MANILA (UCAN): Caritas Philippines joined global celebrities in calling for the protection of the Masungi Georeserve, a famed conservation area and a rustic rock garden tucked in the rainforests in Baras, Rizal province about 48 kilometres from Manila.
The call to protect the site, also known as “the green corridor”, became louder following a statement from Hollywood actor Leonardo DiCaprio on July 4.
In a post on Facebook, DiCaprio urged the president, Ferdinand Marcos Jr., “to intervene and continue to protect Masungi” noting that in the late 1990s, much of Masungi was illegally deforested, he said.
Local communities fostered the development of the Masungi Georeserve, spurring efforts to restore this precious ecosystem. From these conservation initiatives, trees were able to grow taller, wildlife numbers slowly increased, and more locals became involved in protecting this ecosystem, DiCaprio noted.
“Now this success is in jeopardy, as the Department of Environment and Natural Resources threatens to cancel the agreement that protects this area from prolific land grabbing activities,” he added.
“This cancellation would set back the success of an internationally acclaimed conservation effort and leave the area vulnerable again to mining, logging, and illegal developments,” DiCaprio said.
Jing Rey Henderson, head of communications and partnership development for Caritas Philippines, lauded the actor for reiterating their stance on the geopark.
Now this success is in jeopardy, as the Department of Environment and Natural Resources threatens to cancel the agreement that protects this area from prolific land grabbing activities
Leonardo DiCaprio
“Thank you for getting involved in the issue. I hope we Filipinos, our voice will be heard more. We should be the first to voice our opposition to any move that will destroy our natural resources and ecosystems,” Henderson said on July 5.
The Masungi Geopark Project was conceived in 2017 thanks to a landmark agreement with the late conservation advocate and former secretary of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources [DENR], Gina Lopez.
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Since then, volunteers and environmental conservationists worked for the “ecosystem restoration initiative” which aims to restore nearly 2,700 hectares of degraded forestland around Masungi Georeserve, and address gaps in halting deforestation in the area, the Masungi Georeserve Foundation said on its website.
The geopark became a source of debate after the DENR secretary, Ma. Antonia Yulo-Loyzaga, recently said she plans to cancel the 2017 Memorandum of Agreement between the Masungi Georeserve Foundation and the DENR. The department claims the agreement has now become “a threat” to the environment of the geopark.
Henderson also reiterated their earlier statement that the planned cancellation “is unwise and would be detrimental to environmental protection efforts.”
The Masungi Geopark Project was conceived in 2017 thanks to a landmark agreement with the late conservation advocate and former secretary of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources [DENR], Gina Lopez
Since the Masungi geopark has over 400 species of flora and fauna, and has been restored and preserved from its state of degradation in the 1990s, it has now become a popular hiking destination.
The DENR issued a statement on July 4 to praise DiCaprio for his “statement of concern for the Philippine environment.”
Earlier, other celebrities like ethologist, Dr. Jane Goodall, and environmentalist, Greta Thunberg, called for the protection of the site.
The DENR, however, maintained that “no one is exempt from the law.”
The area “occupied” by the MGF is owned by local people and the operation of “the resort venue” that charges the public for day tours, meetings, and weddings remains “non-compliant with Philippines laws,” the DENR said in a statement on July 4.
It added that the owners of MGF are currently being investigated by the DENR and Congress.
In response, the foundation said that Masungi Georeserve is a non-profit conservation initiative run by the MGF which is a non-stock, non-profit foundation duly registered at the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).
“Masungi is therefore not a resort, which is built for the primary purpose of entertainment and profit,” the foundation said on July 4.
