Philippine Daily Inquirer
BANAYBANAY, Davao Oriental, Philippines—Thousands of students, environmentalists, village officials, mothers, farmers, and fishermen in the province went out to the streets Monday morning and formed a human chain, lining up along the 266-kilometer stretch of road that connects this town and the farthest coastal town of Boston, to plant around 100,000 forest and fruit trees.
The event was part of Davao Oriental’s target to plant one million trees this year as the provincial government’s commitment to the campaign against global warming. At the end of 2011, it is hoped that the trees planted, not only along the roadsides but also in former forested areas, will reach five million.
There are at least 90 protected areas and tourist spots in Davao Oriental’s 11 towns, including Mt. Hamiguitan, known for its bonsai forest which has been declared a national park and nominated as World Heritage Site to the Unesco.
The province remains known for its thick and mineral-rich forest covers, although many of these areas—also identified either as national protected areas and ancestral domain of indigenous peoples—are now being threatened by mining and illegal logging operations. Even a portion of Mt. Hamiguitan is being eyed by foreign companies for nickel mining.
Governor Corazon Malanyaon said the tree planting event is hoped to “re-green” the entire province and to contribute to the “abatement of global warming and control of environmental degradation.”
Malanyaon recently issued Executive Order 06 that institutionalized the One Million Tree Project and declared every 22nd day of June as tree planting day for Davao Oriental.
Heherson Alvarez, presidential adviser for global warming and climate change, lauded the project as it signaled that the government’s campaign against global warming, through the Carbon Cutting Coalition versus Global Climate, is gaining headway in the provinces.
“We have to wake up as the country is extremely vulnerable (to environmental catastrophe),” said Alvarez who was here Monday as the guest speaker.
BANAYBANAY, Davao Oriental, Philippines—Thousands of students, environmentalists, village officials, mothers, farmers, and fishermen in the province went out to the streets Monday morning and formed a human chain, lining up along the 266-kilometer stretch of road that connects this town and the farthest coastal town of Boston, to plant around 100,000 forest and fruit trees.
The event was part of Davao Oriental’s target to plant one million trees this year as the provincial government’s commitment to the campaign against global warming. At the end of 2011, it is hoped that the trees planted, not only along the roadsides but also in former forested areas, will reach five million.
There are at least 90 protected areas and tourist spots in Davao Oriental’s 11 towns, including Mt. Hamiguitan, known for its bonsai forest which has been declared a national park and nominated as World Heritage Site to the Unesco.
The province remains known for its thick and mineral-rich forest covers, although many of these areas—also identified either as national protected areas and ancestral domain of indigenous peoples—are now being threatened by mining and illegal logging operations. Even a portion of Mt. Hamiguitan is being eyed by foreign companies for nickel mining.
Governor Corazon Malanyaon said the tree planting event is hoped to “re-green” the entire province and to contribute to the “abatement of global warming and control of environmental degradation.”
Malanyaon recently issued Executive Order 06 that institutionalized the One Million Tree Project and declared every 22nd day of June as tree planting day for Davao Oriental.
Heherson Alvarez, presidential adviser for global warming and climate change, lauded the project as it signaled that the government’s campaign against global warming, through the Carbon Cutting Coalition versus Global Climate, is gaining headway in the provinces.
“We have to wake up as the country is extremely vulnerable (to environmental catastrophe),” said Alvarez who was here Monday as the guest speaker.
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