GENERAL SANTOS CITY (MindaNews/26 January)– Environment personnel are set to embark on a massive reforestation program to rehabilitate portions of a declared biodiversity corridor in two municipalities straddled by the critical Mt. Matutum in South Cotabato province.
Siegfred Flaviano, South Cotabato Provincial Environment Management Office (PEMO) chief, said the initiative aims to increase the biodiversity within the corridor, which covers 10 barangays in Tupi and Tampakan towns.
He said the biodiversity or wildlife corridor is located within the 14,000-hectare Mt. Matutum Protected Landscape (MMPL).
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In October last year, Flaviano said they started the revegetation or planting of various tree and plant species along the boundary areas of the biodiversity corridor.
He said the trees will also serve as boundary markers of the areas covered by the corridor to prevent possible poaching and other related activities.
“Our focus right now is the revegetation of the main corridor area with trees and plant species that are indigenous there,” he said.
The official said the local government has allocated an initial P300,000 this year for the expanded revegetation activity, which is initially targeted to start in June.
Aside from this, he said another P400,000 was set aside for the establishment of two wildlife restitution centers within the corridor area.
Flaviano said the restitution centers, which will be constructed in April, will serve as rescue facilities for wildlife species like heron and the famed tarsiers that are thriving in the area.
“A number of these species usually end up dying when they are found or rescued by some residents because of the lack of proper facilities,” he said.[]
