Toyota PH adopts new locations to further reforestation, biodiversity activities

Toyota Motor Philippines (TMP) announced the expansion of its climate mitigation and biodiversity protection initiatives after adopting new locations in the South Luzon region.

In a statement, the leading automotive company said that it will sign within the month two separate agreements with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR)-Region IV-A Calabarzon to formalize the adoption of an upland forest block in Siniloan, Laguna and mangrove forests in Calatagan, Batangas.

The commitment in the projects (under the National Greening Program [NGP>) is to plant 41,000 trees and mangroves in a span of five years, with an 80-percent survival rate.

For the reforestation’s initial phase, TMP mobilized groups of volunteer team members to plant 10,000 trees and 5,000 mangroves in the two areas last month. The company also participated in the International Coastal Clean-up Day, turning over to the local authority 150 kilograms or 21 sacks of plastic wastes collected from the Calatagan coastline.

“Toyota shares the responsibility in protecting the planet Earth and in fighting climate change in line with United Nations Sustainable Development Goals,” TMP president Atsuhiro Okamoto — who spearheaded the simultaneous mangrove-planting and coast clean-up activities — was quoted as saying.

“Global Toyota implements the Toyota Environmental Challenge 2050 to achieve zero carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions and net positive environmental impact by year 2050,” he added.

Further, TMP will plant native and fruit-bearing tree species in a 50-hectare area on the tail-end of Sierra Madre (mountain range) in Siniloan, Laguna as part of its biodiversity conservation effort. Per University of the Philippines Los Baños, the area is home to endemic flora and fauna such as the Philippine Hornbill, Gray's Monitor Lizard, Civet Cat, Cave Nectar Bat, and Wax Plant species. The location also hosts some of the country’s oldest forests and serves as a natural barrier against typhoons.

 Moreover, TMP vowed to plant 16,000 mangrove propagules in an eight-hectare area on the coast of Calatagan. The program, TMP noted, extends its NGP planting site in Lian, Batangas where the company has already planted 30,000 mangroves since 2018. The two coastal sites are part of the Verde Island Passage, which is considered as the "Center of the Center of Marine Shorefish Biodiversity" in the world.

TMP environment manager Mark Anthony Marcelo said that mangroves are a distinct part of Toyota’s climate change solution in the Philippines. “Mangroves have high capacity to absorb CO2 as they store up to 10 times more per hectare than terrestrial forests. Mangroves also serve as a blockade against storm surges and are crucial to marine life and livelihood of coastal communities,” he explained.

According to TMP, its local tree-planting, mangrove-planting, coastal and river-side clean-up activities are part of the “All Toyota Green Wave Project,” the brand’s global thrust that started in 2015.

The project connects the Toyota network – including TMP team members, dealers and suppliers – to nature conservation activities while mitigating climate risks and supporting livelihoods of local communities in the long run.

Last April, TMP also adopted a 40-hectare NGP planting site in the rainforests of Maragondon, Cavite and initially planted 10,000 seedlings of native and fruit-bearing tree species.

Photos from Toyota Motor Philippines

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