DENR-7 Urges Public To Support Implementation Of National Greening Program (NGP)

The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) 7 urged the public to support the implementation of the national greening program (NGP) in this region as it would benefit the agricultural sector in improving the water yield of watersheds.

Improving the water yield would ensure the supply of water to irrigate farmlands, said DENR-7 Planning Officer Eddie Llamedo.

NGP is a massive forest rehabilitation program of the present administration established by virtue of Executive Order No. 26 issued in February 2011 by President Benigno Aquino III.

It seeks to grow 1.5 billion trees in 1.5 million hectares nationwide within a period of six years, from 2011 to 2016.

“Under the NGP, the government seeks to improve the vegetative cover of watersheds that could supply much of the freshwater requirement of this region,” said DENR-7 Regional Director Dr. Isabelo Montejo.

DENR has invested significant resources to purchase geo-tagging equipment and train forestry personnel on the use of the technology that utilizes GPS and web-based mapping to allow real-time monitoring of NGP locations, especially on getting accurate count of trees planted and their conditions.

“DENR Secretary Ramon Paje has noted that accurate maps of planted areas and their accessibility were two major elements lacking in past government reforestation programs,” said Montejo.

Geo-tagging would also help in monitoring seedling growth and mortalities for replacement with new seedlings in NGP sites.

According to Llamedo, from 2011 to 2015, some 1,351,803 hectares of the NGP sites, or 90.12 percent of the 1.5-million hectare target from 2011 to June 2016, have been planted and has generated more than 3.058 jobs.

In Central Visayas, about 80,747.06 hectares have been covered as of December 2015 with 227,923 jobs.

Of the number, at least 29,408.63 hectares have been reforested in Cebu; Bohol with 16,213.54 hectares; Negros Oriental, 33,951.53 hectares; and Siquijor with 1,173.36 hectares.

With this, at least 1,614,941.20 tons of carbon dioxide is projected to be absorbed by the various plantations annually.

Apart from being a reforestation initiative, the NGP is also seen as a climate change mitigation strategy as it seeks to enhance the country’s forest stock to absorb carbon dioxide, which is largely blamed for global warming.

The program is also designed to reduce poverty, providing alternative livelihood activities for marginalized upland and lowland households relating to seedling production and care and maintenance of newly-planted trees.

Likewise, the NGP also seeks to promote biodiversity conservation through the rehabilitation of the country’s forests, which serves as natural habitat for various species of plants and animals.

DENR data show that about 20 million hectares or two-thirds of the country’s total land area of 30 million hectares, are hilly and mountainous, making these areas vulnerable to soil erosion whose direct impacts and side-effects include low crop productivity, reduction of the capacity of water conveyance structures, destruction of wildlife habitat, and destruction of standing crops. (rmn/jsme/PIA7-Cebu with DENR7 report)