Beyond 315. This is the National Gas Company's (NGC) vision for its reforestation programme to help replant trees in areas once cleared for its pipelines.
It signed over 80 of 315 hectares of land to the Forestry Division of the Ministry of Agriculture, Land and Fisheries under its programme at the San Fernando Hill, on Tuesday.
This move was part of the NGC’s environmental clearance certificate requirements. Its reforestation programme ensured that the company replanted the number of trees it cleared to install pipelines from Guayaguayare to Point Lisas.
Though 315 is more than what they cleared to carry out its processes, the project was still completed to offset carbon dioxide emissions. NGC said in 2021, 10,373 tonnes of carbon have been sequestered as a result of the company’s reforestation efforts.
The first phase of the project involved the rehabilitation of 105 hectares on the south-eastern forest conservancies and the second phase resulted in the reforestation of 210 hectares in the Morne L’Enfer Forest Reserve. The 315 hectares are filled with cedar, mahogany, balata, mahoe, poui among others.
[caption id="attachment_1007164" align="alignnone" width="760"] NGC's reafforestation programme saw the energy company replant 315 hectares, 80 of which it presented to the Forestry Division on March 21, 2023. -[/caption]
NGC director Dr Donnie Boodlal said, “What began in 2005 as an initiative to restore forest acreage cleared during pipeline construction activities quickly became a signature sustainability project for NGC. We have aligned our operations, processes, strategies and vision to the targets of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
In his remarks, UWI professor emeritus John Agard said he was the principal investigator of these hectares and even took a few of his students to cover the project. He explained that when he did his investigations, he'd use the roots of the trees that were already removed by NGC to give his class a hands-on learning experience. Agard is the former head of the department of life sciences at UWI.
Boodlal said the company continued to focus on building industries around arts and culture, sport and community development, but had now introduced "an extensive green agenda portfolio, which is largely concerned with climate action."
"We are intent," he declared, "on reducing the carbon footprint of our business and wider industry, through energy-efficiency mechanisms, clean-energy technologies, a heavy focus on methane mitigation, advocacy and public-education programmes.”
He also noted that the handover coincidentally took place on the International Day of Forests. This day was proclaimed by the United Nations in 2012 and is meant to celebrate and bring awareness to the importance of all types of forests. It is also meant to encourage countries to undertake local, national and international efforts to organise activities involving forests and trees like that of the initiative done by NGC.
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