Located at the headwaters of the Kotkot River Watershed, within the barangays Pung-ol
Sibugay, Sirao, Malubog and Taptap and bordering the Central Cebu Protected Landscape, the
Ayala Land Inc. Cebu Carbon Forest Project, in partnership with Soil and Water Conservation
Foundation Inc. (SWCF), aims to rewild 63 hectares of forest. It is one of the strategies of
the company under their Carbon NeutrALIty program to neutralise scope 1 and 2 carbon
emissions from commercial properties. The revegetated forests and carbon sequestration
benefits of the restoration offset Ayala Inc.’s residual emissions.
Through assisted natural regeneration and rainforestation, the initiative was able to plant 44
native tree species. The carbon forest site now serves as a natural area for birds, bats, reptiles,
insects, spiders and other associated species. Lichens, mosses, and other lower forms of
flora also inhabit the area. Moreover, the carbon forest offers ecosystem services such as
water generation that benefit the locals of Metro Cebu. It also helps reduce rainwater runoff
resulting in reduced soil erosion from the site. This is important since the site’s tributaries
are at the headwater of the river system. Slowing erosion helps reduce downstream soil
deposition that affects the lower parts of the river basin.
