News

Sustaining the Rainforestation Agenda through the RFRI Network

The Foundation for the Philippine Environment (FPE) signed a partnership agreement with Haribon Foundation to sustain the Rainforestation Agenda through support for the Rain Forest Restoration Initiative (RFRI) Network, last August 26, 2016 in Quezon City.

The RFRI Network  aims to advance and promote rainforestation as a strategy to “rehabilitate degraded landscapes and restore key ecosystem services and functions while providing forest-dependent communities with an alternative source of livelihood.” Rainforestation is a tested science-based approach that advocates the use of native species in forest restoration.

The Network began Phase 1 of its Rainforestation advocacy in 2013, with support from the Philippine Tropical Forest Conservation Foundation. It has since promoted the use of native species in public and private sectors, trained more than 1000 Rainforestation trainers, established over 3,527.37 hectares of Rainforestation sites, and planted more than 1 million native tree seedlings nationwide.

With the support of FPE, the RFRI Network, in the first year of Phase 2, aims to strengthen the promotion of the use of native species in forest restoration; develop the technical capability of network members and practitioners on the use of native species; support and conduct researches on native tree species; enhance Rainforestation knowledge materials, further develop linkages, and strengthen the capacity of the RFRI Network.

The RFRI Network calls for public support of the Rainforestation advocacy, and its full integration into the reforestation approach, especially the current government’s.  FPE joins the RFRI Network in advocating Rainforestation as a means of restoring our forests, to conserve biodiversity and advance sustainable development.