Conservationists Help Nature “Heal Itself”

Through a reforestation program put in place in the Masungi Georeserve and the Sierra Madre, the longest mountain range in the Philippines, hectares of much-degraded land have been restored, notably by letting nature heal itself.

“The number of trees is not the main objective. It’s really bringing back an entire ecosystem of wildlife, water sources, and biodiversity,” says Billie Dumaliang, trustee and advocacy officer of the Masungi Georeserve.

Since the inception of the Masungi Geopark project in 2017 by the Masungi Georeserve Foundation, some 60,000 native trees have been planted and around 1,700 hectares have been primed for reforestation as part of the forest rejuvenation method known as assisted natural regeneration, a technique that centers around the idea that nature heals itself when undisturbed. The Masungi Georeserve is home to more than 400 species of plants and animals.