BY DOMINIQUE GABRIEL G. BAÑAGA
BACOLOD City – A large part of the protected North Negros Natural Park (NNNP) is now being resided by people despite the prohibition on the building of structures or homes there, according to the officer-in-charge of the Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Office (PENRO).
In other countries, a protected zone is off-limits to people, said Nathaniel Gerangaya, but the Philippines’ burgeoning population is driving people to build houses even in protected areas.
The construction of dwellings in protected areas is prohibited by Republic Act 11038 or the Expanded National Integrated Protected Areas System (ENIPAS) Act of 2018.
According to the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), violators of the ENIPAS law could face fines from P200,000 to P1 million, imprisonment of one to six years, or both.
Some 30 years ago, the NNNP had 70,000 hectares of endemic forest, Gerangaya said.
Over the years, however, native tree species thereat were felled and the natural park was never rehabilitated.
DENR tried rehabilitating the park with native tree species but it proved to be too difficult, Gerangaya said.
To solve the growing problem of deforestation, they have started importing exotic trees easy and quicker to grow, and therefore also expedites reforestation efforts. Once the forest cover improves, they will begin restoring the native trees.
Based on PENRO’s monitoring, of the 70,000 hectares covering the NNNP, only 20,000 hectares remain forested and maintained by the DENR, while the remaining 50,000 had already been settled by people.
DENR has already partnered with residents to assist them in rehabilitating 50 hectares inside the NNNP.
It is very important for the NNNP to be rehabilitated, especially that climate change is worsening, sod Gerangaya.
NNNP is also Negros Occidental’s major water source./PN
