A 19-hectare arboretum in Valencia town, Negros Oriental is seen as a sustainable biodiversity conservation site of at least 60 species of threatened and endangered native Philippine trees in the Visayas.
On Wednesday, Silliman University and First Gen-owned Energy Development Corp. launched the SU-EDC Binhi Arboretum at the Center for Tropical Conservation Studies after almost four years since an agreement was signed by the parties in October 2020.
SU President Dr. Betty McCann said during the unveiling program the Binhi Arboretum project is part of the University’s biodiversity conservation efforts.
“We would like to plant more of them (native trees), and there is a need for an arboretum that has a nursery so that once we plant the first set of trees, we will have some replacement,” she said.
The University has provided the space for the native trees at the Centrop site, while EDC, through its banner environment program, Binhi, would provide native tree seedlings and technical assistance for their maintenance.
Leandro Cabrera, Centrop coordinator, said their main objective is to provide education for conservation, and are solidifying their efforts with partners like EDC.
“With all the changes in the environment, our biodiversity is also affected,” Cabrera said, citing the need to educate the younger generation on the importance of conservation.
The SU officials underscored the importance of sustainable biodiversity conservation, and agreed the Arboretum, with its native trees, would help reduce our carbon footprint.
Ariel de la Cruz, EDC-Negros watershed management officer, said Phase 1 comprises 14 hectares planted with endangered native tree species.
Already, 25 species of trees endemic to Negros and Visayas have since been planted a few years back, and the collaboration will target to plant 60 native species in the coming years, de la Cruz said.
He said 130 seedlings were planted on Wednesday during the launch, adding to the first 100 seedlings that were planted in March 2022, and another 100 in June 2022.
The most endangered native Visayan species planted were Almaciga and Red Lauan (Shorea negrosensis), EDC’s “flagship flora species”.
De la Cruz said they have a survival rate between 90 and 95 percent.
Ma. Nancy Ibuna, head of EDC Corporate Relations & Communications division, said Silliman University is among the 218 partners of EDC in the country in its greening advocacy of planting
endangered native trees.
EDC has established 41 other arboretums across the country, including this one in Valencia town.
The SU Centrop in barangay Palinpinon also hosts endangered animal species such as the Philippine spotted deer, the Negros warty pig, and the Bleeding Heart pigeon.
President McCann said some bats have also made Centrop’s existing forests their home, and some monkeys have also been reported there.
For EDC, close collaboration with local communities is crucial, especially in ensuring proper site-species matching, and high survival rate.
“This partnership benefits both, where the communities are engaged in economically-beneficial initiatives, and the arboretum contributes to EDC’s mission of forging collaborative pathways for a decarbonized and regenerative future,” EDC said in a statement.
Since its inception in 2008, Binhi has partnered with 88 forest communities to plant a total of 10,260 hectares throughout the country where indigenous forest tree species are prioritized. (Judy F. Partlow/PNA)
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Photo Caption: Silliman University President Dr. Betty McCann and Nancy Ibuna, EDC head for Corporate Relations & Communications, lead the unveiling of the 19-hectare SU-EDC Binhi Arboretum at Centrop in Palinpinon, Valencia where threatened and endangered native trees will be planted. (Photo by Mary Judaline Flores-Partlow)
