ADOPT-A-TREE FUND DONATION
You may send your donations to
ADOPT-A-TREE FUND
Account No. 71-0200647-4
East West Bank, Sta. Ana Branch, Davao City
I want to Support the Tree Stewardship Program
Spearheading The Tree Stewardship Program
Along The Riverbanks In Partnership
with the Students, Local Residents,
and Government Agencies
In Barangay 10-A, the Protect the Davao River Movement (PDRM), witnessed last July 31, 2006 a Tree Stewardship Program with the Community Environment and Natural Resources Office (CENRO-East), the Holy Cross of Davao College, the City Environment and Natural Resource Management Office, Barangay 10-A and PCEEM. The event was also graced by some representatives from the office of Davao City Councilor, Hon. Leo Avila of the Committee on Environment, from the TIN-AW Technical Working Group (TWG) and from the Catholic Relief Services. The project promoted the planting of Malibago, a deep-rooted fresh water mangrove species in the easement areas along the riverbank barangays of Davao, with PDRM as seedlings supplier.
Students under the National Service Training Program (NSTP) of DACS-members schools are tapped for tree planting and the local residents for taking care of the trees for a minimum of three years. The students buy the PDRM seedlings at P10.00 each and pay the local residents P1.00 monthly per tree for maintenance. Since the project started, around one thousand Malibago seedlings have already been planted along the riverbank mainly by the students but also by TIN-AW partners and visitors, including the members of the TIN-AW Technical Working Group (FIDA, DENR XI, City Agriculture Office, CPDO, DPWH-Tugbok, NCIP, CEO, PSHS, DCWD, City ENRO, Community ENRO East & West, and CRS).
Interestingly, on October 29, 2006 another Tree Stewardship Program agreement was signed between PCEEM, San Pedro College of Toril, San Lorenzo Community Development Foundation, Community ENRO-West, and Barangay Bago Gallera, with City Councilor Pilar Braga of the Bahandi sa Kaumahan Foundation. PDRM still supplies the Malibago seedlings for the project from its three plant nurseries in Barangays 8-A, 9-A, and 10-A.
The Philippine Science High School (PSHS), partnering with PCEEM for a similar undertaking, has taken a step further, by including an allocation for PCEEM monitoring/administrative fund amounting to 33% of the maintenance cost. To date, the PSHS students have planted only 88 hills along the Maa riverbank, yet it has deposited already to PCEEM a 3-year seedling maintenance fund amounting to P9,240.00. Meanwhile, St. Peters’ College of Toril has planted 431 seedlings and a deposit of P5,175.00 for one-year maintenance. HCDC has P77,695.00 for 2,857 seedlings and maintenance for 3 years.
More significantly, the Davao Association of Colleges and Schools (DACS) conducted initial meetings with its member institutions for the replication of the tree Stewardship Program in other areas. In fact, a river tour and tree-planting-site identification has been conducted on January 30 and a feedback session on January 31, 2007 for this purpose. In July 2007, DACS held an Environment Summit, which was supported by the TIN-AW project. The Summit mobilized more interested students to take part in the Tree Stewardship Program.To recall, TIN-AW funded the PDRM nursery sites in Barangays in three barangays and trained 25 residents on nursery management through a Farmer-Field-School approach. Later, while PDRM was searching for ways to sustain their nurseries and riverbank tree planting initiatives, the Holy Cross’ NSTP students were also looking for tree seedlings and planting sites. PCEEM facilitated the meeting of these two groups towards the satisfaction of their corresponding needs. It also helped tapped other environment institutions towards the forging of the collective project agreement. Apparently today, the tree project concept has taken deeper roots and is expanding quite rapidly in the neighboring areas. Already PDRM has intensified its nursery preparation activities in anticipation for this ever growing seedling demand.During the ENRM Forum conducted in March 2008, the Barangay is planning to take advantage of the cool weather of the area and the opportunity to engage the local community to develop livelihood activities.
The general concept is to link with the Davao Association of Colleges and Schools (DACS) whereby the Barangay shall promote their respective area as a tree planting haven. There where initially 5 components identified to comprise the whole project. 1) Tree Growing in identified watershed areas 2) Home Stay Program 3) Establishment of plant nursery 4) Establishment of Home Cottage Industry engaging in Tinagak and other indigenous native crafts 5) Establishment of common market area. The whole project intends to address the concern on denudation of mountains and watershed areas; promotion of natural attraction through guided tour; development of suitable livelihood for men and women.
In another development, some schools in Marilog District have recently become active partnering with PCEEM for a tree planting activity in their school perimeter. Apart from the students of Tambobong in Baguio District, the requests for forest tree seedlings started in Salumay, when one of its teachers became member of the Barangay ENRM Committee. Upon learning of this, the Marahan-West Central Elementary School followed, whose principal also informed his wife, another principal in Marilog Central Elementary School. The Marilog National High School later made a request for tree seedlings for their planned planting come June. Meanwhile, the newly appointed principal of Lamanan National High School, who started the school-based technology verification trial in Tambobong High School of Agriculture, has requested PCEEM to support a similar project in her new school. Initial request per school ranges from 300-500 seedlings that are mostly pine trees, bagras, and mahogany. Yet, it is surely a welcome development in the collective effort towards rehabilitation the watershed.