The University of Guam Center for Island Sustainability led senators of the 35th Guam Legislature in a native tree planting ceremony on Oct. 24 on the lawn of the Guam Congress Building.

The center and UOG President Thomas W. Krise spent the afternoon of Oct. 24 planting native species in celebration of the contribution that indigenous CHamoru knowledge offers today’s discussion on sustainability and resiliency in the face of climate change.

The native species planted include Ixoria triantha, Glochidion marianum (chosga), Scaevola taccada (nanaso), Bikkia tetrandra (gausali), and Leucaena insularum.

“The purpose of this tree planting was to honor and perpetuate CHamoru heritage and culture. The traditional knowledge of the indigenous people has carried them through thousands of years, and we still see that today. These sustainable practices are still valued,” said Else Demeulenaere, associate director of UOG CIS. “I am thankful for the senators in joining this celebration, and I hope that this will open more conversations on protecting indigenous ecological practices through policymaking.”

Along with Perez and Lee, Speaker Tina Muña Barnes and Sen. Kelly Marsh also attended the event.

The location of the planting coincided with the historic Guam Congress Building’s original plan to designate a space within its property to plant shrubs to create an outside meeting area for the senators. Joseph Quinata, chief program officer of the Guam Preservation Trust, assisted with determining the planting site. His son, Lazaro, gave opening remarks to honor the land and trees.

Prior to the tree planting, Demeulenaere presented her research on various native plant species in Micronesia and their traditional uses, which is part of her doctoral thesis at the University of Guam and the University of Alaska Fairbanks. At the Guam Legislature, she spoke of the critically endangered Serianthes nelsonii in Guam and Rota (Håyun Lågu and Trongkon Guåfi) and other Serianthes species found in Palau and Yap. She also presented her preliminary findings of traditional ecological knowledge of native plant species found in Litekyan (Ritidian) and how it remains a valuable resource for CHamorus.

Her presentation was made possible through the Botanical Advocacy Leadership Grant, which she received from the Botanical Society of America and the American Society of Plan Taxonomists.