To demonstrate an innovative reforestation technology by using drones in dispersing seed balls in a distant 4-hectare patch in Mt. Kalatungan, the Department of Science and Technology, LGU Pangantucan, and the Protected Area Management Board – Mt. Kalatungan Range Nature Park (PAMB-MKaRNP) teamed up with tech startup Galansiyang, Inc. in dispersing 18,389 seed balls of native trees.
The activity was made possible after a collaborative three-day seed ball making participated by the Manobo-Talaandig community from Barangay Mendis, personnel from the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and Philippine National Police (PNP), and students from Pangantucan Bukidnon Community College (PBCC) and Pangantucan National High School (PNHS). The well-attended activity was designed for stakeholders to gain a sense of ownership and responsibility as the direct beneficiaries of the natural resources provided by the MKaRNP, particularly in the 4 -hectare remote area of the mountain range.
The improvised drones by Galansiyang Inc. were utilized to make the seed dispersal doable and faster in the identified GIDA areas on May 31. This intervention is under the CEST project entitled “Utilization of the Innovative Technologies of Seed Balls and the Modern Drone Planting Method in a 4-hectare area of Mt. Kalatungan Range, Pangantucan, Bukidnon – D4” of DOST-Bukidnon to address the challenge of reforestation in the area – accessibility and low germination.
Seed balls are composed of seeds from endemic trees coated with soil and organic manures to support their germination and growth. The seeds are Narra, Banaba, Kupang, Balite, and Ulayan (Pawoga, Balangbangan, and Talingtingan) from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources – Ecosystems Research and Development Bureau (DENR-ERDB) and Indigenous People of Mt. Kalatungan.
Datu Erio Inahan, the head of the IP community and the donor of the 4-hectare land, expresses his gratitude to DOST for giving attention to the denuded area of Mt. Kalatungan.
DOST Bukidnon Provincial Director Ms. Ritchie Mae Guno said that the next steps would be aerial monitoring every quarter to be conducted by Galansiyang, to conduct inventory of the germinated seed balls, while DOST, PAMB, the IP community and other stakeholders will conduct the ground monitoring. (Jenifer O. Pancho / DOST-Bukidnon)
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