Philippines Signs Deal to Restore 120,000 Hectares of Samar Rainforest

On June 23, 2026, the Philippines' Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) signed a memorandum of agreement with French nature-based project developer aDryada and Samar Bamboo Corporation to restore 120,000 hectares of degraded rainforest within the 335,000-hectare Samar Island Natural Park — the Philippines' largest terrestrial protected area and home to the critically endangered Philippine Eagle. The 25-year 'Green Samar' agreement combines direct native-species planting, assisted natural regeneration, and enrichment planting, and is expected to create 800–1,000 jobs in its first seven years while benefiting more than 20,000 local residents through social infrastructure and a long-term benefit-sharing framework. The project is funded through private capital rather than direct public funding, positioning it as one of Southeast Asia's largest privately backed ecological rehabilitation efforts, with plans to generate forest carbon credits.