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Sunday. September 17, 2017
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YESTERDAY was a good day for the environment, in Iloilo at least. An estimated 6,000 tree seedlings of various species were planted in Janiuay town as the provincial government marked its 18th Piesta sa Kakahuyan. On the other hand, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources Region 6 and volunteers cleaned some 5 kilometers of Iloilo City’s shoreline from Barangay Santo Niño Sur in Arevalo district to Barangay Calumpang in Molo district to mark the 2017 International Coastal Cleanup.
But we need look at tree planting as serious business. It’s not just about planting the seedlings; we should ensure that they survive. We should also prevent cutting, especially in protected areas. There is also the need to plant the right species in the area where it can thrive.
Yes, we need trees not just for production but also as a way to mitigate climate change, to offset the carbon we emit on a daily basis. According to the DENR, a single tree can sequester 0.56 metric tons of carbon dioxide in its lifetime, and around 10 trees are needed to capture the emissions of just one car.
Meanwhile, cleaning up our coastlines is a way of protecting marine biodiversity. Our natural resources, especially those within our seas, are crucial to our survival, most especially that the Philippines is an archipelago. We are fortunate to have been blessed with abundant natural resources. In fact, we are one of the 17 megadiverse countries, home to majority of Earth’s species. Unfortunately, we are also one of the world’s top biodiversity hotspots, with a large number of species endangered or threatened with extinction.
The Philippines also has one of the world’s richest marine ecosystems, characterized by extensive coral reefs, seagrass beds and dense mangroves. But despite this richness in marine resources, many of those living in coastal communities remain poor and hungry.
We must all work, in our own and simple yet big and determined steps, to help resuscitate our ailing environment. Let us plant trees, clean our coasts, turn away from extractive and consumptive ways of living, and strive to make a positive impact on our natural resources.
We must nurture our planet, which abundantly provides us with the resources we need to survive.
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