The Department of Environment and Nautral Resources (DENR) is expanding efforts to preserve the Upper Marikina River Basin Protected Landscape (UMRBPL) to protect its watersheds and ensure the sustainable management of its natural resources.
The protected area covers 26,125.64 hectares in the city of Antipolo and in the municipalities of Baras, Rodriquez, San Mateo and Tanay, all in the province of Rizal.
The DENR-Forest Management Bureau (DENR-FMB) plans to accelerate the reforestation of the UMRBPL by planting three million trees for the next three years to increase the forest cover to 43 percent from nearly 25 percent.
FMB Assistant Director Ray Thomas Kabigting stressed the ecological significance of the increase in closed forests, which are denser and more biodiverse.
“The rise in closed forest cover signifies that previously degraded or barren areas are now thriving with healthy trees,” he said, explaining how the success reflects the positive effects of sustainable forest management practices and reforestation efforts.
The area is home to threatened and endangered wildlife species. They include forest trees like narra, red and white lauan, bagtikan, kamagong and molave.
Wild fauna, meanwhile, includes birds like the Philippine bulbul, black-naped oriole and jungle fowl; mammals like the Philippine deer, wild pig and the Philippine monkey; and herpeto-fauna such as the monitor lizards and forest frogs.
The UMRBPL was proclaimed a protected area through Proclamation No. 296 dated September 26, 2011, two years after Super Typhoon Ondoy devastated lower Rizal province, Marikina City and Metro Manila.
This designation aimed to conserve the area’s biodiversity, protect its watersheds and ensure the sustainable management of its natural resources.
Included in the list of threatened and endangered wildlife species found in the Marikina watershed are forest trees like narra, red and white lauan, bagtikan, kamagong, and molave while the wild fauna includes birds like the Philippine bulbul, black-naped oriole and jungle fowl; mammals like the Philippine deer, wild pig and the Philippine monkey; and herpeto-fauna such as the monitor lizards and forest frogs.
As the closed forest cover expands, a corresponding decrease in open forests was noted, indicative of a healthy ecological progression. Kabigting explained that open forest areas within Upper Marikina have decreased by 1,138.28 hectares (20.95 percent), signifying a transition towards more mature, closed forest ecosystems.
Additionally, the area has seen 628.47 hectares (1.77 percent) of shrublands evolve into open forests, underscoring the efficacy of both reforestation initiatives and natural regeneration processes.
“With the target of planting three million trees by 2028, the UMRBPL is not only fostering a more resilient environment but also setting a precedent for sustainable development and conservation efforts in the region,” Kabigting said.
“A healthy forest cover is also essential to the country’s climate and disaster resilience agenda as it mitigates climate change and conserves biodiversity critical for ecosystem resilience and agricultural productivity,” he added. DENR News
