Transformative resilience; Climate and disaster resilience
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Grefalda, L.B., Pulhin, J.M. and Harada, K. (2026). Beyond Operational Capacity: Institutional Gaps and Transformative Resilience in the Governance of a Forest Protected Landscape in the Philippines. Grassroots Journal of Natural Resources, 9(2): 78-107. Doi: https://doi.org/10.33002/nr2581.6853.090204
Grefalda, L. B., Pulhin, J. M., & Harada, K. (2026). Beyond Operational Capacity: Institutional Gaps and Transformative Resilience in the Governance of a Forest Protected Landscape in the Philippines. Grassroots Journal of Natural Resources, 9(2), 78-107. https://doi.org/10.33002/nr2581.6853.090204
Grefalda L. B., Pulhin J. M., Harada, K. Beyond Operational Capacity: Institutional Gaps and Transformative Resilience in the Governance of a Forest Protected Landscape in the Philippines. Grassroots Journal of Natural Resources, 2026, 9 (2), 78-107. https://doi.org/10.33002/nr2581.6853.090204
Grefalda, Liezl B., Pulhin, Juan M., Harada, Kazuhiro. 2026. “Beyond Operational Capacity: Institutional Gaps and Transformative Resilience in the Governance of a Forest Protected Landscape in the Philippines”. Grassroots Journal of Natural Resources, 9 no. 2: 78-107. https://doi.org/10.33002/nr2581.6853.090204
Grefalda, Liezl B., Juan M. Pulhin and Kazuhiro Harada. 2026. “Beyond Operational Capacity: Institutional Gaps and Transformative Resilience in the Governance of a Forest Protected Landscape in the Philippines”. Grassroots Journal of Natural Resources, 9 (2): 78-107. https://doi.org/10.33002/nr2581.6853.090204
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