DUMAGUETE CITY, Negros Oriental (PIA) — Energy Development Corporation (EDC) and Silliman University (SU) have committed to saving the province’s threatened trees in an established arboretum in Barangay Palinpinon, Valencia.
The arboretum of SU’s Center for Tropical Conservation Studies (CenTtop) housed a collection of endangered native tree species to provide vital protection against any kind of habitat loss.
Through BINHI, EDC’s banner environment program provides CenTrop native tree seedlings along with technical assistance in their maintenance.
SU president Dr. Betty Cernol McCann underscored this partnership with EDC, highlighting the significance of the Binhi Arboretum in the “wellbeing of society and environment” in accordance with SU’s vision.
“It is in our own very nature as an institution to be concerned about the environment,” McCann said.
Silliman’s 19-hectare CenTrop is used as a field laboratory to expand and relocate managed endemic wildlife fauna.
The first phase of the arboretum partnership occupies 0.7 hectares.
Earlier, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) also partnered with EDC for the conservation of 11 most critically endangered native tree species in the Philippines.
EDC and DENR also forged for the establishment of an arboretum “that will serve as a learning and training facility for students, teachers, eco-tourists, and members of other sectors of society.”
The arboretum was set up on a 9.35-hectare of forest land in Barangay Puhagan, Valencia town.
The DENR cited the arboretum project as “another green initiative that focuses on the genetic conservation of indigenous, but endangered premium tree species.”
BINHI program
EDC and SU have planted some 200 seedlings of 25 endangered native tree species in the arboretum in 2022.
Another 200 more seedlings were also planted on Sept 4, 2024, where 25 species planted out of 60 species are mostly Visayas species like Red Lauan (Shorea negrosensis) and Almaciga, among others.
EDC’s corporate relations and communications division (CRCD) head Maria Nancy Ibuna said the newly-established arboretum is one of EDC’s 41 arboreta established in partnership with public and private institutions nationwide, with SU as its 179th partner out of 218 for their BINHI project.
“To date, the BINHI program has planted almost 6.9 million seedlings in its bid to rescue, secure and mainstream the country’s 145 most threatened native tree species,” Ibuna said.
She added that EDC’s initiative focuses on planting native and threatened tree species and continuing efforts in forest restoration.
EDC also marked the partnerships with the local community, particularly the forest patrollers working on the site as well as the maintenance group of the arboretum who are from Barangay Apulong in Valencia. (JCT/PIA-7 Negros Oriental with reports from EDC & SU)
