Honda Foundation, Inc. (HFI), composed of the Honda Group of Companies (Honda Cars Philippines, Inc. [HCPI], Honda Philippines, Inc. [HPI], Honda Parts Manufacturing Corporation [HPMC], and Honda Trading Philippines) recently conducted its tree-planting activity with 5,000 tree saplings planted in Real, Quezon.
Through this effort, Honda has been actively contributing in the restoration of the Philippines’ rainforests. Not only does the activity help restore communities and ecosystems, the tree-planting activity also contributes solutions to environmental problems such as climate change and air pollution.
Done in partnership with Haribon’s Forest For Life Movement, Honda aims to restore damaged rainforests through the planting of various native tree species such as Narra, Apitong, and Lauan.
“For 10 years now, we have been doing tree planting with Haribon and our commitment to leave blue skies for our children goes stronger,” HFI adviser Hirotake Shimosaka shared during his opening remarks. Since 2010, around 50,000 trees have already been planted across 36 hectares of damaged forests in the provinces of Laguna, Quezon, and Rizal.
According to a biophysical survey conducted by Haribon to check the health of the reforested areas, about 28 species of birds were found in the various restored habitats. Of these species, 18 are endemic to the Philippines. Some of these birds are the Philippine Magpie-robin (Copsychus mindanensis), the Blue Headed Fantail (Rhipidura cyaniceps), the Lowland White-eye (Zosterops meyeni), and the Sulphur-billed Nuthatch (Sitta oenochlamys). The presence of these birds highlights the progress of reforestation as efforts continue to make a better ecosystem for local communities and wildlife conservation.
In line with Honda’s 2030 vision of providing a sustainable society for the next generation, the project offers options for sustainable livelihood to nearby communities, while recovering biodiversity, clean air and water, and resilience to climate change and natural hazards.
