Slowly but Surely

Many advocates have found their humble beginnings into the life of environmental conservation through their first tree-planting activity. This is one of the most crucial factors in the rehabilitation of our planet and it is also one of the most common. It’s an easy answer to many however, planting seedlings without consideration of their species, quality and their adaptability to the soil and environment can actually do more harm than good.

Last year, I was able to join a mangrove growing activity in Cleanenergy Park, Davao City. The organizers explained to us that we are not only ‘planting’ the mangrove sprouts, but we aimed to grow them. There was a significant amount of research done by numerous scientists before they conclude what species best fit the environment at Cleanergy Park, a rehabilitated outdoor biodiversity park.

A college student taking up geodetic engineering accompanied us and she explained to us the importance of survey, mapping and planning and we actually had to do an ocular visit before we requested seeds from the Bureau of Plant Industry.  The local caretaker also explained that in his many years of taking care of the mangroves in the area, very few survived because of the way these mangroves were planted. Another senior, a BS Biology student, also gave a short lecture on the importance of mangroves in the Philippines.

From my experience and research, I’ve learned that growing trees is no easy task. There has to be careful examination of the quality of the seed and of the environment where it’s going to be planted, otherwise, all efforts would have been wasted. There is some good news for Filipino eco-warriors in terms of reforestation efforts. According to a report in 2016, the Philippines ranked fifth out of 234 countries with the greatest reported forest gain. That means that the country has actually increased its forest area every year from 2010-2015 by 240,000 hectares.

As simplistic as it may be, growing trees is one of the many ways we as advocates can contribute in the fight for environmental conservation.

Resources:

https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2016/02/21/1555647/philippines-5th-out-234-countries-forest-gain

http://www.nast.ph/images/pdf%20files/Publications/Other%20Publications%20of%20NAST/Mega%20Issues%20in%20Philippine%20Forestry%20Key/Mega%202%20Successful%20Reforestation%20in%20the%20Philippines.pdf

http://aboitizfoundation.org/press-releases/news/aboitiz-cleanergy-park-in-davao-now-an-emerging-pawikan-and-bird-sanctuary