Green Samar Project: 120,000 Hectare Rainforest Restoration With 80 Million PHP Yearly Investment in Philippines

The Green Samar Project is a new initiative to restore 120,000 hectares of degraded rainforest in the Samar Island Natural Park in the Philippines. The project plans to attract around 80 million PHP in annual investments over a 25 year initial period, using carbon finance to fund reforestation, native tree planting, and community patrols. It is a partnership between the Philippine DENR, French firm aDryada, and Samar Bamboo Corporation, and is expected to create 800 to 1,000 jobs in the first seven years while protecting a candidate UNESCO World Heritage site. This project is notable as one of the largest ecosystem restoration efforts in the country and a major test case for carbon funded conservation within a protected area. The first eight to ten years will see the heaviest investment, with carbon credit revenues intended to sustain protection beyond the initial crediting period. The initiative aims to improve living conditions for over 20,000 residents and strengthen park ranger capacity, positioning the Philippines as a potential leader in large scale nature based climate solutions.