• September 2023

    The small fishing village of Badas in Mati is a focal point of our plantings for the Malizia Mangrove Park. Since the conditions here are ideal due to the mud, we plant the seedlings closer.

Mangroves

Even though our work report took a summer break, the work has continued for us all time. he year 2023 is approaching its end with giant steps and in the Philippines Christmas has already begun, because the Ber months (Septem “ber”, Octo “ber”, Novem “ber” and Decem “ber”) are Christmas months, with December being the finale.
Fortunately, we have already cracked the 800,000 mark with the mangrove plantings in Mati. The plan to plant one million mangroves in Pujada Bay has moved much closer, but the goal has shifted as Boris Herrmann has expanded Malizia Mangrove Park to two millions. For us this is a confirmation of our work and an appreciation of the mangroves, which are real miracle trees.
Soon, the new areas will be surveyed for expansion, right after we move into our new office in Guang Guang Mangrove Park. This small office was made available to us free of charge by the mayor of Mati, Mrs. Michelle Nakpil Rabat. As a reminder, we do not pay rent for any of our three offices in order to keep the so-called “overhead costs” as low as possible. However, for our new office in Guang Guang Nature Park in October, we need to install a solar system to charge our smartphones, drone, GoPro camera and laptops.
Currently, 100,000 mangrove seedlings are in the nursery. Normally, the Women’s Association works with about 32 to 36 fishing families. For the expanded nursery, we have invited an additional 40+ fishing families to help us with the rearing and planting. There is a reason for this, because these fishermen cannot pay their boat registration because the catches are too small. They take the extra income from the mangroves for the registration and have the benefits of not having to fish illegally, plus insurance for their boat that is inclusive of the registration.
Only if we work together as a team will we be successful. Without the involvement of the local people, we believe that any project is doomed to failure.

Pagatpat seedlings (Sonneratia alba) are the front liners of our plantings when we plant towards the sea. We planted these inside a breakwater fence.

Our tasks include not only being present during the planting with our forester and the students, but also continuously inspecting the planted seedlings.

Mama Earth Foundation is the first choice for Concentrix when it comes to reforestation. On September 30, 2023, 400 Concentrix employees planted trees with us in Patag (Marilog).

Planting activities

It was a hectic day when 400 employees of the Concentrix company came to Patag in 30 minibuses to plant trees together with Mama Earth. The roads in Patag are not only narrow, but also steep. There is almost nowhere to turn around. But after the first chaotic attempts, we were also able to regulate the „traffic“. The planting area was not easy to reach, but all participants enjoyed the wide view of the mountain panorama and the cold, clear air. Our staff directed and controlled whether the trees were planted according to our specifications. But after the walk back from the planting area, the joy was great to be back in the bus, because the mountainous terrain challenges the muscles of office workers.
After planting, already on the way back to Davao, another stop for a short fiesta in the village of the Martigsalug tribe. Here, plenty of food was given to the children and school books were distributed. The parents were given used clothes. A good day for Patag. Thank you for this.

Bamboo

Our bamboo project in Maiti with the Government in Monkayo is completed. Everything is growing excellently. It is amazing how fast the shoots shoot up, especially from the Giant Bamboo. The other species (bamboo internode) grows slower, but this is natural because it is later shaded by the large Giant bamboo shrubs. Although we have a new planting area in sight, the negotiations are long, because whoever decides to plant bamboo on his farm is also married to bamboo for the next 80 years. Although it is possible to dig up the bamboo again, this requires an enormous amount of labor. So we need to allow time for farmers to consider the decision carefully.

Accidentally slipped on the wet grass and sprained both ankles. The injured guy was carried back in turn by some of his teammates.

After the tree planting, Concentrix in Tribal Village donated food and school books for the children and used clothes for the parents.

Questions about the topic? Ask them to us!