REDD+ carbon sequestration campaign in 5 So Leyte towns underway

MAASIN CITY, Southern Leyte, June 30 (PIA) -- The foreign funded campaign Reducing Emission from Deforestation of Forest Degradation (REDD) Plus is now gaining ground as various activities by the participating local government unit are underway.

Southern Leyte, one of the two pilot areas for the REDD Plus in the country while the other one is the Panay Island, has been tapping the people’s organizations (POs) particularly among the Community –Based Forest Management (CBFM) areas in the province, Community Development Assistant Inigo C. Malobo of the Provincial Environment Natural Resources Management Office (PENRMO) disclosed to PIA.

The environment protection program is initiated by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) in close collaboration with the Provincial local government unit (PLGU) of Southern Leyte thru the supportive leadership of Provincial Governor Damian G. Mercado and the respective local chief executives of the five local government units (LGUs) also provided their counterparts in the program, Malobo added.

Malobo said the inventory of carbon stocks were undertaken at the mountain ranges of the municipalities of Silago, Sogod, Bontoc, Tomas Oppus and Maasin City, all of Southern Leyte. That REDD Plus is aimed at carbon sequestration.

Aside from that, the involved people’s organizations hand are full as they were to embark on the establishment of nurseries raising the forest and fruit trees seedlings needed for the program, conduct of surveys, mapping, tree planting, among others, Malobo added.

He further said that the program also entails that the planting of one hectare – land area shall be undertaken by one person only.

The municipality of Tomas Oppus committed at least seven barangays -land area for the environment- friendly program , Malobo added.

REDD Plus will primarily cover the timberland of the five participating municipalities, if and when there is still a need for more land area then the provincial government will allow for the utilization of the Alienable and Disposable (A & D) land areas for the program. Malobo said.

As their counterpart of the REDD Plus program, the participating local government units appointed their respective Municipal Environment Natural Resources Officers (MENROs) who will the contact persons and to supervise the particular program, he said.### (eopt/PIA SoLeyte/esg)