The Negros Occidental provincial government is urging Negrenses to join efforts to rehabilitate the 547 hectares of forest area within the Mt. Kanlaon Natural Park.

Provincial Administrator Rayfrando Diaz II said Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson gave instructions “to get the work started on the ground as soon as possible and restore forest cover in this watershed area.”

“Come join us organize the community, establish on-site nurseries, and tree growing activities” Diaz said in a Facebook post Saturday night.

The call to action was issued after the provincial government entered into a memorandum of agreement with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources-Negros Island Region (DENR-NIR) on July 1, for the rehabilitation and maintenance of the 547-hectare Enhanced National Greening Program (ENGP) graduated plantation site in Sitio Guinam-an, Barangay Minoyan, Murcia.

Under the 25-year agreement, the province adopts the 547-hectare ENGP site within the Mt. Kanlaon Natural Park to support biodiversity conservation, climate change mitigation and adaptation, and sustainable resource management through close coordination with the DENR.

On the site, it will establish and maintain a bamboo plantation while promoting agroforestry and providing livelihood opportunities for the local community.

The province is tasked to ensure at least an 85 percent survival rate of planted bamboo, coordinate the project implementation with the DENR, submit regular progress reports, and support monitoring and evaluation activities.

On July 4, the Provincial Environment Management Office digitized the ENGP site while the Office of the Governor Information and Communications Technology Division developed the map layout and design from the mapping and aerial drone survey.

“This gives us a clear picture of the 547-hectare reforestation site in Mt. Kanlaon Natural Park, its actual condition, elevation and contours, and location,” Diaz said.

The province’s adoption of the ENGP graduated plantation was endorsed by the Mt. Kanlaon Natural Park Protected Area Management Board through a resolution passed on Jan. 15.

Kanlaon Volcano is located within the Mt. Kanlaon Natural Park, a protected area established under Republic Act 9154, which was signed into law on August 11, 2001. (PNA)