Forest fires threaten WV reforested areas – DENR

ILOILO City – The El Niño phenomenon is seen to occur in the first quarter of this year.

The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Region 6 is worried that the dry spell could adversely affect reforested areas. It has thus activated Response and Emergency Action Teams (REACT).

“We have organized REACT teams in the provinces of Aklan, Antique, Capiz, Guimaras, Iloilo, and Negros Occidental. They must protect National Greening Program (NGP) plantations,” said Regional Executive Director Jim Sampulna.

The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa), in its Climate Outlook for December 2018 to May 2019, predicted a high possibility of the El Niño dry spell.

There is a need to sustain NGP’s gains, said Sampulna.

“We must win the fight against climate change, and ensure economic opportunities to our upland and coastal dwellers. We cannot allow grass or forest fires to gobble up what we have worked so hard to achieve,” stressed Sampulna.

Since 2017 until November this year, established plantations under the Enhanced NGP spans 19,501 hectares across mountain, urban and mangrove areas in Western Visayas.
These plantations are not only rich in biodiversity but also serve as “carbon sink” areas that mitigate the impacts of climate change.

Four other international weather prediction centers issued El Niño forecasts – the US’ National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA); Australia’s Bureau of Meteorology (BOM); Japan’s Tokyo Climate Center/JMA; and South Korea’s APEC Climate Center.

From a successful NGP implementation (2011-2016), the government extended the program to another 12 years.

Thus, the Enhanced NGP or ENGP (2016-2028) is being carried out by virtue of Executive Order No. 193 throughout the country. It is one of the 10 priority programs of DENR secretary Roy Cimatu

that is focused on reforesting another 7.1 million hectares of unproductive, denuded and degraded forestlands nationwide./PN

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