CABANATUAN CITY — Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) and Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) opened a bridge that will be essential to the rehabilitation of the 44,000-hectare Pantabangan-Caranglan Watershed (PCW).
The 80-meter long Barat reinforced concrete bridge that runs across the Barat river in sitio Kanlungan in Carranglan, Nueva Ecija is now accessible.
DENR Regional Executive Director Paquito Moreno Jr. said the P32-million worth bridge was funded by JICA as an agroforestry support facility for the 10-year Forest Land Management Project (FMP) in the PCW.
This will also benefit about 1,207 households and upland farmers through better access of farm produce from agroforestry areas in the watershed.
Barat bridge is the third major agroforestry support facility funded by JICA in two years after the 60-meter long bridge in sitio Pamalayan in Conversion village, Pantabangan town and the 55-meter long Calaocan hanging bridge in Burgos village in Carranglan town.
Launched in 2012, FMP has already rehabilitated more than 14,000 hectares of denuded forestlands in the PCW through collaborative and comprehensive community-based forest management strategies.