November’s main activity was the quarterly monitoring of trees planted in the different areas of the Upper and Lower Amburayan River Basin. The activity covered the seedlings planted last June to September 2016 where a total of 13,250 assorted fruit bearing and forest seedlings were planted in 9.4 hectares. Calliandra, fire tree and coffee were some of the seedlings planted in Benguet while cashew, tamarind and cacao for Ilocos Sur and La Union. The activity was greatly supported by the different barangay officials, community members and other partners of the Upper and Lower Amburayan River Basin. Along with monitoring, partners also cleaned the planted areas from grasses and weeds.
It was observed that the survival of trees planted were dependent on the different factors that affect the different planting areas. Trees planted along the highways are most likely to be less healthy than those of the trees planted in the outskirts. Nevertheless, an array of trees survived during the past months. Here we see the importance of community involvement to help in the preservation and enhancement of the Amburayan River Basin. Continuous monitoring and nurturing will be conducted to be informed and reminded of the project’s goal as well as the community’s role in protecting the watershed.
Protecting and Defending the Amburayan River Basin and Watershed through Good Governance and Active Peoples’ Participation is a project funded by the USAID through the Gerry Roxas Foundation (GRF) and is implemented by the Jaime V. Ongpin Foundation Inc. (JVOFI).
// Amburayan Project GIS and Visibility Officer
