PBSP to kick off 28th refo caravan in Buhisan, Cebu watersheds tom
Around 300 volunteers from at least 20 companies and institutions will join Philippine Business for Social Progress (PBSP) in the kick off of its 28th Cebu Hillylands reforestation caravan tomorrow, June 29, 2019.
The environmental conservation event engages corporate and individual volunteers to plant 7,500 tree seedlings and ensure their growth at Barangay Buhisan in Cebu City. The green campaign will benefit the Buhisan Watershed and Forest Reserve (BWFR), which is now in critical status after losing most of its water reserves.
THE REFO CARAVAN is also in partnership with people’s associations within the Buhisan Watershed, which help raise seedlings, establish refo plantations, and implement maintenance activities of PBSP’s refo sites.
The BWFR is one of the watershed systems that comprise the 29,062-hectare Central Cebu Protected Landscape (CCPL). Also known as the Cebu Hillylands, the CPPL is the largest rainforest and only source of potable water in Cebu. It is also home to several endemic and indigenous plant and animal species of the province.
Since the launch of PBSP’s reforestation caravan, the business-led NGO has mobilized about 17,000 volunteers to plant more than four million tree seedlings in over 1,670 hectares. PBSP has also uplifted the lives of more than 200 farmers in CCPL by tapping them as partners of the program.
SAVING THE ‘CRITICAL’ BUHISAN DAM
The BWFR supplies water to the 106-year-old Buhisan Dam, the first water system built in Cebu to provide clean water and eradicate the spread of cholera. This water-borne disease became the primary cause of death during the early 1900s. The dam is the only surface water source in Cebu operated by the Metropolitan Cebu Water District (MCWD).
THE BUHISAN WATERSHED and Forest Reserve is the smallest among five forest systems comprising the Central Cebu Protected Landscape. For 28 years, PBSP has organized reforestation caravans to help conserve the largest rainforest in Cebu.
In March 2019, MCWD reported that the water at the dam has dropped from 6,000 cubic meters to only 1,500 cubic meters, reaching critical level. The drop, which affected the water supply of about 6,000 households, was a result of the El Niño phenomenon experienced in Cebu and other parts of the country.
The caravan is PBSP’s answer to address this concern and is one of its preliminary activities for a five-year program in the BWFR. The program aims to sustain the water supply in Cebu, improve lives of poor households through alternative and eco-friendly livelihood opportunities, and transform the BWFR into a sustainable eco-tourism destination.
PBSP IN ENVIRONMENT
Since 1991, PBSP has organized annual reforestation caravans with help from companies and partners to encourage business sector involvement in restoring Cebu’s aquifers and the barren areas of the CCPL.
This year’s kick-off is also in partnership with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, Metro Cebu Water District, Cebu Uniting for Sustainable Water, Cebu City government and the local government of Barangay Buhisan.
PBSP is inviting more volunteers to also join the rest of the Saturdays in July for the caravan. Companies and individuals can also participate by adopting a hectare for reforestation or by bringing employee-volunteers on any scheduled Saturday of the annual caravan.
For more information, interested companies and volunteers may contact Kathrina Abrea of PBSP at (032) 232-5270 or via email at kabrea@pbsp.org.ph.