EDC continues to stand at the forefront of  environmental protection and conservation. BINHI,  EDC’s banner project on reforestation, successfully  planted 6.8 million native and fruit tree seedlings  on more than 10,000 hectares of land within its  managed forests throughout the country. To date,  BINHI is the largest private-sector greening initiative  in terms of coverage and conservation of Philippine  native trees. In 2021, EDC invested PHP 25.7  million for its environmental initiatives and watershed  management programs under the BINHI Program,  supporting foresters, botanists, wildlife biologists,  and other private and public partners.  

Adding to BINHI’s milestones for the year are  the forest protection initiatives that created local  forest protection groups in Leyte. Forest protection  brigades for six barangays and a Multi-Sectoral  

Forest Protection Council (MFPC) were organized  and established in Ormoc City. In Negros  Occidental, the Kanlaon Green Brigade (KGB)  initiative was established, while Negros Oriental  launched its Task Force Bantay Kabtangan (TFBK)  which successfully ensured zero forest fires.  

In collaboration with the University of the Philippines  Institute of Biology (UP-IB), the Biodiversity  Conservation and Monitoring Program (BCMP)  was expanded to include Flagship Species Initiative  and the development of Biodiversity Metrics  for geothermal projects. In 2021, the program  reported 514 total unique species of fauna within  the EDC-managed forests, wherein more than half  of the species are endemic. BINHI also added 570  hectares of new plantation throughout its project  sites, and produced 581,000 quality seedlings in its  central and satellite nurseries.