16 December 2020, Laguna Quezon Land Grant (LQLG), Siniloan, Laguna – Sierra Madre Mountain Range. Now is the time to invest in planting and protecting our remaining forests, not only in the Philippines being one of the top 5 most biodiverse countries in the world, but also for water and food security for the people.
FEED in collaboration with its first and longest-time Living Legacy partner, the University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB) pledged to protect the LQLG since the late 1990s, supported by Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and Students and Volunteers for the Environment (SAVE) patrons such as Dearests – the fan club of @weareoneEXO (EXO)and Dear!EXO in the Philippines celebrating their one year anniversary together on 16 December 2020. On this day, Dearests sponsored the planting of 32* native Philippine forest trees, carried out by Forester Rey Lorida, field supervisor of the LQLG, having served for over 22 years there innovating best practices and protection of our forests, achieving no less than 85% survival of all species planted to date.
32 Indigenous Forests Trees Planted, 16 Dec 2020
- 12 trees – planted for EXO (10 White Lauan & 2 Bani trees)
- 12 trees – planted for Dear!EXO (8 White Lauan & 4 Malaruhat); and
- 8 trees – planted for Dearests (4 White Lauan & 4 Balobo)
Our planet is changing quickly in a time that we are very unaware or ignored. Glaciers are melting, we are experiencing extremely hot temperatures and extreme storms, with our ocean levels rising and our coastal and river areas increasingly being inundated. Our health, water and food supply are at risk while many of us potential change makers are busy with 12.12.20 promotions online.
This ECO inspired initiative is not just about planting trees, it’s about helping the communities that live in forests mange their resources more sustainably; it is also about helping to generate more hope by creating awareness in especially the youth leadership to protect and preserve our shared water and food provider. Taking care of our forests will help nature take care of us too.
We asked Ms. Jericha Angeles, a leading representative from the fan club Dearests to share the group’s inspiration behind planting – including her fellow fans Ida, Lala, Abby, Jaye, Jevs, and MC – quoted below:
==BEGIN QUOTE==
Our Inspiration:
There’s been a drastic change in our climate environment. With all the calamities happening especially with the wreck that illegal logging and the recent typhoons which denuded the Sierra Madre, we wanted to take part in the reforestation and rebuilding of our natural resource.
In addition, we, Phixos and Dearests, wanted to give back to nature and give this as a gift for EXO, a widely known Kpop group, which has been a source of our inspiration and happiness, and for
Dear!EXO, who celebrates their 1 year anniversary as a group this December 16, 2020. Thank you!
==END QUOTE==
THANK YOU TO OUR FOREST GUARDIANS FOR PLANTING ON BEHALF OF EXO, Dear!EXO and Dearests (Photo Gallery of Site & Planters):
| 1. Renato Q. Dagumboy | 6. Senando C. Velina |
| 2. Leody A. Avenido | 7. Armando L. Atip |
| 3. Anselmo M. Ella | 8. Romeo C. Calamucha |
| 4. Lauro G. Rizaldo | 9. Albert I. Bagayan |
| 5. Deraño G. Alawas | 10. Bryan C. Bacasen |
- @weareoneEXO (official twitter account) #EXO #weareoneexo
- @weareone.exo (official instagram account)
- @ddearexo (twitter fan account)
Benefits of Ordering Trees (Planted by our local community-based forest guardians):
- Flood Protection – Sierra Madre serves as the buffer of most of typhoon that hits the Philippines it weekend the typhoon and the with the forest roots it directly holds onto in soil and prevent reduce the severity of floods especially for the low lying areas like manila.
- Water Conservation – absorbing and filtering water that infiltrates into the soil
- Increase wild life Habitat – Planting of variety of plant can yield valuable foraging, nesting, and roosting environments for a wide of animals.
- Carbon sequestration – A mature tree absorbs carbon dioxide at a rate of 48 pounds per year. In one year, an acre of forest can absorb twice the CO2 produced by the average car’s annual mileage.
- Reducing Climate Change– if we act now, this could cut carbon dioxide in the atmosphere by up to 25 percent by planting trees.
- Community Livelihood Development – every FEED planting is carried out by qualified and trained practitioners of forestry protection, from seedling collection and care, to nursery establishment, to site preparation, planting, monitoring and GPS capture reporting – as an alternative livelihood mode to ensure we achieve minimum 85% survival of all species planted by those living in our forests.
Tree Planting GPS Coordinates & Species Planted
Use any GPS (Global Positioning System) software / applications to input the latitude and longitude coordinates to be able to remotely see the location of your trees planted. Some examples include:
GPS technology has been used for years to track animals in their natural habitats in an effort to better study their behavioural and movement patterns. With this information, biologists, ecologists and agro-foresters know better how to protect and provide for the forest’s vast array of natural wildlife and now even tree species.
Using GPS tracker applications and devices, FEED offers all LIVING LEGACY interventions – whether Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) programs, or Students and Volunteers for the Environment (SAVE) – GPS coordinates to help keep track of your trees, and to be able to monitor from anywhere in the world any time via Google Earth.
About the Laguna Quezon Land Grant
Laguna Quezon Land Grant suffered from deforestation, slash and burn for agricultural development, charcoal making and human settlements. In the early 1990s, FEED and the University of the Philippines carried out reforestation efforts with the Armed Forces of the Philippines under the FEED-coined “Living Legacy: Plant a Tree, FEED our Future” program to address the issue of deforestation. In time, with growing interest from the private sector, government and the public at large, FEED developed its Climate Change Action Programs to address the also rapidly increasing CSR and volunteer movements addressing environmental conservation, ensuring community-based Ridge to Reef reforestation approach in order to also provide alternative livelihood opportunities for surrounding villages.
Long term survival is as critical as tree-planting is to sustainable reforestation programs, which is why all FEED plantings aim to achieve and have so far sustained survival rates of at least 85 percent of all species planted, making sure they thrive for future generations too.
The Laguna-Quezon Land Grant covers a 6,765-hectare property acquired by the UPLB by virtue of Republic Act 3608 of 1930, forming the larger part adjacent to the Laguna Land Grant in Paete, Laguna. Reforestation and biodiversity conservation remain the core focus of both land grants 90 years after its establishment, since majority of the remaining forest cover of the Sierra Madre Mountain Range is home to a last bastion for many species that have become endangered in other parts of the country.
The Sierra Madres span 690 km (430 miles) and is the longest mountain range in the Philippines. Through the north-south direction from Santa Ana in the province of Cagayan to the north and Bondoc Peninsula in Quezon to the south, the mountains form the eastern backbone of Luzon Island.
NATURE IS SPEAKING (Narrated by Julia Roberts)
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
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.
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