19 December 2020, Siniloan, Laguna – Sierra Madre Mountain Range. Trees are Nature’s wonders and a great gift to all creatures who depend on them. Samantha Virtucio Anlueco decided to play her part in addressing climate change, by donating to plant 20 trees (10 White Lauan and 10 Balobo) in her name and to help protect the rainforest, by providing an alternative livelihood source to our local forest guards and community members who prepared the site for planting, maintain the nursery (collecting seeds/cuttings, etc.) and who planted the trees on her behalf; the forest guardians teams will also ensure monitoring and maintenance for as long as it is needed.

The forest guardians involved in Sam’s planting, were also busy planting 151 for Yoga for Forests; and another 100 for the University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB) Social Forestry & Forest Governance (SFFG 201) class’ Social Forestry Challenges & Opportunities in Asia Webinar group:

1. Reynaldo E. Lorida	7. Senando C. Velina
2. Renato Q. Dagumboy	8. Armando L. Atip
3. Leody A. Avenido	9. Romeo C. Calamucha
4. Anselmo M. Ella	10. Albert I. Bagayan
5. Lauro G. Rizaldo	11. Bryan C. Bacasen
6. Deraño G. Alawas

FEED launched the Students and Volunteers for the Environment (SAVE) reforestation program as one of its key Climate Change Action Programs (CCAPs) designed to engage especially the youth leaders from all walks of life, they being the future champions of industry. SAVE is intended to create awareness amongst youth leaders to be part of a meaningful patronage for the environment, united in our stance to transform unsustainable forestry practices.

Like Samantha we can all contribute to a healthy natural environment by planting trees. Samantha Saw the opportunity to help the environment through FEED, by donating and converting her cash into her own Living Legacy mini forest of 20 indigenous Philippine upland agroforestry trees. An act that all of us will benefit from, particularly, future generations that depend on the forests for sustenance. Saving trees, means saving lives. Let’s save our remaining forest and promote peaceful living on the only home we know and share, Earth.

Thank you Samantha – May the Forest Be With You Always!

Presidential Decree 1153 installed in 1977: “REQUIRING THE PLANTING OF ONE TREE EVERY MONTH FOR FIVE CONSECUTIVE YEARS BY EVERY CITIZEN OF THE PHILIPPINES”, which translates into 60 trees during one’s lifetime. In addition to that, the recently-signed law requires Senior High School students to plant ten seedlings before they graduate. These legislations whether in for yet or not, or past and replaced, are intended to help combat the loss of natural resources and fight climate change.

Trees not only produce oxygen, they also act as a natural air conditioner, and help reduce noise pollution as much as 40 percent. It is also very alarming to know that in the 1900s, the Philippines was covered in 21 million hectares of forest, and in 2007, it was recorded that we only have 6.7 million hectares rainforest. Planting trees shouldn’t be seen as just a requirement; it’s a way for the nation contribute to address global warming.

: Sierra Madre Mountain Range, Photo Courtesy Wikipedia.

What can I do to stop climate change?

“As the world warms, extreme weather events are becoming more frequent and intense, sea levels are rising, prolonged droughts are putting pressure on food crops, and many animal and plant species are being driven to extinction. It’s hard to imagine what we as individuals can do to resolve a problem of this scale and severity.

The good news: We are not alone. People, communities, cities, businesses, schools, faith groups and other organizations are taking action. We’re fighting like our lives depend on it — because they do.

In a world of more than seven billion people, each of us is a drop in the bucket. But with enough drops, we can fill any bucket.” – David Suzuki

Check out some of the ways you can take more climate change action.

For example, Climate Action groups are the local solution to a global crisis. Right now people just like you are coming together to develop practical, local solutions and make their towns and cities more climate-friendly. Are you ready to join them? Find out what’s happening near you.

More here: https://friendsoftheearth.uk/climate-change/what-can-I-do-to-stop-climate-change

People, biodiversity and forests (Source: 2020 State of the World’s Forests, FAO)

Much of human society today has at least some interaction with forests and the biodiversity they contain and all people benefit from the functions provided by components of this biodiversity in the carbon, water and nutrient cycles and through the links with food production.

Let’s examine the benefits that people derive from forests in terms of livelihoods, food security and human health.

Benefits to lives and livelihoods

In both low- and high-income countries and in all climatic zones, communities that live within forests rely the most directly on forest biodiversity for their lives and livelihoods, using products derived from forest resources for food, fodder, shelter, energy, medicine and income generation.

86 million
Forests provide more than 86 million green jobs and support the livelihoods of many more.

880 million
An estimated 880 million people spend part of their time collecting fuelwood or producing charcoal.

90%
Of the people living in extreme poverty, over 90 percent are dependent on forests for at least part of their livelihoods.

Rural people often participate in the value chains of forest biodiversity, for example by collecting wood and non-wood products from nearby forests for personal use or sale, or engaging in forest-product industries or value addition.

Non-consumptive uses of forest biodiversity, such as recreation and tourism, are also a growing part of rural cash economies. Each year an estimated 8 billion visits are made to protected areas, many of which are forest covered.

Indigenous peoples depend to a high degree on forest biodiversity for their livelihoods, although this relation is in flux as their linkages with national and global monetary economies grow. Areas managed by indigenous peoples (approximately 28 percent of the world’s land surface) include some of the most ecologically intact forests and many hotspots of biodiversity.

Want a more detailed look into people, forests, and biodiversity? Download the full 2020 State of the World’s Forests report (https://doi.org/10.4060/ca8642en).

Contact FEED

In 2015, the Philippine government submitted to the United Nations the country’s commitments to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The country committed to reduce its carbon emissions by 70 percent by 2030. The carbon dioxide reductions will come from the sectors of energy, transport, waste, forestry and industry.

Join us! Help us reverse the Earth’s “hothouse climate” tipping point.

Tree-Planting with FEED

Contact us at FEED for more details, to join our regular activities or to design your own tree-nurturing event: info@feed.org.ph or call/text +63 (0)917 552 4722.