To protect communities from floods and restore vital ecosystems, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) said it plans to plant three million trees in the Upper Marikina River Basin Protected Landscape (UMRBPL) over the next three years, aiming to nearly double forest cover from 24.99 percent to 43 percent.

“The rise in closed forest cover signifies that previously degraded or barren areas are now thriving with healthy trees,” DENR-Forest Management Bureau (FMB) Assistant Director Atty. Ray Thomas Kabigting said in a statement on Thursday, July 10.

UMRBPL, spanning 26,125.64 hectares across Antipolo City and the towns of Baras, Rodriguez, San Mateo, and Tanay in Rizal, was declared a protected area in 2011, two years after Tropical Storm Ondoy swamped Metro Manila and Rizal province.

The DENR noted that the area is home to endangered tree species like narra, red and white lauan, bagtikan, kamagong, and molave, as well as wildlife including the Philippine deer, wild pig, and various native bird and reptile species.

According to Kabigting, the expansion of mature, closed-canopy forests points to a recovering ecosystem and the impact of sustained forest protection.

He noted that open forest areas in the UMRBPL shrank by 1,138.28 hectares or 20.95 percent, while shrublands transitioned into open forests by 628.47 hectares (1.77 percent).

“With the target of planting three million trees by 2028, the UMRBPL is not only fostering a more resilient environment but also setting a precedent for sustainable development and conservation efforts in the region,” said Kabigting.

“A healthy forest cover is also essential to the country’s climate and disaster resilience agenda as it mitigates climate change and conserves biodiversity critical for ecosystem resilience and agricultural productivity,” he added.

DENR-CALABARZON Regional Executive Director Nilo Tamoria said 45 companies and organizations have already adopted 743 hectares of “graduated sites” under the National Greening Program (NGP) since 2021, in partnership with local people’s organizations.

“A key strategy involved private sector participation through the adoption of graduated plantations—previously established sites for the NGP,” he stated.

He credited the improvement in forest cover to the NGP launched in 2011, alongside Executive Order (EO) No. 23, which placed a moratorium on timber harvesting in natural and residual forests.

In 2015, nearly four million trees were planted after EO No. 193 expanded the National Greening Program to cover unproductive and degraded forests. 

DENR data showed another 1.3 million trees were planted between 2021 and 2025, with a survival rate of 75 percent.

The UMRBPL Management Plan 2020–2030 also classified its northern forest zone as a "Strict Protection Zone", where human activity is prohibited except for scientific or Indigenous ceremonial purposes.