09 April 2024, Siniloan, Laguna Quezon Land Grant, Sierra Madres Mountain Range. 45 super keen Concentrix Eco-Warriors joined feed for the company’s third time planting, for a full immersion in nature in the Sierra Madres mountain range – taking much stress from their top role as a key global provider of customer experience solutions based in the Philippines.
Once again, they proved their dedication to environmental conservation on April 9th, 2024, despite the hot summer climate with cool breezes from the forest. Everyone joined the upland trek to top ridge to once again commit to FEED’s “Living Legacy: Plant a Tree, Feed our Future” initiative. A total of 600 trees were planted at the UP Sierra Madre Land Grant, making a significant contribution towards a greener and more sustainable future for generations to come.
The following native agroforestry flowering and fruit bearing tree species were planted for the benefit of all natural propagators, namely bees, bats, butterflies and us! Malalansones (100), Pianga (80), Kalumpit (100), Bani (50), Marang (50), Katmon (110) and Malaruhat (110) – all of which were collected, propagated and managed in the community nursery involving local barangays/villages trained to
After the trek up to their planting site, we proceeded down to base camp (Training Center) to enjoyed a native binalot chicken adobo lunch, well earned! Concentrix once again sets the bar high with their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) climate change action. Thank you all for helping us stress the impact of working together towards restoring our valuable ecosystems with our front line forest guardians!
May the Forest blessings continue to be with you always!
Photo Journal & GPS Coordinates
Related Articles:
- Concentrix Plants Another 625 Trees to Expand Sierra Madre Forest (15-16 Sep 2023)
- “One Tree Nation”: Concentrix EcoWarriors Restore 1,500 Trees to Sierra Madres (08 Jul 2023)
About Concentrix
Better Together – We create game-changing customer journeys that help brands grow, across the world and into the future.
As a global business who touches countless lives each day, we have a responsibility to enrich the lives of our staff and support the health of our planet, and it’s a responsibility we take seriously.
The way we see it, we have an incredible opportunity to use our scale as a force for good. The power of ONE translates to world-sized impacts across our entire family of 320K+ staff, clients, suppliers, and partners.
For more details, visit: www.concentrix.com/
Empowering Communities: The Latest in Community-Based Forestry in the Philippines
In the Philippines, community-based forestry (CBF) has emerged as a powerful tool for both conservation and sustainable development. Empowering local communities to become stewards of their forests, CBF initiatives have gained momentum in recent years, bringing about positive changes in forest management practices and enhancing the well-being of forest-dependent communities. Here’s an update on the latest developments in community-based forestry across the archipelago.
Strengthening Local Governance
One of the key advancements in community-based forestry in the Philippines is the strengthening of local governance structures. Through devolved forest management agreements and community-based forest management agreements (CBFMA), indigenous peoples and local communities are granted rights to manage and protect forest resources within their ancestral domains or designated areas. This decentralization of forest governance empowers communities to make decisions that are aligned with their cultural values and socio-economic priorities.
Promoting Sustainable Livelihoods
CBF initiatives in the Philippines prioritize the promotion of sustainable livelihoods for forest-dependent communities. By diversifying income-generating activities such as agroforestry, eco-tourism, non-timber forest product (NTFP) harvesting, and community-based enterprises, CBF not only reduces dependence on forest resources but also improves socio-economic resilience. These initiatives are often complemented by capacity-building programs and technical assistance to enhance the skills and knowledge of community members.
Enhancing Ecosystem Resilience
In addition to socio-economic benefits, community-based forestry contributes to the conservation and restoration of forest ecosystems. By implementing sustainable forest management practices, including reforestation, watershed protection, and biodiversity conservation measures, communities play a vital role in enhancing ecosystem resilience and mitigating the impacts of climate change. Furthermore, indigenous knowledge and traditional practices are integrated into forest management plans, ensuring the preservation of cultural heritage and biological diversity.
Challenges and Opportunities
Despite the progress made, community-based forestry in the Philippines still faces challenges such as limited access to resources, insecure land tenure, conflicting land uses, and inadequate support from government agencies. However, there are also opportunities for innovation and collaboration. Strengthening partnerships between government, civil society, academia, and the private sector can help address these challenges and scale up successful CBF models.
Looking Ahead
As we look to the future, community-based forestry holds immense potential for fostering sustainable development and environmental stewardship in the Philippines. By recognizing the rights of indigenous peoples and local communities, promoting participatory decision-making processes, and integrating traditional knowledge with modern science, CBF can pave the way for inclusive and resilient forest management practices that benefit both people and the planet.
Community-based forestry is not just about managing forests; it’s about nurturing relationships between people and nature, fostering a sense of belonging, and building a brighter future for generations to come.
References:
- DENR. (Department of Environment and Natural Resources). (2022). Community-Based Forest Management.
- World Agroforestry (ICRAF). (2022). Community-Based Forest Management in the Philippines.
- USAID Philippines. (2022). Philippines Sustainable Forest Management Project.
Catholic Relief Services (CRS). (2022). Community-Based Forest Management.
On Carbon Sequestration and Planting
Storing carbon is only one of the ways that trees could affect climate, says Cat Scott, an atmospheric scientist at the University of Leeds in England who was not involved in the research. Just how these other factors play off each other is not yet clear. She and colleagues have developed computer simulations of trees contributing to cooling a landscape by releasing airborne molecules that invite clouds to form.
Even something as simple as the darkness of tree leaves can change how much heat a landscape absorbs or reflects. Expanding forests into formerly snow-bright, reflective zones, for instance, might warm them. In the tropics, however, the enhanced cooling from clouds might be the more powerful effect.
Ultimately, in the struggle against climate change, such heroic tree planting merely “buys us time,” says study coauthor Jean-François Bastin, also an ecologist at ETH Zurich. But that’s time human societies could use to stop emitting greenhouse gases, the real solution to climate change, he says.
Source: https://www.sciencenews.org/article/planting-trees-could-buy-more-time-fight-climate-change-thought
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.
FEED runs a number of Students and Volunteers for the Environment (SAVE); Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) – such as mangrove planting for coastal protection or ridge reforestation plantings; One Child, One Tree; Bio-Intensive Gardens (BIG) for nutrition in public elementary schools and other spaces; Climate Change Survival 101 and other LIVING LEGACY programs – customised environmental engagement activities for individuals and organisations interested in contributing to climate change adaptation efforts and greening critical areas such as watersheds, ridges, and reefs that all require rehabilitation.
Join us! Help us reverse the Earth’s “hothouse climate” tipping point.
Tree-Planting with FEED
Check out the video journey by Clueless Commuter who planted with us last 24th of June 2017 to get a good idea of how FEED plantings go: https://youtu.be/KROn4rjVqBg
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.
© Fostering Education & Environment for Development, Inc.