RAFI, Gothong, and City Savings for greener forests

CEBU, Philippines - In efforts to protect the environment, the Ramon Aboitiz Foundation Inc., Cebu City Don Carlos A. Gothong Memorial National High School, and City Savings Bank signed an agreement for a nursery establishment and tree plantation project last November 2012.

As part of the project agreement, CSB will allocate funds to CCDCAGMNHS through RAFI for the construction, maintenance, and monitoring of a native nursery and tree plantation. The fund is utilized for the production of 8,500 seedlings.

CCDCAGMNHS will set up a native tree nursery that adopts and subscribes to the standards and criteria indicated in the RAFI Nursery Operations Manual. These include provision of seed beds, nursing area, hardening area, and vermi-culture area, among others.

On the other hand, RAFI will make eight quarterly visits to monitor the progress of native tree seedlings production and the number of seedlings planted in plantation sites.

 Last February 5 and 7, RAFI conducted trainings and lectures to CCDCAGMNHS students. The lectures cover the importance of native tree species, seedling propagation, and biodiversity contribution, among others.

The native trees nursery establishment is an initiative of RAFI’s Generation REdemption, and Expansion of Natural resources INitiatives (GREENIN) Philippines Program to ensure environmental sustainability by reversing the loss of environmental resources through the utilization of native tree species in its interventions of restoring and rehabilitating degraded forests and idle lands. GREENIN Philippines Program is one of the programs under RAFI’s Integrated Development focus area. It aims to address environmental problems by undertaking initiatives for the protection, conservation, and rehabilitation of our country’s forests. RAFI’s other focus areas are Micro-finance & Entrepreneurship, Culture & Heritage, Leadership & Citizenship, and Education.

For more information about the GREENIN Philippines Program, please contact 418-7234 loc. 515  and look for Bonifacio Amper, or visit www.rafi.org.ph or www.facebook.com/rafi.org.ph.  (FREEMAN)