DENR selects Eastern Visayas as NGP pilot site for 2012

By Philippine Information Agency (PIA 8)
January 14, 2012

TACLOBAN CITY  – The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) has chosen Eastern Visayas as pilot site for the implementation of the National Greening Program in 2012.

This recognition was made after the DENR Regional Office sent a very good panoramic view of Kanloboc mountain range in Southern Leyte which could easily match the Chocolate Hills in Bohol. Once jeopardized by excessive logging and kaingin, these 2,000 feet high mounds will soon be home to towering trees thanks to locals who volunteered to protect these mountains and replanted some 400 hectares of formerly denuded land with the help of GIZ and DENR.

The progress of this area will be evaluated and monitored by the DENR in the coming days, DENR Regional Public Affairs Officer Purificacion Daloos said.

Being the pilot area for NGP is actually a recognition of the Region’s exceeding its targeted number of hectares with tree seedlings planted since it was launched last year.

“Eastern Visayas was able to produce 4,052,500 seedlings for production and 8,105 hectares for planting with indigenous tree species,” Daloos said during the weekly Harampang ha PIA.

“We actually hit more than 100% because of our partners such as schools, non-government organizations, national government agencies and local government units that held tree-planting activities,” Ms. Daloos added.

It was learned that DENR’s accomplishment resulted from the agency’s social mobilization strategy where various partners from different sectors were made to plant trees under the greening program. The convergence initiative of the Environment, Agriculture and Agrarian Reform departments posted an accomplishment of 83% by producing 70,000 seedlings out of the target of 84,000 seedlings.

As an offshoot of the region’s accomplishment last year, DENR-8 was given a higher target of 12,365 hectares to be planted with trees.

“We seek the cooperation of the general public in attaining this target. If we have made it last year, we hope to achieve this year’s target by planting more open and denuded forestlands in the region,” Ms. Daloos said.

Moreover, Ms. Daloos disclosed that the NGP aims to post a minimum survival rate of 80% for the seedlings by tapping science and sound upland practices, and confining identified NGP planting sites in areas where there are communities who will be tapped to maintain and ensure growth of planted seedlings into mature trees.