BAGUIO CITY (PIA) — The Philippine Mine Safety and Environment Association (PMSEA) continues to intertwine environmental conservation with community engagement, showcasing the transformative power of responsible mining practices.
The PMSEA Park at the section of Baguio’s Botanical Garden along Leonard Wood Road serves as a living testament to the organization’s commitment to sustainable mining, occupational health and safety, environmental management, and social development.
The PMSEA adopted a 5,000-square-meter area of the Botanical Garden in 2010 in an effort to help the local government of Baguio protect and preserve the environment.
The once a dumping area has since been transformed into a thriving ecosystem.
The area was reforested with the regular tree planting activity of the organization. The PMSEA Park has now more than 1,500 plants. Notably, 40 percent of these are endemic species unique and can only be found in the Philippines, 50% are native species, , and 10% have been imported from neighboring Southeast Asian countries.
The garden’s maintenance and cultivation are a collaborative effort of PMSEA with partners, members of the mining industry, in cooperation with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources and the City Government of Baguio.
City Environment and Parks Management Office head Rhenan Diwas highlighted the nature-based solutions principle of the PMSEA Garden, which the LGU is trying to replicate in other parks in the city, promoting biodiversity and environmental sustainability.
The PMSEA introduced waterways solution at the Botanical Garden which benefits the city’s tourism sector and serves as a learning place for students and others.
CEPMO Head Rhenan Diwas talks about the transformation of the PMSEA Garden during the Kapihan on the 69th Annual National Mine Safety and Environment Conference in Baguio City on November 14, 2023. (Photo: Hanna Honorio, SLU Intern)
“Those ideas came from the organization (PMSEA). We do not take credit for those ideas, in fact, those ideas inspire us today. ‘Yun ‘yung nagi-inspire sa amin para ma-replicate namin ‘yung idea na ginawa ninyo sa PMSEA Garden,” Diwas said.
The PMSEA Garden is this year’s entry of the city to the Philippine Water Challenge.
The PMSEA and the City LGU reaffirmed their commotment continue their endeavors in beautifying the Botanical Garden, which has become a tourist magnet drawing visitors with its distinctive features. (JDP/DEG-PIA CAR /Jackielyn Reyes- SLU intern)
