Farmers, Fisherfolks Rehabilitate Bikol Forest Lands, Mangrove Areas

LEGAZPI CITY, March 2  - The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) said some 1,921 hectares were planted with trees in the Bikol region last year under the Upland Development Program (UDP).

The DENR in Bikol reported the trees planted were in the UDP priority sites for development and management such as Community-Based Forest Management (CBFM) projects, Protected Areas, Mangrove and Coastal Areas, and Watershed areas.

DENR regional executive director Joselin Marcus Fragada said the UDP was a DENR initiative to create immediate additional income for upland households in support to President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo's Hunger Mitigation Program.

The UDP was implemented in the province of Camarines Norte, Camarines Sur, Catanduanes, Masbate and Sorsogon. It is composed of reforestation, agroforestry and Assisted Natural Regeneration/Enrichment Planting and Mangrove Reforestation components.

The UDP over-all accomplishments in 2009 under the three major components were as follows: For upland reforestation, 724 hectares were planted - 208 hectares in Catanduanes, 355 hectares in Masbate and 161 hectares in Sorsogon.

For Assisted Natural Regeneration/Enrichment Planting and Mangrove reforestation, 473 hectares were planted - 104 hectares in Catanduanes, 177 hectares in Masbate, 82 hectares in Sorsogon, 15 hectares in Camarines Norte and 95 hectares in Camarines Sur.

Under the UDP scheme, 1,811 forest land dwellers, farmers, and fisherfolks undertook, by contract, upland development activities like planting of fruit-bearing forest tree species and agricultural/forest tree species and agricultural/cash crops in degraded portions of mangroves, coastal, watershed and protected areas in the region. (PNA)