IWC and DENR: Saving forests through IFMA
The world has been fazed with tremendous disasters involving nature. Is it Nature's way of reminding us of our responsibilities? Or is it Heaven's hand tapping our hearts and souls like what He did to Sodom and Gomorrah?
The area before reforestation.
Last November 5, 1991, the whole country watched as the city of Ormoc was submerged by the three-hour rain. The tragedy which almost wiped out the bustling city of Ormoc lost more than 4,000 lives. Locals pointed to the highly rampant illegal logging activities in the area as the underlying cause.
Fifteen years later, 10:36 am of February 17, the entire country was once again shaken by a horrifying news. The village of Guinsaogon in St. Bernard, Southern Leyte was covered with muds after a wide portion of the nearby mountain collapsed. Thousands of lives were buried underground. Poor soil condition due to deforestation was the identified cause.
A polar bear standing on a melting ice was on the cover of April 3, 2006 issue of the Time Magazine. Beside it were the bold letters that read: BE WORRIED, BE VERY WORRIED. Writer Jeffrey Kluger raised awareness on Global Warming by stating on his article that the polar ice caps are melting faster and that waters are drowning the strategically low communities. The cover story was striking and what was inside was even alarming.
With an utmost concern to nature, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources formulated a brilliant solution to counter the increasing number of environmental problems. The Industrial Forestry Management Agreement (IFMA) was designed to encourage investors, especially those in the furniture industry, to lease a land in the mountainous part of Ajuy. The agreement was divided into two, the IFMA I and IFMA II. The IFMA I mostly covers the Western Visayas region. IFMA II, on the other hand, are quite popular in the Mindanao area where the areas are on bid.
The area now, years after the
reforestation project started.
The lease is very minimal. The contract is good for 25 years and is renewable for another 25 years. The agreement encourages investors to plant trees for future use in the furniture industry so as to prevent denudation of the forest.
In response to the newly launched project, business honcho Johnny Que, on behalf of the Iloilo Washington Commercial, leased 540.79 hectares of land in Ajuy last 1996. The area includes three villages, namely: Progreso, Badiangan, and Agbobolo.
At first, it was purely business. Mr. Que's initial plan that time was to have an ample supply of raw materials for his furniture business. Yet as years passed, his love for the ecosystem flourished. Considering that the businessman has embraced the food industry lately, the Iloilo Washington Commercial Reforestation Project became his major advocacy.
"We want it to be fully planted before we expose it to the public...," Mr. Que explained on why the 12 year-old project has been operating silently. "We wanted to share to the public the importance of reforestation," he added.
At present, the project is almost done. The 398,000 existing trees covering the 520 hectare area proudly stand on the mountains of Ajuy. This only proves that the project is nearing its success. Within the slice of 67 hectares lies a rich fauna of popular species like mahogany, narra, and gemelina. These trees were planted on the first three years of the said project. On its fourth year up to the present, Mr. Que together with his project manager Oscar Arias, decided to embed the exotic specie of Acacia Mangium to the remaining 473.79 hectares of land.
The project manager Oscar Arias
"Large leaves absorb more water... The survival rate of these trees with the given temperature is 90%," Arias stated. "The soil [in the area] is very acidic and very poor," Mr. Arias, a forester for 30 years, added.
The 20 families from nearby areas were employed to maintain the trees and the work force reaches up to more than 40 families during the planting season which falls on the rainy months of June to mid-November.
To protect the area from forest fires, a 20-kilometers fire line stretches throughout the entire area. Fire towers are placed on the top of the hill across the site to further ensure its safety.
Seeds of Acacia Mangium are being cultivated in the on-site nursery. The remaining seedlings are to be used to fully cover the 20.79 treeless hectares left.
Endemic species of the bleeding heart pigeon and the endangered warty pigs have found refuge under the cool and shady environment of the mountainous region of Ajuy.
For documentation purposes, pictures of the said project are taken every 15 days. These pictures are used for the quarterly report that is sent to DENR.
"The mountains were denuded since the second World War. Most of the areas were occupied by cogons... the trees can give benefits to the people," Barangay Captain Carmelino Beatingo of Brgy. Progreso narrated.
The Iloilo Washington Commercial ranks first among the 39 IFMA holders in the whole region. Currently, IWC is listed as fourth on the national level. It is the most emulated reforestation project in Western Visayas.
Way back before the birth of IFMA, the Municipality of Ajuy ranked 36th out of the 42 towns in Iloilo with regard to reforestation. Today, Ajuy tops the 42 municipalities proving that reforestation is not impossible as long as people, concerned agencies, local government, and private sectors work hand in hand.
Green leaves provide a cool environment by giving off more oxygen. Roots are anchored on the soil to protect it from erosion and to absorb more water during rainy days. Let's start caring for Mother Nature. Let's plant trees. Trees can save our lives, our families, and our future.