The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) in Region 12 has stepped up its tree planting activities in a bid to achieve its target of planting around three million trees this year under the national government’s flagship National Greening Program (NGP).
Datu Tungko Saikol, DENR Region 12 director, said Monday the implementation of the program is currently ongoing in parts of the region’s four provinces and five cities that they have identified as priority sites for the program this year.
Region 12, which is also known as the Soccsksargen Region, comprises the provinces of South Cotabato, Sultan Kudarat, Sarangani, North Cotabato and the cities of General Santos, Koronadal, Tacurong, Kidapawan and Cotabato.
“We have forged partnerships with different sectors to facilitate our ongoing expansion in forest areas that need rehabilitation,” Saikol said in a press conference in Koronadal City.
By the end of the year, the official said they are targeting to cover around 25,000 hectares in the region for the NGP.
To achieve such target, he said they have linked up with local government units, non-government organizations, peoples and community groups to assist with its implementation.
He said their collaboration covers the preparation of the planting sites, tree planting as well as the monitoring of the sites and the planted trees.
The joint or collaborative efforts have resulted to the high survival rate of trees planted in the region under the NGP, he said.
Based on an earlier evaluation conducted by the DENR central office, Saikol said the region achieved a survival rate of 84 percent for trees planted in 2011 and 2012.
He said such rate was the highest so far among the country’s 17 regions.
Saikol also urged anew the public to do their part in helping achieve a “greener Region” as a strategy to mitigate the foreseen negative effects of climate change in the area.
“We need to stop blaming the government for its inadequacies and start making our own moves to combat the effects of climate change,” he said.
NGP, which is based on Executive Order 26 issued by President Benigno S. Aquino III, is a nationwide reforestation project that aims to plant 1.5 billion trees in 1.5 million hectares from 2011 to 2016 for poverty reduction, food security, livelihood development, biodiversity conservation, and climate change mitigation and adaptation.[PNA]
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