THE Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) and its partners are shifting the focus, from “reforesting” the South Luzon Expressway (Slex) to portions of the Marikina River basin.
The DENR, together with the Career Executive Service Board (CESB), DENR-Career Executive Service officers and the Rotary Club of Makati-Rockwell (RCMR) started on Saturday a tree-planting activity within the Upper Marikina River Basin Protected Landscape (UMRBPL) in Barangay San Jose in Antipolo City.
The DENR-CESB-RCMR partnership covered over 40 kilometers of the Slex during previous tree-planting activities before deciding to shift to the UMRBPL, considered one of the most important protected areas being supervised by the DENR, as the watershed is a major source of water for Metro Manila and nearby areas.
In a statement, the DENR said that around 100 members of CESB, RCMR and DENR have planted some 1,000 eight-month-old narra seedlings and 600 kakawate seedlings provided by the DENR during the activity.
The DENR-CESB-RCMR partnership was also responsible for the planting of 18,423 native seedlings along a 40-kilometer portion, or almost 67 percent of 60-kilometer Slex from 2010 to 2014.
For the UMRBPL, the DENR has designated for this partnership 7 hectares of the 250-hectare forest area already covered by the National Greening Program (NGP). The area has an elevation of 350 meters above sea level.
Former Environment Undersecretary and RCMR officer Rolando Metin said the transfer of the tree-planting activity from Slex to UMRBPL was in response to the DENR’s effort to secure the integrity of Mega Manila’s water supply by enhancing the vegetation cover of important watersheds like the UMRBPL.
Metin said the tripartite partnership is working on a three-year timetable to reforest all of the 7 hectares with the first 2 hectares already covered during the October 3 activity.
Anchored on the theme, “Preventing Disasters, Providing Livelihood,” the planting project will benefit some 20 families living in the area in terms of employment for the upkeep of the planted seedlings.
Metin said the RCMR will spend for maintenance activities like ring weeding, watering, seedling replanting and forest fire monitoring.
The UMRBPL spans 29 kilometers covering Antipolo City and Rodriguez, San Mateo, Baras and Tanay towns in Rizal. It is surrounded by significant water bodies such as the Boso-Boso River, Sapang Bute-Bute, Tayabasan River, Montalban River and the Wawa Dam.
Being a protected area, certain activities are not allowed to be done in UMRBPL, such as logging and factory operations. It also means that lands within the watershed are not to be sold and settled.