Pangantucan, Bukidnon, Philippines
Seeball-Making Event
May 22, 2023
"Ang lasang nga gihulma sa imong mga kamot"
A forest sculpted by your hands
๐๐จ๐๐๐๐ก๐ข๐ก โ The ancestral domain of Talaanding, Manubo, and other tribes in Mt. Kalatungan has faced significant challenges due to deforestation caused by human activities, particularly kainginโwidespread burning and slashing of forests for agricultural purposes. To address this issue, the DOST Bukidnon, in collaboration with esteemed partners such as the DENR-PAMB Bukidnon and LGU Pangantucan, initiated an innovative drone reforestation pilot project.
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In an inspiring event on May 23-24, 2023, over 245 individuals from various organizations came together with a shared mission: to help our indigenous community regreen their land. Notable participants included representatives from DENR-PAMB Bukidnon, government employees from the Municipality of Pangantucan, the Philippines National Police (PNP), and the Talaandig and Manubo Tribes of Kalatungan Mandum Tribal Community. The event also saw the enthusiastic involvement of students from Pangantucan Bukidnon Community College (PBCC) and Pangantucan Bukidnon National High School (PBNH). Through their unwavering dedication, the workshop achieved remarkable results, surpassing the target of 12,000 seedballs. In total, 16,129 seedballs were meticulously crafted, each containing a collection of 48,428 precious endemic seeds such as Kupang (๐๐ข๐ณ๐ฌ๐ช๐ข ๐ต๐ช๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ณ๐ช๐ข๐ฏ๐ข), Narra (๐๐ต๐ฆ๐ณ๐ฐ๐ค๐ข๐ณ๐ฑ๐ถ๐ด ๐ช๐ฏ๐ฅ๐ช๐ค๐ถ๐ด), Banaba (๐๐ข๐จ๐ฆ๐ณ๐ด๐ต๐ณ๐ฐ๐ฆ๐ฎ๐ช๐ข ๐ด๐ฑ๐ฆ๐ค๐ช๐ฐ๐ด๐ข), Ulayan (๐๐ช๐ต๐ฉ๐ฐ๐ค๐ข๐ณ๐ฑ๐ถ๐ด ๐ด๐ถ๐ญ๐ค๐ช๐ง๐ฐ๐ญ๐ช๐ถ๐ด ๐ข๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐๐ช๐ต๐ฉ๐ฐ๐ค๐ข๐ณ๐ฑ๐ถ๐ด ๐ฑ๐ฉ๐ช๐ญ๐ช๐ฑ๐ฑ๐ช๐ฏ๐ฆ๐ฏ๐ด๐ช๐ด), and Balete (๐๐ช๐ค๐ถ๐ด ๐ด๐ต๐ช๐ฑ๐ถ๐ญ๐ฐ๐ด๐ข).
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The impact of these seedballs stretches far beyond mere numbers. They hold the potential to grow 24,214 trees, breathing life into a once-barren 4-hectare patch of the Mt. Kalatungan. As the trees grow, they can absorb a staggering 24.76 metric tons of carbon per year (tC/year), mitigating the effects of climate change. Moreover, they will safeguard against drought and protect the precious watershed that sustains Pangantucan, for the site lies beside its main water source.
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The drone reforestation operation was scheduled for Wednesday, May 31, 2023, after the seedballs have been dried and prepared for dispersal.
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This revolutionary endeavor is supplied by Galansiyang – Leave a Nest Group LVNS Forest Project (https://forest.lne.st/). Born in Tokyo on March 3, 2023, this visionary initiative aspires to create an autonomous social system that harmonizes forests and people. With science and technology as our guiding lights, we are revolutionizing the forestry sector, addressing critical challenges, and forging a path to a greener, more sustainable future in the Philippines.