MANILA — The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) is looking to reforest between 1 and 2 million hectares of land in the Philippines, its Secretary said on Tuesday, after the agency found that forested areas in the country account for only 7 million hectares.

While the DENR has classified 15 million hectares as forest land, only 7 million hectares are actually forested, according to data from DENR’s Geospatial Database Office (GDO), which monitors and accounts for environment resources in the country through satellites.

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“Realistically speaking we cannot complete the 15 million (hectares of reforestation),” Environment Secretary Maria Antonia Yulo Loyzaga said in a press conference in Malacañang.

“We have prioritized the first million, and we are looking at 2 million hectares that we would like to reforest once again,” she said.

“One million is our modest target. Two million is our reach,” she said.

Swathes of land that need to be covered with trees are scattered across the country, but the agency eyes to begin its reforestation efforts in Cagayan Valley and Mindanao, Loyzaga said.

The DENR is eyeing partnerships to complete its reforestation targets, the Secretary said.

“Ang determining factor ay kung sino ang magsi-step forward in terms of the partnership with DENR. We need partnerships,” she said.

When asked how many hectares can be reforested until the end of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s term in 2028, Loyzaga said that it would be “difficult to predict.”

“Kung ma-forest natin ang 15 million [hectares], ang Pilipinas has… the capacity to absorb others areas’ emissions,” she said.

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The GDO has been using satellites and softwares to account for, manage and monitor forest areas and other natural resources in the Philippines.

“By using certain softwares, we can also anticipate how much carbon ang puwede masequester,” the Secretary said.

“In terms of water… We are able now to see kung saan dapat makakuha ng tubig na hindi na kailangan hukayin ang deepwell… so we can match the supply with the demand side,” she said.

The DENR was able to open the GDO earlier this year without seeking an additional budget, Loyzaga said, noting that the monitoring office made use of existing resources within the agency for its operations