Leyte villagers bring forests back to life

In a small village in Southern Leyte, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) is assisting farmers in managing a long term Community Based Forest Management (CBFM) project that aims to reforest denuded mountains and address climate change concerns at the same time. The Young Innovator for Social and Environmental Development Association (Yisedai) led by its president, Florentino Saludo, are continuously planting more trees in addition to more than 400,000 seedlings planted so far at the San Francisco Natural Park.

Click here to view full screen Through the years, Yisedai has grown from a handful of members with no modern implements except for a few machetes and spades, to a thriving organization that now owns a truck and a mini-sawmill where they process harvested timber. With assistance from DENR and funding from the German Development Cooperation’s Deutsche Gesellschaft fur Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), the group was able to purchase several German-made Stihl chainsaws and protective gear. Each member also gets P150 a day to plant at least 300 seedlings of various tree species. The reforestation area is one of the pilot sites for the REDD (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation) project of the DENR and GIZ, which invited several journalists from Manila last Sept. 8-10 to take a look at the farmers’ efforts. - YA, GMA News RELATED STORIES: