Gov’t allots ₱2.39 billion for forest rehabilitation in 2023

Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, May 20) – The government has allotted ₱2.39 billion for forest rehabilitation in the 2023 national budget, the Department of Budget and Management (DMB) said Saturday.

The National Greening Program covers 13,565 hectares of land, and under the new budget, 7,249,642 seedlings will be planted, while 158,843 hectares of land will be maintained.

Launched in 2011, the rehabilitation program is headed by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) in pursuit of sustainable development for “poverty reduction, food security, biodiversity conservation, environmental stability, and climate change mitigation and adaptation.”

The DBM also said the government allocated ₱464.5 billion to address climate change. The funding is 60.1% higher than the ₱289.7 billion budget in 2022.