MANILA, Philippines - The Energy Development Corp. (EDC) and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) are setting up an arboretum in Negros Oriental, a collection of rare and endangered tree species to generate wider public awareness on the urgency of preserving these indigenous trees that are facing imminent extinction.
The EDC arboretum, to be set up on a 9.35-hectare of forest land in Barangay Puhagan, Valencia town in Negros Oriental was also meant to be a research laboratory for biological and environmental scientists.
The site will be planted with at least 96 species of hard-wood trees belonging to the dipterocarp and non-dipterocarp families categorized as “threatened, vulnerable, rare and endangered” based on guidelines prescribed by the DENR and the International Union of Conservation of Nature.
The two agencies forged recently a memorandum agreement (MOA) providing for the establishment of an arboretum “that will serve as a learning and training facility for students, teachers, eco-tourists, and members of other sectors of society.
DENR Region 7 executive director Maxino Dichoso and EDC senior vice president Agnes de Jesus signed the MOA on behalf of their respective agencies.
Under the accord, the EDC will provide the concept, design, and funding for the project, while the DENR would identify, survey, and evaluate the proposed site within the Southern Negros Geothermal Production Field (SNGPF).
“Together with the DENR, our reforestation efforts have led to the 14-percent increase in the forest cover at the SNGPF. Now that the forest is protected, we are expanding the area and preserving biodiversity for climate change adaptation through BINHI,” de Jesus explained.
For her part, Dichoso cited the arboretum project as “another green initiative by the EDC,” adding that it is the first of its kind that will focus on the genetic conservation of indigenous, but endangered premium tree species.
The project is consistent with EDC’s flagship environmental project dubbed “BINHI” aimed at helping restore the country’s virgin forest, enhance forest ecosystems, and assist in rescuing and securing the gene pool of endangered premium native timber.
BINHI is EDC’s contribution the government’s National Greening Program (NGP).
One of BINHI’s primary targets is to educate the general public about the importance of planting not just any tree but especially those that are most precious to the Filipinos’ sustainable development and national identity. Ultimately, BINHI seeks to empower the target publics so they may go the extra green mile individually or collectively.
BINHI has four major components: tree for the future, tree for life, tree for food, and tree for leisure.
The tree for the future component is the flagship program of BINHI. Its aim is to recover the country’s biodiversity by establishing a tree park in every province and in selected cities and schools using prime endangered species. Fifty percent of the seeds to be harvested from the planted trees will be given back to EDC which will put up a seed bank for future forests.
The EDC envisions that the reforestation efforts of the country will use these premium and economically important species.
The tree for life component aims to address ecological problems by establishing protection forests through assisted natural regeneration (ANR) or “rainforestation farming.” EDC aims to bridge the forest gaps between important mountain systems in order to avoid fragmentation of habitats of these valuable ecosystems.
The tree for food component aims to hasten re-vegetation of open and denuded forest lands and at the same time provide significant source of livelihood for the farmers living inside EDC’s geothermal reservation areas.