The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) in Region 6 aims to further protect the forests from illegal loggers and poachers thus a forest ranger station was established at SitioTabionan, Brgy. Bucari, Leon, Iloilo.

Under the supervision of the Community ENR Office – Guimbal, the Forest Ranger Station is an improved infrastructure that will now serve as choke point and for protection of forests by limiting access on forestlands to avoid its exploitation.

The Forest Protection Program (FPP) strengthens protection mechanism in the country’s remaining natural forests. It also complements the National Greening Program’s (NGPs) objective to expand our forest covers to conserve our natural forest resources from degrading due to commercial logging that supplies the demand of forest products for industrial and household purposes.

Forest rangers perform wide range of tasks such as monitoring and patrolling the forest area and the forest ranger station will serve as their temporary shelter during their field activities.

DENR pushes for the creation of an Environmental Protection and Enforcement Bureau (EPEB) to further strengthen forest protection and law enforcement in forest lands by eradicating illegal logging, poaching and to also address mining issues as well as enhancing the team of forest enforcers.

“Bucari, Leonalso known as Panay’s “Little Baguio”,is one of the many nature tourist destinations here in Western Visayas. It should be protected and conserved with the help of our forest rangers that patrol the area even in these times of COVID-19 pandemic,” said regional executive director Francisco E. Milla, Jr.

Intensified Forest Protection and Anti-illegal logging are among the top ten DENR Priority Programs and Projects of Environment Secretary Roy A. Cimatu.