Bgry. Guimbala-on is a home to Hda. Lantawan, a small village located right at the foot of Mt. Mandalagan adjacent to Malisbog River which is one of the sources for drinking water and irrigation of 17 municipalities and cities in the province. Mt. Mandalagan is part of the two percent remaining forest cover of the North Negros Forest Reserve (NNFR) which was declared protected area by virtue of Proclamation No. 895 signed by President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo on August 15, 2005. Thus, NNFR is now called, the North Negros Natural Park or the NNNP. Sadly, it is in Hda. Lantawan where patches of denuded forest, barren areas and cognal strips (Imperata Cylindrical or Talahib) which indicate poor soil and illegal human activities can be found, painting an environmental landscape that is not so pleasing to the eyes.

Biodiversity Significance:
The NNNP is among the locations of the Important Bird Area (IBA) and protected area for birds through the issuance of Administrative Act No. 789 on April 1935. The NNNP has a bird record of 140 species which is 54.9 percent of the over all bird record in Negros Occidental. It is also in NNNP where you can find 166 species of trees with 10 centimeter diameter at breast height, indicating the possibility that the park can be restored to its original state. There are also numerous forest and endemic trees remaining in NNNP and most can be found in Mt. Mandalagan and these include among others the Red Lawa-an, White Lawa-an, Mahogany, Acasia, Almaciga, Tangele, Apitong, and Narra.

Identified Threats:
Numerous threats engulfed NNNP endangering and compromising its ecological integrity and biodiversity and if no actions are taken up, these will surely devastate the Negros Island:

? Human interventions which include charcoal-making, illegal logging, slash and burn and even hunting.
? Large settlements inside the park composed of 8,814 households that exert so much pressure on the NNNP resources
? Large tracts of forestlands that have been converted into agricultural enterprise that adopt inappropriate technologies and use chemicals and pesticides
? Continuing rural development that attracts in-migration and informal settlers
? Lack of ancestral domain and tenurial rights for IP?s and tenured migrants, titled lands and absentee claimants
? Peace and order due to the presence of insurgents
? Insufficient forest guards and low budget for forest protection and law enforcement

General Project Objective:
To contribute to the over all efforts of the government and non-government organizations in protecting and rehabilitating the remaining forest cover and bio-diversity found in Mt. Mandalagan of the North Negros Natural Park particularly the Hda. Lantawan forest in Brgy. Guimbala-on, Silay City.

Specific Objectives:
? To elicit cooperation and support from the Silay City government line agencies, particularly the Hda. Lantawan ARBs, Sitio Sibato Bukidnon Tribal Community, and the general constituents of Brgy. Guimbala-on for the reforestation and enrichment planting in Lantawan area.
? To provide project beneficiaries with series of training on good farming practices in order to ensure food sufficiency and income while protecting and conserving the environment thereby abating illegal activities such as poaching, hunting, charcoal making and slash and burn.

? To provide project beneficiaries with series of training on environmental protection and pertinent laws in order to heighten their consciousness on the importance of the environment to their livelihood and their existence and to apply these laws against environmental offenders.
? To reforest the Lantawan area in order to restore the balanced in the eco-system of Mt. Mandalagan ? the ecology and the biodiversity ? so that it can become a home and sanctuary for wildlife and other endangered species.
? To expand and convert into commercial business the fish farm of the Sitio Sibato Bukidnon Tribal Community as a viable alternative livelihood to generate more income and employment among the local residents.
? To mainstream project sustainability, management and operations into the organizational structure and development plan of the Hda. Lantawan ARBs and the Sitio Sibato Bukidnon Tribal Community for the eventual project turn-over.

Activities and Outputs indiators:
1. Formation of Project Implementing Team - 1 Project Implementing Team organized; 1 Action plan and strategies developed
2. Coordinative Meeting with Silay City Government, Brgy. Guimbala-on Council, PAMB, NNNPMC, SSBTC, Hda Lantawan ARBs, SIMAG-OSY - 1 main nursery site in Brgy. Patag and backyard nursery of project beneficiaries identified.; 1 main nursery site in Brgy. Patag and backyard nursery of project beneficiaries identified
3. Project Orientation - 1 project orientation conducted
4. Mobilization of Hda Lantawan ARBs, SSBTC, SIMAG-OSY - 1 written agreement signed by the 3 organized groups to do seedling collection and forest rehabilitation
5. Series of Training on Good Farming Practices - 6 batches of training on good farming practices conducted and applied for food sufficiency and alternative livelihood/additional income
6. Series of Training on Environmental Protection and Pertinent Laws - 6 batches of training on environmental protection and pertinent laws conducted and applied against illegal activities for deputation of 25 beneficiaries
7. Procurement of Planting Materials and Tools -
8. Gathering and Collection of Endemic Seedlings and Wildings from Mt. Mandalagan - 1,765 seedlings collected and bagged per month; 30,000 seedlings collected and bagged in 17 months
9. Maintenance of Main Nursery in Brgy. Patag and Backyard Nursery for Project Beneficiaries - 30,000 seedlings propagated in main and backyard nurseries for forest rehabilitation
10. Forest Rehabilitation/Restoration Activity - 40 hectares of land reforested in Lantawan area
11. Expansion and Conversion of Fish Farm into Commercial Venture - Expansion and Conversion of Fish Farm into Commercial Venture
12. Monitoring and Evaluation ? Project Implementing Team - 1 monitoring and evaluation activity conducted per month to track progress of the project
13. Post Project Assessment - Accomplishment report
14. Project Turn Over - MOA and statement of acceptance