‘Reforest, don’t just plant’

REFORESTATION is more than planting trees, it’s about bringing back the biological diversity and the natural heritage of an area.

This is the message that the Ramon Aboitiz Foundation Inc. (Rafi) wants to spread as it plans to expand the scope of its native tree and vetiver grass nursery program to other parts of the Philippines.

Ruth Rowena Alensonorin, executive director of the Rafi Center for Integrated Area Development (Ciad), said the foundation is in talks with potential partners to replicate the native tree and vetiver grass nursery in other parts of the country.

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Rafi is also working on a book that documents native tree species in the Visayas, including folk tales about these trees. The foundation plans to launch the book in September this year.

Native species

Myryl Mendoza, bio-diversity program assistant of Rafi-Ciad, said the native tree nursery—established under the foundation’s Generation, Redemption and Expansion of Natural Resources Initiatives in the Philippines (Greenin’ Philippines) program—houses up to 100,000 seedlings of about 140 native tree species and vetiver grass.

The primary goal of Greenin’ Philippines program is to reforest the country. Forests have been known to reduce the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and ease global warming.

Reforestation—or planting tree species that are endemic or indigenous to an area—is an effective way to bring back other life forms, like wildlife, that may have disappeared or been driven out by deforestation.

It also promotes traditional practices of early Filipinos who have been dependent on the forests for food and medicines, said Mendoza.

Forests are part of Filipino heritage as indicated by the number of towns, barangays and streets that are named after trees. “Thus, reforestation also promotes awareness of our natural heritage,” said Alensonorin.

Towns’ names

Maximo Palen, Rafi-Ciad biodiversity specialist, said the nursery houses several native tree species that have been the basis for the naming of some towns and barangays in the Philippines.

These species are locally known as banilad, alam-bijod (which is the basis for naming a barangay in Argao), bogo, alagao (for Argao), mabolo, kamagon, talisay, molave, ibo, bangkal and sambag.

Palen said his group is looking for seedlings of catmon, which has become very rare.

Several companies, mostly members of the Aboitiz group of companies, and some local government units have taken on the idea.

The Municipal Government of Aloguinsan, in southwestern Cebu, and Camotes in Camotes Island have ordered several native species from the Rafi nursery for their reforestation programs.

The Cebu Industrial Park Developers Inc. (Cipdi) has recently assumed management of a 500-square meter nursery in Balamban. About 80 percent of the 18,000 seedlings at the Cipdi nursery are indigenous and are used for reforestation projects of companies located at the West Cebu Industrial Park in the town, as well as that of the Asturias municipal sanitary landfill.

Windmundo Charcos, Cipdi property management officer, said the developer plans to expand the nursery to 100,000 seedlings by 2011.

Marge Gravador, Aboitiz Equity Ventures (AEV) sustainability manager, said a growing number of companies undertake reforestation projects as part of their corporate social responsibility or sustainability programs.

She said the Aboitiz Group is looking at a partnership with Rafi under the Greenin’ Philippines program. The Aboitiz Group has been implementing reforestation and watershed protection programs in areas where its business units operate.

Alensonorin said Rafi hopes that other local government units (LGUs) and companies in Cebu would forge partnerships with the foundation as Greenin’ Philippines is being implemented in the province to complement the expanded Green and Wholesome Environment that Nurtures/Our Cebu Program, which provides incentives to LGUs and private sector groups that contribute to the Capitol’s greening campaign.

Under the Rafi-Our Cebu program, 48 tree nurseries have been established in different areas in Cebu Province.