DUMAGUETE CITY, Negros Oriental, May 10 (PIA) -- Around 78 hectares of coastal strips spanning five Local Government Units (LGUs) in southern Negros Oriental have been identified as project sites for a mangrove forestation initiative of Silliman University (SU) and its new partner e-wallet provider GCASH.

This undertaking is carried out under the auspices of the USAID and the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquiatc Resources (BFAR) through their Fish Right Program.

Project Implementers Dr. Hilconida Calumpong, representing Fish Right Program and SU, and Joshua Allegre of GCash shared their excitement on this collaboration to protect the environment.

“Fish Right facilitated the partnership. This is part of our goal to conserve bio-diversity, help people with livelihood, and mitigate climate change. This project takes five years because it takes five years to become reproductive. We are expecting a very high survival rate,” Calumpong said.

“GCASH is providing the funding for the 500, 000 trees. We know that aside from helping improve biodiversity and forest mass here in south of Negros. We are also helping the communities with opportunities for them to have jobs and eventually because this is mangroves (there will be) improvement also in fish stocks. It’s another way for our local community to earn in the future,“ Allegre said.

He explained that GCash has a GForest feature in their application which users can access if they want to help rebuild Philippine forests.

He stressed that company is committed in helping in the reforestation efforts and country and to at this point it already facilitated the planting of 2.2 million trees in its tree-planting sites in Luzon, Cebu, and Mindanao.

Allegre said they have agreed to partner with SU since they are aiming to expand their program in this part of the Visayas.

The location of these mangrove forestation sites are in Zamboanguita, Siaton, Sta. Catalina, Bayawan City, and Basay.

The areas were determined using a baseline study carried out during the implementation of Fish Right Program in southern Negros Oriental.

SU and GCash also tapped the LGUs in those city and municipalities and the 21 People’s Organizations (POs) to ensure the success of the project.

Calumpong said GCash's role in this is they will provide funding for the collection of propagules, outlanding costs, monitoring, and establishment of plant nurseries in LGU while POs will be the ones who will plant and take care of the mangrove species planted in their area.

SU will also help in the monitoring and research on the carbon sequestered in the mangroves.

LGUs will also have a part on this since they have to counterpart some its resources like its vehicles which will be used in hauling and transport of the tree seedlings.

A ceremonial tree planting was held in Lutoban, Zamboanguita on May 5 to mark the start of this partnership.

The different parties involved also signed a memorandum of agreement to cement their collaboration.

SU, GCash, and their partners have planted “lapis-lapis” seedlings of mangrove species during the activity.

Calumpong said SU and Fish Righ have researched which type of mangrove species will thrive in coastal areas to identify which species to plant in order to ensure the success of the program.

Calumpong believes that once the community sees that the project does not only yield benefits for the environment but also for their livelihood, they will be heavily involved in the program and in the protection of the mangrove forests. (RAL/PIA7 Negros Oriental)