BUFFER ZONE PROJECT

ATONI Buffer Zone Project

The Buffer Zone Rainforest Project (Tribal Agro Forestry Technology Project - TAFT) is an indigenous initiative of the Higaonon Tribal people to preserve the last remaining Virgin Rainforest in the Philippines. Help This Project Your donations make a difference! More Ways To Help... The project aims to reforest 800,000 hectares of buffer zone surrounding the virgin forest, with a biodiverse, analogue food forest and sustainable food crops. The Higaonons have full ownership of the initiative, the key ingredient for its success. In conjunction with this project, a Training Nursery & Central Nursery Station has been set up to raise seedlings for the Buffer Zone. About The Buffer Zone Project Over the past three years, a very successful pilot project of 100 hectares has been implemented - called the TAFT Project - a "Forest Management Plan" conceived by the elders of the tribe and funded by organizations in the USA. and Ausralia in coordination with ECOWEB, DepED, DENR and LGU. The aim of the Forest Management Plan is to re-forest the areaby building a 'Rainforest Buffer Zone' which will surround the virgin rainforest. This Zone will also include crops of sustainable food for the peoples survival. The concept is similar to the Great Wall of China, except that the Buffer Zone will be made of a biodiverse analogue food forest, acting as a wall of protection to the purity of the virgin forest, (a sustainable food source for its inhabitants). How It Works One family becomes the steward of a one-hectare lot, comprising 100 assorted food, watershed and medicine trees in a ten by ten spacing. Fast growing trees like banana palms are planted as 'nurse' trees to protect and shade the new seedlings. Food crops like cassava, taro, sweet potatoes and corn are grown to provide the tribe with a food source until the new trees such as Durian, Mango, Lanzones, Rambutan, Mahogany, Lawaan, Molave, Payaw, Rubber Tree, Bamboo Tree, Kulu Tree, Narra Tree, Falcata Tree and forest palms mature. Gradually the Mother trees in the forest will fly their seeds to the turned ground and forest trees will begin to sprout. A natural regeneration will occur, leading to the eventual replacement of the companion crops. Buffer Zone Crop with coconuts, mangoes, and indigenous fruit tress