Barangay Livelihood Programs and it’s Effect to Global Warming
The Philippine Nature Foundation Incorporated’s mission is to finance economically successful environmentally sound projects and turn these programs into realities.

Our ongoing research projects monitor the complex biodiversity of the unique Philippine ecosystem.

We are constantly developing new and exciting environmental educational programs for the local school systems, which promote ecological awareness, renewable energy, and sustainable agriculture.

The Philippine Nature Foundation Incorporated is a pioneer in bamboo reforestation projects, soil erosion control, and livelihood development projects, including bamboo, rattan, and other natural reeds for the high-end furniture market.

As our mission, we foresee that the bamboo plant is the best source to provide income, food, and housing for people. It’s one of the most versatile materials growing globally and can be used for construction, food, transportation, household items, and handicrafts.

Bamboo is indeed special. It’s a fast-growing natural resource whose rate of biomass generation is unsurpassed in the plant kingdom. Bamboo is considered the most important non-wood agricultural plant in the world.

Technically, bamboos are grasses belonging to the subfamily Bambusoideae, and more than 1,200 different species grow worldwide. Various species can reach heights of 95 feet and more. More than 30 million acres of bamboo are distributed in world forest ecosystems, primarily in Asia, Africa, and the Americas.

For many centuries, inhabitants of northeast India relied on bamboo for their livelihood. Unfortunately, due to an inability to capitalize on the commercial opportunities available through developing bamboo products, these people focused on agriculture.

This shift toward agriculture has resulted in the depletion of forest cover and the neglect of a valuable endemic resource and an important means of livelihood. In some areas, agriculture degrades the local ecosystems to economic non-sustainability.

Philippine Nature Foundation sought an honest understanding of the potential that bamboo offers these communities in developing a sustainable livelihood, to educate them on how to harness bamboo’s potential, and to support activities that develop sustainable livelihoods and reduce poverty using bamboo plants and rattan products.

The program addresses issues constraining the full realization of the benefits to rural communities from the growth in demand for bamboo and rattan and opportunities arising from diversification of artisan and industrial products and opening up of new market opportunities.

With regards to this, we have also touched on the issue of global warming as far as the ecosystem is concerned. As we all know, carbon dioxide is one of the greenhouse gases responsible for the increase in temperature around the globe. This effect is known as global warming. It has been proven that forests absorb carbon dioxide through their photosynthesis cycle.

Using this idea that increasing forests with reforestation and discouraging deforestation will help mitigate global warming, experts can make people aware of the value of reforestation. Forest ecosystems are one of the most important ecosystems. They are essential to the global carbon cycle in two important ways): They are responsible for moving around three billion tons of anthropogenic carbon every year. This amounts to about 30% of all carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuels. The other reason why forest ecosystems are important is that they are terrestrial carbon sinks (they store large amounts of carbon.)

We believe that four major strategies are available to mitigate carbon emissions through forestry activities.

  • One of these strategies is to increase the amount of forested land through a reforestation process.
  • Another strategy is to increase the carbon density of existing forests at a stand and landscape scale.
  • Another strategy is to expand the use of forest products that will sustainably replace fossil-fuel emissions.
  • The last strategy is to reduce carbon emissions that are caused from deforestation and degradation.
To plant more trees is a solution. In theory, any tree would cover more forest area and absorb more carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. On the other hand, a genetically modified tree specimen might grow much faster than any other regular tree. Some of these trees are already being developed in the lumber and biofuel industries. So these fast-growing trees would not only be planted for those industries, but they can also be planted to help absorb carbon dioxide faster than regular trees. The idea of a genetically modified tree will help the first strategy, but it will also help with the second by increasing forest area density.

Reducing deforestation is a primary strategy. To cut down on deforestation has huge potential towards a cost-effective contribution to protecting the atmosphere’s climate. At this point, there are 13 Million HA’s of tropical regions that are deforested every year. These regions can reduce rates of deforestation by 50% by 2050.

Bamboo Plants
Reforestation