This year’s Watershed Summit will highlight various reforestation initiatives in Davao City, from the uplands down to the coastal areas.
“Over the years, there have been a lot of reforestation activities conducted by government, schools, and private organizations along the watersheds. Now, its time for us to view how far we’ve reached in terms of whether we have been able to reforest our uplands in order to protect our water sources,” said Watershed Management Council (WMC) member and IDIS executive director Ann Fuertes.
Around 150 stakeholders will attend the summit, which will be hosted by the University of Mindanao, on June 26 and 27, 2015.
Fuertes said this year’s emphasis on the impact of local reforestation efforts is aimed at providing the Watershed Management Council a consolidated overview of the watershed rehabilitation areas as well as a venue to share ideas and lessons on forest restoration among stakeholders.
“We are aiming to present a GIS (graphic information system) map which will plot the size and extent of reforestation areas in the watersheds. With this map, WMC will be able to facilitate better leveraging of resources and promote more effective watershed rehabilitation and management efforts among stakeholders,” she said.
The summit presentations will include the city’s National Greening Program (NGP) areas, the City Environment and Natural Resources Office (CENRO)’s reforested areas and the public sector-initiated reforestation sites which include the Davao City Water District (DCWD) and IDIS project areas.
“The map will also present an accurate picture of areas where there is still a need for rehabilitation which we can turn into potential sites for collaboration among stakeholders. This way, we avoid duplication of efforts,” Fuertes said.
Summit organizers are also planning to include an ocular visit to selected watershed reforestation sites for summit participants to showcase various efforts by barangays in order to help rehabilitate the watershed.
“Since the WMC is adopting a ridge to reef strategy in watershed rehabilitation, participants will visit an upland reforestation site, a riverbank reforestation area, and a coastal tree planting site on the second day, ” she said.
The 3rd Watershed Stakeholders Summit is organized by the Watershed Management Council in partnership with the University of Mindanao and other government agencies and non-government organizations. (EDGE DAVAO)