SAN ISIDRO, PARANAS, Philippines — Samar State University (SSU) continues its fruitful collaboration with the University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB) through various initiatives under the CONserve-KAIGANGAN program.
Dr. Edelyn Echapare, SSU’s Director for the Environmental Sustainability Research and Development Center (ESRDC) and a member of UPLB’s project titled, “Localized Conservation Strategies of Plant Resources in Forests Over Limestone of Samar Island,” served as the Resource Speaker during the needs assessment and stakeholders’ consultation administered among 34 San Isidro residents on April 23, 2024 at the headquarters of the Basaranan nga Organisasyon han San Isidro (BOSIS), San Isidro, Paranas, Samar. Dr. Echapare discussed the economic potential of various resources found in forests over limestones, locally known as “kaigangan,” in the Samar Island Natural Park.
To further support the goals of the CONserve-KAIGANGAN program, SSU’s ESRDC is currently leading the institutionally-funded project, “Community Based-Forest Management Program: Enhance Sustainable Forest Management Through Community-Based Approaches,” which aims to highlight the crucial role of local communities in forest management.
SSU has been collaborating with UPLB since the inception of CONserve-KAIGANGAN in 2019. The program, now in its third phase, is funded by the Philippine Council for Agriculture, Aquatic and Natural Resources Research and Development (PCAARRD), and seeks to assess and conserve Samar island’s biodiversity in kaigangan.
