Determining forest cover change in national greening program sites in a high conservation priority area by utilizing remote sensing techniques

Determining forest cover change in national greening program sites in a high conservation priority area by utilizing remote sensing techniques

EDMUNDO M. TOLENTINO JR., MARTIN SIMON S. PALERO, NATHANYAEL ZANE G. BUYCO,EISEN ED C. BRIONES, and RAMON ANGELO N. SINCO

Abstract

Deforestation in the Philippines resulted in a reduction in forest cover to just 10% of its original size in recent decades. To address deforestation, the Philippine government introduced the National Greening Program (NGP) and the Enhanced National Greening Program (ENGP). However, earlier studies have found that previous evaluations of these initiatives failed to sufficiently assess their impact on forest cover in the respective implementation areas. Thus, this study utilized Remote Sensing techniques to evaluate the effects of these programs in Brgy. Minoyan, Murcia, Negros Occidental (123.1199°E, 10.4983938°N), which is the largest NGP/ENGP planting site in Western Visayas, a region categorized as “highest conservation priority”. The implementation of ENGP increased forest cover by 223.9 hectares and a decrease in grasslands and barren land by 192.2 ha and 31.8 ha, respectively. These findings indicate an increase in forest areas highlighting the program’s effectiveness.

Keywords: QGIS, NGP, remote sensing, forest cover, reforestation

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