THE ABOITIZ group has partnered with the Cebu provincial government to implement a multiyear reforestation and watershed recovery project.
The initiative, called the CarbonPH project, will begin with the greening of the Mananga-Lusaran River area, the Aboitiz group said in an e-mailed statement on Tuesday.
The CarbonPH project is the first proposed large-scale multipartite reforestation and watershed recovery partnership initiative between the Aboitiz group and Cebu province.
“More than planting trees, we are planting the seeds of a future where Cebu’s environment can thrive with its people,” Aboitiz group President and Chief Executive Officer Sabin M. Aboitiz said.
“This partnership with Governor Gwendolyn Fiel Garcia-Codilla and the province of Cebu is a long-term investment in the wellbeing of our communities. We’re turning our shared vision of sustainability into a living, breathing reality,” he added.
One of the major components of CarbonPH is the reforestation of Cebu’s main water source, the Central Cebu Protected Landscape (CCPL), which has a total land area of around 29,000 hectares. It was designated as a protected area in 2007.
CCPL covers the cities of Cebu, Talisay, Toledo, and Danao, as well as the municipalities of Minglanilla, Consolacion, Liloan, Compostela, and Balamban.
The protected area also includes the watershed forest reserves in Mananga and Cotcot Lusaran, as well as the Buhisan Dam, and the national parks in Central Cebu and Sudlon.
CCPL also houses endemic bird species such as the Black Shama, Cebu Flowerpecker, Cebu Cinnamon Tree or Kaninga, Philippine Tube-nosed Fruit Bat, and the Rufous-lored Kingfisher.
The area has seen accelerated loss of tree cover due to the conversion of the protected area to agricultural land, improper waste disposal, and slash and burn (kaingin). Global Forest Watch data showed that over 7,000 hectares of forest cover have been lost from 2001 to 2022.
The diminishing forest cover has resulted in the loss of biodiversity, with 11 out of 204 bird species and two out of 34 mammal species on the verge of extinction.
Meanwhile, the Aboitiz group said that CarbonPH will also boost biodiversity, protect endangered species, and absorb carbon dioxide, helping the fight against climate change.
Local communities near CCPL will also benefit from sustainable job opportunities in forest management, eco-tourism, and agroforestry, contributing to local economic growth. — Revin Mikhael D. Ochave
