The Provincial Government of Camarines Sur vowed to rehab the Bicol Natural Park (BNP) in Iriga City, starting with a tree growing activity in honor of Philippine Arbor Day and 2024 Environment Month on June 25, 2024.
The planting of trees marks the beginning of the Provincial Government's rehabilitation project, which will restore 500 hectares of the BNP's deforested regions as part of the El Verde Program.
The program seeks to give the people living in and around the BNP sustainable livelihood options while aiding in the conversion of the agricultural portions of the BNP back into forest regions.
Led by locals and volunteers
In the open and deforested sections of the BNP in Barangay Sooc, Lupi, approximately 8,000 community members, volunteers, youth, and representatives from several government organizations and agencies planted 12,000 native tree seedlings.
The BNP has planted native trees such banaba, fish-tail, dao, anilao, apitong, white lawaan, and mali-mali to fill up 20 hectares of land.
Representatives from the Provincial Government of Camarines Sur, the Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Offices of Camarines Sur and Camarines Norte, the Protected Area Offices of Libmanan, Sipocot, and Lupi Chapters, the Provincial Police Office of the Philippine National Police, and the 11 barangays under the BNP's jurisdiction were among the stakeholders who assisted with the tree planting during the event.
Bicol’s collaboration for the environment
According to Ronnel C. Sopsop, Assistant Regional Director for Technical Services at DENR Bicol, environmental protection initiatives and projects are given top priority in the region.
"We have reforestation efforts to coastal clean-ups, from wildlife conservation to sustainable resource management. Our work continues to ensure that we have a healthy and sustainable environment for our present and future generations," Sopsop said.
He pointed out that attaining advocacy in environmental protection requires the cooperative efforts of local government units (LGUs), the surrounding communities, and other stakeholders.
"The preservation of nature, of our environment is not only the obligation of the DENR, although we are the government agency that is primarily mandated to protect, conserve, manage and of course the wise utilization of our environment. The preservation of nature is everyone's business because the negative impact is that we all suffer," he said.
