One of the five trees of ‘kanining peneras’ (‘Aglaia pyriformis’) documented in Mt. Mingan, Nueva Ecija PHOTO BY: PASTOR MALABRIGO JREnergy Development Corporation (EDC) has successfully completed its population survey of 35 threatened native species of trees under its BINHI forest restoration program.

EDC president and chief operating officer Richard Tantoco said the completion of the target 35 tree species for the population survey under a partnership with the Department of Environmental and Natural Resources (DENR)-Biodiversity Management Bureau “Adopt-A-Wildlife Species” program is part of the company’s commitment to protect the environment along with its efforts to provide uninterrupted clean, renewable power

EDC accomplished the population survey and data gathering of 10 of the priority native tree species in its pilot year in 2016, followed by 10 more in 2018 and completed the list in end-2019.

The 15 trees were kaladis narig, thick-leaf narig, pinulog, Mindanao narek, gisok-gisok, supa, kamatog, itom-itom, malinoag, tangile, yakal, narek, malayakal, piling-liitan and kamagong ponce.

EDC recommended the updating of these species’ conservation status through DENR and Botanic Garden Conservation International (BGCI), secretariat of the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List for Tree Species.

EDC is now in the process of implementing an in situ conservation project for selected threatened tree species and the establishment of an arboretum for all priority species across the country.

“Our mandate is clear to us— to keep providing clean, reliable energy without causing damage to the environment and to further protect and sustain those that remain for us to protect for the current and future generations,” Tantoco said.

Under the BINHI program, EDC was tapped in May 2019 as the first and sole partner of BGCI for its Global Tree Assessment program for the conduct of conservation status assessments of 800 Philippine endemic tree species for two years.

(Story/Photos by: Frances Ariola)