AVANT GARDENER Typhoon Carina wreaking havoc over parts of Luzon these past few days, drives home the point that our current infrastructure is not storm-proof and that flooding will continue to get worse as the climate crisis intensifies. Thriving forest cover is one of the most effective ways to prevent flooding. Plant roots help the soil absorb water that would have otherwise caused erosion.
Forests don’t grow overnight, but if we start now, there’s always hope. Last July 22, Raf Dionisio, co-founder of Make A Difference (MAD) Travel and Circle Hostel, posted an entry on Facebook that went viral. It was before and after a photo of a mountainside in San Felipe, Zambales, where MAD Travel hosts eco-tours in cooperation with the resident Aetas, who own the ancestral domain which spans 4,000 hectares.
The before photo was taken in 2017, while the after photo was taken in mid-July this year. “The work started as early as 2015,” Raf said. He had just started MAD Travel and was looking for ecotourism opportunities.
He was introduced to the local Indigenous Peoples Municipal Representative (IPMR), who guided him to Sitio Yangil and Sitio Banawen, both of who he works with to this day. “It was a four-hour walk under the sun..
. It was beautiful but it was hot..
.. It was so hot that after the walk, I had to take a nap to cool down before walking back.
” A few months later, Dionisio met John Perrine, founder of Hineleban Foundation in Bukidnon, who had successfully worked wi.