STEAG supports Villanueva town's reforestation project

CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY – Mindanao’s pioneering private-led Carbon Sink and Urban Forestry Projects are gaining headways with the growing of more than 240,000 endemic trees over the last five years.

That’s more than a hundred new trees being grown everyday!

In a report, STEAG State Power Inc. indicated that its company supported reforestation projects through the years had so far covered almost 400 hectares of new areas, including the areas situated within the 1,200 hectare Mapawa Reforestation Project in Brgy. Cugman, Cagayan de Oro City and two urban forestry projects in Misamis Oriental.

The Mapawa refo project is a partnership between STEAG, E. Pelaez Ranch Inc., and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources-Environment Management Bureau (DENR-EMB), in region 10.

It aims to establish a 500 hectare new forest, maintain and protect an existing 500 hectare tree plantation, and conduct timber stand improvement on an existing 200-hectare natural forest.

The Urban Forestry Project, on the other hand involves seedling propagation to cover an estimated aggregate area of 1,000 hectares within STEAG’s host communities in Tagoloan and Villanueva, Misamis Oriental.

STEAG Environment Officer Francis Libao said that these projects are part of the company’s commitment to a global campaign to protect the environment.

“The benefits of this project are far reaching. Aside from improving biodiversity and sustaining water supply, good forest covers prevent soil erosion and avert catastrophic floods,” Libao said as he echoes calls for a more aggressive and no non-sense implementation of forest protection and development projects.

Meanwhile, EMB Director for region 10 Sabdullah Abubacar cited the Mapawa Reforestation Project as a model for the private-public partnership in forest conservation and development.

He also acknowledged the need for more private sector involvement in environmental conservation as expressed not only in terms of operational compliance to environmental standards, but also in undertaking pro-active initiatives geared towards the attainment of sustainable development. (STEAG)

FOREST CONSERVATION:
Corporate volunteers from STEAG State Power Inc. participate in the company-supported forest protection and development projects covering an aggregate area of 2,200 hectares in Cagayan de Oro City and Misamis Oriental.

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