Mayor John Dalipe conveyed his thanks Thursday, March 16, to a Japanese firm for considering Zamboanga City as one of the sites to showcase its greenhouse gases reduction practices, focusing on mangrove reforestation and protection.
Dalipe met with Fast Retailing Corp. representatives Yuki Taketani, Arshit Chabukswar, Kato Daisuke and Forester Lorenz Palec at City Hall Conference Room as they discussed the company’s mangrove reforestation, protection and conservation project.
The Japanese firm intends to adapt around 5,000 hectares of mangroves in the city for its environmental protection project, primarily to reduce the emission of greenhouse gases.
During the meeting, however, a representative from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR9) said only about 2,000 hectares of mangrove in the city are available for reforestation as most of the other mangroves here are already protected sites.
The idea of using abandoned fishponds may not also be possible for the project as most if not all of these are under the Fishpond Lease Agreements (FLAs), and the owners or leases might not allow it for fear they will not be able recover their properties.
To help the Japanese firm find enough mangrove sites for its environmental protection project, Mayor Dalipe suggested that the city government of Zamboanga will coordinate with other LGUs in Basilan and Zamboanga Sibugay provinces to consider the firm’s proposal, after all it’s for the good of the environment. (Vic Larato, photo courtesy by Yoshi Rodriguez)
(Source: City Government of Zamboanga Facebook page)