DENR to restore coastal forests in Eastern Visayas

MANILA, Philippines - The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) yesterday bared its plan to restore mangrove and coastal forests in some 380 kilometers of coastlines in Eastern Visayas, including Leyte and other areas ravaged by Super Typhoon Yolanda, as this move would protect communities against the devastating effects of future storms.

DENR Secretary Ramon Paje said the tragedy caused by Yolanda underscores the need to revive the region’s degraded coastal forests to make coastlines less vulnerable to extreme weather events.

Paje said a massive tree-planting activity under the government’s National Greening Program (NGP) may take place in coastal areas in Tacloban City and Dulag town in Leyte, the municipalities of Guiuan, Llorente and Balangiga in Eastern Samar, and the town of Basey in Samar to provide livelihood to residents and allow them to take part in building a “green wall” against storm surges.

“By reviving the coastal forests in these areas, we seize this golden opportunity to begin the journey of our people in Eastern Visayas from victims to victors on the right footing,” Paje said.

He added that Yolanda “has practically seized the nation’s attention to the increasingly important role of mangrove and beach forest belts.”

He said the DENR is also looking at the “reversion of abandoned government-leased ponds to mangroves” in order to boost coastal protection, food resources and livelihood opportunities for coastal communities.

“The best way to protect the city from a storm surge is through mangrove reforestation,” he said.

He said the NGP implementation in Eastern Visayas may have to be “reconfigured” to give more priority to “coastal intervention” over reforestation in upland communities.

Paje said keeping the affected shorelines off-limits to informal settlers is a “key” to such an undertaking.

He said the DENR will soon conduct ground validation to pinpoint which areas are viable for mangrove rehabilitation and those for beach forests within the 20-meter easement zone along the shoreline, as provided for in the Philippine Forestry Code.