The Department of Environment and Natural Resources reiterated on Monday that no tree removal is permitted for infrastructure and development projects without complying with legal and environmental requirements.

“We assure the public that no tree is authorized for removal without strict legal basis, environmental safeguards, and long-term rehabilitation requirements,” the agency said in a statement.

The DENR reported that a total of 26,617 trees were authorized for cutting under the Berong Nickel Project in Palawan, alongside 43,743 saplings approved for earth-balling and transplanting.

The agency said tree-cutting activities for the project would not be conducted in a single operation but instead carried out in phases, with each stage accompanied by simultaneous replacement planting to ensure continuous ecological recovery.

According to the DENR, the project complies with one of the country’s highest mitigation standards, including a mandatory replacement ratio of 100 indigenous seedlings for every tree authorized for cutting, equivalent to an estimated minimum of 2,661,700 seedlings.

“These must consist of indigenous and mangrove species such as Pagatpat, Api-api, and other DENR-approved native species suited to the area’s rehabilitation needs,” the agency said.

The project proponent, Berong Nickel Corporation, is required to maintain all planted seedlings for at least three years to ensure survival and successful establishment, as well as provide long-term protection and stewardship of rehabilitated areas.

The DENR also directed the subsidiary of DMCI Mining Corporation to involve local communities in planting, maintenance, and protection activities, with agency validation required before payments are released to ensure transparency, work quality, and community benefit.

Authorities also stressed the importance of maintaining 20-meter buffer zones along rivers and waterways, rehabilitating non-minable and protected areas, and strictly complying with monitoring protocols led by DENR foresters and overseen by a Multipartite Monitoring Team composed of government agencies, local government units, communities, and civil society organizations.

“These safeguards — similar to the strict conditions imposed in the Quirino Avenue case — ensure transparency, accountability, and long-term ecological recovery,” the DENR added.

The agency also assured the public that it continues to closely supervise every phase of tree-cutting activities related to construction and development projects to ensure environmental protection and full compliance with existing laws.