The Regional Development Council members recently sealed an agreement on the establishment of the Regional Development Council Forest Park located in Sitio San Ysiro, Barangay San Jose, Antipolo City, Rizal. It is located within the Upper Marikina River Basin Protected Landscape and has a total area of 25 hectares.

This initiative is in support of the Calabarzon Regional Development Plan (RDP) 2017-2022. The RDP hopes to intensify protection and sustainable management of forest, watershed, coastal and marin and land through the adoption of the ridge to reef approach. DENR IVA (CALABARZON) proposed the establishment of the forest park to support watershed rehabilitation in protected areas.

DENR IVA prepared an Implementation Plan that will ensure an increase in forest cover in the next 5-10 years. The indigenous species to be planted with a distance of 4x5 meters^[1]  include Batino, Makaasim, other Dipterocarp, and Bamboo Species. Fruit trees such as mango, calamansi, lukban, lipote and kasoy will also be planted. Seedlings will be provided by DENR IVA, while PENRO Rizal shall provide the technical assistance during the implementation of the project. The LGU of Antipolo will secure the area during the establishment. Each RDC member will have a specific site to adopt. Volunteer members will conduct maintenance activities that include: strip brushing/ ring weeding, staking, hole digging, and hauling. A 10-meter fire line will be established and flowering plants will also be planted along the boundaries of the parcels. The community in the area is entitled to possible harvesting and utilization later on.

 

^[1] Prescribed planting distance as per FMB Technical Bulletin No. 10 Series of 2014