Wednesday, April 30, 2008 Province initiates land survey of communal forests
TO PRESERVE Benguet's remaining forest cover, the Provincial Government is taking the lead in the conduct of the survey of communal forests.
Governor Nestor Fongwan said the province is creating its own team to facilitate the conduct of surveys in the public forests in each municipality. The provincial survey team will augment personnel of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources.
The survey will also help municipalities with no established municipal forests identify their own. The identification and preservation of communal forests is one of Fongwan's flagship programs for environmental protection.
The governor wants an inventory of the public forests in each municipality and the programs the local governments are implementing to protect these forests.
"We want to know the concerns and status of the communal forests and the programs the municipal governments are doing to preserve these," Fongwan said, adding that the Provincial Government is willing to assist the towns in their preservation efforts.
La Trinidad has been successful in delineating its communal forests, namely, Alapang, Shilan, Puguis, Alno and the Busol watershed during Fongwan's term as municipal mayor. (JC)
