ISAT U Native Tree Advocates and Environmental Stewards

30/03/2026

02/01/2026

02/01/2026

For decades, cities around the world have poured concrete over rivers, believing it would control floods, improve drainage, and modernize urban landscapes. What we didn’t realize is that concrete riverbanks silently destroy ecosystems, worsen flooding, and cost taxpayers billions in long-term damage.

Concrete channels force rivers into narrow paths, increasing water speed instead of managing it. During heavy rainfall, this fast-moving water has nowhere to spread, leading to severe urban flooding, infrastructure damage, and costly emergency response. Ironically, the very solution meant to protect cities often makes disasters worse.

Natural rivers work differently. When riverbanks are restored with vegetation, rocks, wetlands, and floodplains, water slows down naturally. This reduces flood peaks, recharges groundwater, and filters pollutants before they reach drinking water sources. Studies show that nature-based flood management can reduce flood risk by up to 40% while costing less than concrete infrastructure.

Beyond flood protection, restored rivers revive life. Fish return. Birds nest. Insects pollinate nearby farmland. Biodiversity increases, improving local food chains and ecosystem stability. Green river corridors also lower urban temperatures, helping cities fight climate change and heat waves.

There’s a strong economic case too. River restoration projects create long-term jobs, boost eco-tourism, increase nearby property values, and reduce spending on flood repairs and water treatment. Investors, city planners, and governments are now recognizing that green infrastructure outperforms gray infrastructure over time.

As climate change brings stronger storms and unpredictable rainfall, we must rethink how we design our cities. Concrete may look clean and controlled, but nature is smarter, cheaper, and more resilient.

Healthy rivers mean safer cities, stronger economies, and a livable future.

It’s time to stop concrete riverbanks—and restore natural rivers.

27/10/2025

24/10/2025

ONCE LOST TO SCIENCE, THIS SPECIES IS FOUND AFTER 130 YEARS ❤️

RIZAL PROVINCE — A plant species last recorded in the 1890s has been rediscovered thriving within the limestone forests of the Masungi Georeserve. The Philippine Journal of Science has published the confirmed finding of Exacum loheri (H. Hara) Klack., a species once considered lost, in a new research note authored by scientists from the University of the Philippines Diliman and the Philippine Normal University.

This marks the first verified record of the species in over 130 years, following its original collection by Swiss botanist August Loher in 1895.

The study, “Notes on the Poorly Known Exacum loheri (H. Hara) Klack. (Gentianaceae) and a Key to the Philippine Species of Exacum,” presents the first-ever photographs of living E. loheri. The plant was serendipitously rediscovered during a malacological (snail) reconnaissance study within Masungi’s “600 Steps” area in Baras and Tanay, Rizal.

Described as achlorophyllous or mycoheterotrophic, E. loheri lacks chlorophyll and relies entirely on a symbiotic relationship with fungi for its nutrients — an exceptionally rare adaptation in plants. It was observed growing on humus-rich limestone soils near a freshwater channel in a secondary karst forest, underscoring the ecological complexity and conservation importance of Masungi’s limestone ecosystems.

According to researchers Jayson A. Mansibang, Lawrence Jacob C. Alterado, Aaron Gabriel B. Espinosa, and Erwin M. Blancaflor, Masungi Georeserve currently harbors the only known living population of E. loheri in the wild. “Considering its restricted distribution, this species is presumed to be extremely rare and probably threatened at present,” the authors wrote.

Beyond documenting the rediscovery, the paper also provides a comprehensive taxonomic key to all known Philippine species of Exacum, enriching the country’s botanical research and biodiversity database.

“The rediscovery of this long-lost species shows why the Vena Group’s 603-MW wind project has no place in the Masungi Karst Conservation Area. Every year, science reveals more rare and endemic life thriving here — proof that this landscape is irreplaceable,” — Billie Dumaliang, Director for Advocacy, Masungi Georeserve Foundation.

The rediscovery reinforces Masungi’s role as a critical refuge for rare and endemic species within the Sierra Madre range, a landscape increasingly threatened by quarrying, large-scale infrastructure, and other destructive activities.

The Foundation continues to collaborate with scientists, communities, and environmental defenders to safeguard these irreplaceable habitats.

Masungi Georeserve Foundation extends its gratitude to the University of the Philippines Diliman Institute of Biology, Philippine Normal University, and the Malacological Society of Australasia for their invaluable fieldwork and scientific partnership that led to this rediscovery.

# # #

About the Masungi Georeserve Foundation

The Masungi Georeserve Foundation, a 2022 recipient of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals Action Campaign Inspire Award, is a non-profit organization dedicated to conserving the Masungi karst ecosystem in Baras, Rizal, Philippines. Through the Masungi Geopark Project, the foundation is spearheading the restoration of over 2,700 hectares of degraded watershed areas. Its mission extends to advancing research, education, and sustainable geotourism, safeguarding the region’s natural heritage for future generations.

For more information, contact: [email protected]

Link to the Philippine Journal of Science Research Note:
https://philjournalsci.dost.gov.ph/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/notes-on-the-poorly-known-Exacum-loheri_.pdf?fbclid=IwY2xjawNkFdZleHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETFGVmw2VVU4THZOWmh2bjdtAR7OiP-k67citmvxEDWvV-oMoUofjx2M_D2u2Fp9rC10ni0aNowMFGxeSH54UQ_aem_584Msbyq5FwQJ0T4j87nTw&brid=xG6nq-13CDXTZdveGMfz8g

04/10/2025