BAYOMBONG, Nueva Vizcaya—The Lower Magat Eco-Tourism Park in Diadi town will soon be planted with various tree species this year through a partnership program between the provincial government and SN Aboitiz-Power Magat Inc.
Through the “Plantation Establishment of Wild Food Plants for Wildlife” project, the LMETP in Barangay San Luis in Diadi town will be planted with indigenous tree species within a 10-hectare forestland area.
Tito Tanguilig, provincial environment and natural resources officer, said the project seeks to rehabilitate the degraded and unproductive land areas of the LMET through enrichment planting and establishment of wild plants for food.
“This does not necessarily mean having an exact replica of the original forests but the effort of bringing back the structure, function, productivity and species biodiversity of the original forest ecosystem,” Tanguilig said.
Indigenous or native species were chosen because of its enticing characteristics to wild animals like birds, thereby restoring and increasing the wildlife species in the area, he said.
Tanguilig said several tree species will be selected for plantation such as guava, bignai, kamagong and katmon, which will be propagated through the establishment of a seedling production and tree nursery.
“These plants will attract birds with its fruits, eat the fruits and from the bird droppings, there will be a natural way to propagate seeds,” Tanguilig added.
The 1,200-hectare LMETP is one of the major areas for eco-tourism development by the provincial government because of its important role on watershed preservation, livelihood for villagers and its income generating potentials.
The villagers will also benefit from the project as they will be tapped on seedling production and other activities for the project, Tnaguilig added.
The over P1-million project, which will be implemented within three years, will provide livelihood opportunities for villagers of barangays San Luis and Bugnay in Diadi.