[Project Midturm Report] Restoration of indigenous forest conservation systems and tree-planting projects in northern Luzon, Philippines (Oct. 2023)

Duration of the Project: April 2023 - March 2024

Project Site: Sunnyside Area,Tadian, Mountain Province, Philippines

Partner Agencies: Municipality of Tadian Environment and Natural Resources Office(MENRO), St. Michael and All Angels Church (SMAA), Tadian Municipal Police Station, Barangays in Tadian

Grant: AEON Environment Foundation, Japan

Forester in Charge: Mhyra P. Seset

Introduction

Batangan, which is the pine forest, and Lakon, any kind of owned – land, either pine forest, pasture land, or rice field, is a traditional forest land owned by a family/clan, community, school, and church. Within the ownership of Batangan or Lakon, there is a system for utilizing and managing the forest, which was honored and recognized by the DENR (Department of Environment and Natural Resources) and NCIP ( National Commission on Indigenous Peoples) as STIFRM (Sustainable Traditional Indigenous Forest Resource Management) of Tadian in 2015. But then, with the economic development that is being introduced to the community, the indigenous practices are being neglected, and encroachment to the Lakons and Batangan is becoming wider, providing enough area for vegetable production that threatens the watershed areas and degrades the environment with atmospheric and soil pollutants. Emerging indigenous forest management practices and agricultural farming system techniques, such as Agroforestry, can lead to a productive and effective approach in balancing the advanced levels of economic progress and sustainable forest, healthy environment.  

The project aimed to help in the preservation and protection of the Batangan and Lakon in Tadian, Mountain Province, through strengthening the information dissemination and education of the Tadian-STIFRM and adaption of the coffee-based Agroforestry system to improve the economic status of the community while protecting the remaining forest areas and conserving the soil and water resources. This one-year project started in May 2023 with the partnership of CGN to MENRO Office-Tadian and was funded by AEON Environmental Foundation, Japan.  The implementation focused on the Sunnyside area but continuously provided support to Bas-ang areas (Batayan, Bantey, and Masla) and Poblacion, Tadian, for the sustainability of the previous project.

Project Activities Conducted 

1. Project Introduction

March 23, 2023, a short discussion happened in the Municipal Environment Natural Resources Office (MENRO)-Tadian, with MENRO Officer–Melchor Micklay regarding the new project to be implemented.  Lily Jamias, a forester, introduced and oriented the project's scoop, objective, and activities. This is to have the office's initial approval and ideas for the planning on the implementation. Mr. Micklay, as the head officer, gave the project approval and said the office is willing to undertake its parts as one of the project partners. For the project activities to be implemented, MENRO suggested they must be discussed and planned with the Barangay LGUs in the proposed areas. He also requested and volunteered to draft an MOA between CGN and the MENRO office for record.

Project orientation was carried out by MENRO – Melchor Micklay, CGN – Lily Jamias, Mhyra Seset, and with Barangay Chairman (Kadad-anan; Lenga; Pandayan; Bana-ao) on June 29, 2023, at MENRO Office, Tadian, Mt. Province. Mr. Bentor Ganado from the Province of Tourism and volunteer staff of CGN introduced the organization CGN to the Barangay officials, followed by the presentation of the project by Ms. Seset; project objectives, scope and limitations, duration, and the activities to be undertaken were laid out. Hon. Anatacio Dominguez (Bana-ao) gratefully accepted the project and said that they will give their cooperation and support for the project as they will do their responsibilities as project benefactors.  Planning and open discussion were done prior to the smooth implementation of the project.

1. Enhance tree planting in the Sunnyside area:
Forest tree seedlings to be purchased will be distributed to the six barangays; each barangay will plant in their identified Batangas and watershed areas. The numbers of seedlings to be distributed depends on the location, compatibility of species, and the preference of the community for planting and maintaining them.

2. Agroforestry development:
Five barangays of the Sunnyside area will be given coffee seedlings and alnus seedlings, numbers of seedlings to be distributed will depend also to availability of the area and the desired quantity of the community to plant and manage. Barangay Kadad-anan declined to get coffee because they already have and want to materialize first.
Bas-ang area and barangay Poblacion (Bantey; Masla; Batayan) will acquire seedlings for their lakon (private/individual) to replant the mortalities and expand the planting area.

3. EE for grade students
Barangay officials agreed that EE would be conducted in Lower Sunnyside (Cagubatan, Bana-ao, and Pandayan) from kindergarten to grade six.

2. Procurement of Seedlings

Procurement of seedlings started in the last week of April 2003; seedlings have a quite shortage due to the bigger demand from DENR and other agencies for tree planting activities to re-green the burnt forest that a massive forest fire caused last February to April. Also, coffee seedling nurseries have limited production of seedlings this year; some seedling producers didn't operate and focus on research only. As a result, the target numbers of seedlings to procure for the tree planting activities and coffee plantation establishment made changes and adjustments. Only 22,050 seedlings of Coffee and forest tree seedlings were purchased (7,550 Coffee seedlings, 3,500 Alnus, 3,500 Benguet pine, 3,500 Narra, 500 Mahogany, and 3500 Tuai) from 7 nurseries. 3,700 Coffee seedlings and 1,700 Benguet Pine or Alnus seedlings will still be procured from the community nursery, but they will be planted next year since it's already off-planting season. The total of beneficiaries of the reforestration–agroforestation activity are 15 individuals or coffee growers; 1 church & cooperative – Saint Michael of Arc Angel (SMAA) and Tadian Multipurpose Cooperative (TMPC); 7 barangays of Tadian, Mt. Province.

Table 1. List of Seedlings Procured

The hauling and distribution of seedlings started on June 28, 2023, and continued until September 29, 2023. Due to the typhoons that visited the country, the distribution of the seedlings to the community continued until September. The six barangays of the Sunnyside area received planting stocks delivered by the CGN. The barangay officials “inbugaw” or announced and offered the seedlings to the community. Individuals who have lakon availed the seedlings, and the barangay shared too for the batangan/ communal and watershed areas. 

Table 2. List of Distributed and Planted Seedlings

3. Tree planting 

Upon the delivery of seedlings, every barangay did the tree planting as they celebrated the Arbor Day Celebration. Galatis was observed again in this activity; every member of the community participated in the tree planting facilitated by the barangay officials. The six barangays strategically planted Benguet Pine in the batangan for reforestation and maintaining its cover, while Tuai was planted in the watershed purposely for rehabilitation and sustaining its productivity. Barangay Bana-ao wants to concentrate on having a coffee plantation within the community for an additional income-generating program in the barangay. Meanwhile, Barangay Cagubatan also focuses on enhancing tree plantation cover, especially the watershed areas and small springs, that would help in sustaining water resources for the community. The Tadian Multi-Purpose Coop (TMPC) adopted an area from the lakon of Saint Michael of Arch Angel (SMAA) for their project area and conducted the tree planting with the groups of TMPC members, SMAA community, and Bureau of Fire Protection personnel. 

For the individuals who are interested in establishing their Coffee-Based Agroforestry farm, they managed to plant the coffee seedlings and Alnus trees in their lakons before the rainy season ended; some replanted at their coffee plantation before, and others extended their farm for greater production.  

Table 3. Tree planting activity by the Barangay and Church