Philippines introduces new law requiring students to plant trees

Elementary school, high school and college students will now have to plant at least 10 trees before they can graduate

Tree planting

The Philippines has introduced a new law requiring students to plant at least ten trees before they can graduate.

The House of Representatives passed the new environmental bill, which will apply to all students enrolled in elementary school, high school and college.

The law follows a long tradition in the country of planting trees at graduation ceremonies and aims to help reverse deforestation and tackle climate change by creating a “living legacy to the environment”.

The move could potentially see as many as 525 billion trees planted by a single generation and will be enforced by the Department of Education and the Commission on Higher Education.

The type of trees will be carefully selected to be appropriate to the location, climate and topography of the area in which they are planted, which will predominantly be forest lands, mangroves, ancestral domains, civil and military reservations, urban areas and abandoned mine sites.

The House of Representatives report read: “The education system shall be a locus for propagating ethical and sustainable use of natural resources among the young to ensure the cultivation of a socially-responsible and conscious citizenry.”

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