Nickel firms contribute to greening efforts

MANILA, Philippines — The local nickel industry continues to strengthen greening efforts as part of its thrust towards responsible and sustainable mining in the country.

The Philippine Nickel Industry Association (PNIA) and its seven-member companies said it has planted over 4.2 million trees in Caraga and Palawan as part of ongoing progressive rehabilitation and reforestation in several mining sites.

“Our member-companies have planted more than we have mined. Our green footprint is larger than our mining footprint in terms of area, “PNIA executive director Charmaine Capili said.

Endemic trees and grass species have been planted since the start of the rehabilitation phase including agoho, mahogany, giant bamboo, and narra, as well as fruit-bearing trees like calamansi, cashew, jackfruit, and cacao, among others.

Cash crops such as rubber, coffee, vegetables, and herbal plants were also planted in the mine sites’ respective nurseries.

Apart from providing employment to residents, the program also allows the companies to help their respective host communities by donating  seedlings in support of various greening initiatives.

“This has given birth to an emerging downstream industry, agro-forestry, which also focuses on the community’s livelihood beyond mining,” Capili said.

The reforestation program is part of the nickel industry’s commitment and contribution to the government’s National Greening Program which aims to revegetate some 1.2 million hectares of “unproductive, denuded, and degraded” forest land nationwide from 2017-2022.

“Much effort has been poured into rehabilitation because what has been planted will outlast the mine itself,” Capili said.

PNIA will also undertake a bamboo plantation and livelihood project to complement on-going rehabilitation and reforestation efforts, provide livelihood opportunities and help improve community disaster preparedness.

It is composed of Global Ferronickel Holdings, CTP Construction and Mining Corp., Citinickel Mines and Development Corp., Carascal Nickel Corp., DMCI Mining Corp., Marcventures Mining and Development Corp., and Agata Mining Ventures.

PNIA is a non-stock and non-profit organization established in 2012 that aims to foster a strong partnership between the government and the private sector in revitalizing and developing the nickel industry in a manner that balances economic, environmental, and social objectives.