UP Diliman Biology - EDC Binhi

Philippines , Philippines

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The UP Diliman Biology–EDC Binhi program refers to the UP Institute of Biology's one-hectare Threatened Species Arboretum, a living laboratory and seedling bank created in partnership with the Energy Development Corporation (EDC) as part of EDC's nationwide BINHI greening initiative.

Inaugurated in December 2014, the arboretum houses around 70 species of Philippine native and threatened trees, serving both to educate visitors about the country's rich biodiversity and to function as a gene and seedling bank for conserving these endangered trees. 

The project is managed by members of the Biodiversity Research Laboratory within the Institute of Biology and is headed by Dr. Lillian Jennifer Rodriguez and Dr. Edwino Fernando, with the herbarium and arboretum receiving the 2020 Gawad Tsanselor for outstanding extension programs. The arboretum offers regular guided tours and was prominently featured in 2019 as part of UP Diliman's Lakad Gunita Walking Tours, allowing students and the public to learn about threatened Philippine tree species in a natural setting.

EDC's BINHI program, launched in 2008, is the largest private sector-led reforestation initiative in the Philippines, having planted almost 6.9 million seedlings of 145 threatened native tree species nationwide through partnerships with forest communities and universities. The UP Biology–EDC BINHI collaboration exemplifies how academe and industry can work together for ecosystem restoration, biodiversity conservation, and environmental education.