A major forest restoration project in Samar is leveraging private capital to rehabilitate 120,000 hectares of degraded forestland inside a protected national park without relying on public funding.

The 50-year agreement between French nature restoration firm aDryada, the Samar Bamboo Corp., and the Philippine government aims to restore ecosystems within the Samar Island National Park.

Proponents said the initiative could serve as a national model for combining climate action, rural development and private investment.

“To explain in simple terms, Metro Manila is about 64,000 hectares,” said Karen Jimeno, a lawyer and representative for Audax Global. “We are reforesting 120,000 hectares here, so it is nearly twice the size of the capital region. And we are doing this at no cost to the government.”

Beyond environmental rehabilitation, the program intends to improve the living conditions of more than 20,000 residents inside the protected area. The project features job creation, social infrastructure development, upgraded agricultural practices and a long-term benefit-sharing scheme.