Negros occidental: The Negros Occidental provincial government is urging Negrenses to join efforts to rehabilitate the 547 hectares of forest area within the Mt. Kanlaon Natural Park. Provincial Administrator Rayfrando Diaz II announced that Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson has instructed to initiate the ground work as soon as possible to restore forest cover in this critical watershed area.
According to Philippines News Agency, the call to action follows a memorandum of agreement signed between the provincial government and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources-Negros Island Region (DENR-NIR) on July 1. The agreement focuses on the rehabilitation and maintenance of the 547-hectare Enhanced National Greening Program (ENGP) graduated plantation site located in Sitio Guinam-an, Barangay Minoyan, Murcia.
Under the 25-year agreement, the province will adopt the ENGP site within the Mt. Kanlaon Natural Park to support biodiversity conservation and sustainable resource management. The initiative aims at climate change mitigation and adaptation, with a focus on establishing a bamboo plantation, promoting agroforestry, and providing livelihood opportunities for the local community.
The province is responsible for ensuring an 85 percent survival rate of the planted bamboo, coordinating project implementation with the DENR, submitting regular progress reports, and supporting monitoring and evaluation activities.
On July 4, the Provincial Environment Management Office took steps to digitize the ENGP site, while the Office of the Governor Information and Communications Technology Division developed a map layout and design from the mapping and aerial drone survey. This effort provides a detailed view of the reforestation site's condition, elevation, contours, and location.
The adoption of the ENGP graduated plantation by the province received endorsement from the Mt. Kanlaon Natural Park Protected Area Management Board, following a resolution passed on January 15. Kanlaon Volcano, located within the Mt. Kanlaon Natural Park, is a protected area established under Republic Act 9154, which was signed into law on August 11, 2001.
