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Debrief: Status of (Philippine) Forests

“Forests are vital to life on earth. They are the richest of all ecosystems – covering only 8% of the planet and are home to two thirds of all known species of terrestrial plants and animals. Millions of people rely directly on forests for food, water, medicines and other basic materials. For these forest peoples the forest defines their culture and way of life. Within developing countries, one billion of the world’s poorest people depend upon forests for part of their livelihoods, and as many as 350 million people living in and around forests are heavily dependent on forests for their livelihoods and security.” -Greenpeace

The Philippines is one of the most severely deforested countries in the tropics and most deforestation has happened in the last 40 years. Estimates place forest cover in the Philippines in the year 1900 at 21 million hectares, covering 70 % of the total land area…

24.0% —or about 7,162,000 hectares—of Philippines is forested. Of this, 11.6% —or roughly 829,000 hectares—is classified as primary forest, the most biodiverse form of forest.

Change in Forest Cover: Between 1990 and 2000, Philippines lost an average of 262,500 hectares of forest per year.  The amounts to an average annual deforestation rate of 2.48%. Between 2000 and 2005, the rate of forest change decreased by 20.2% to 1.98% per annum. In total, between 1990 and 2005, Philippines lost 32.3% of its forest cover, or around 3,412,000 hectares. Measuring the total rate of habitat conversion (defined as change in forest area plus change in woodland area minus net plantation expansion) for the 1990-2005 interval, Philippines lost 7.9% of its forest and woodland habitat.

Biodiversity and Protected Areas: Philippines has some 1196 known species of amphibians, birds, mammals and reptiles according to figures from the World Conservation Monitoring Centre. Of these, 45.8% are endemic, meaning they exist in no other country, and 14.7% are threatened. Philippines is home to at least 8931 species of vascular plants, of which 39.2% are endemic. 5.1% of Philippines is protected under IUCN categories I-V.

Source: https://rainforests.mongabay.com/deforestation/archive/Philippines.htm

Sierra Madre: Under Threat – A close look at illegal logging in one of the Philippines’ last remaining old growth forests*

By Greenpeace Southeast Asia, April 2006

Though published back in April 2006, much of the fact based findings in this report still prove relevant today.  

“In 1992,the Philippine Government proclaimed 287,861 hectares of land area and 76,625 hectares of coastline water area of the Northern Sierra Madre Mountain Range (“Sierra Madre”) as part of a national integrated protected area system. Through the enactment of Republic Act 9125, the Sierra Madre was declared a natural park to further enhance its protected areas status.

Republic Act 9125 also provided the Sierra Madre an extra layer of protection (called the “buffer zones” covering adjacent areas one (1) kilometer wide from the boundaries of the Sierra Madre) to which restrictions and sustainable resource management strategies involving local communities and the private sector are similarly applied in order to repel threats to the protected area.

The law further declares that all primary (old growth) forests within the Sierra Madre including portions which have been previously declared as alienable and disposable, shall be classified as strict protection zones and shall be free from all forms of logging or exploitation, commercial or otherwise; except portions of primary forests which may be classified as sustainable use zones. Under the law, “sustainable use” is defined as— “the use of components of biological diversity in a way and at a rate that does not lead to the decline of the species used and not causing permanent or long-term diminishment or qualitative degradation of biological species, ecological functions or of other resources extracted or disturbed, thereby maintaining its potential to meet the needs and aspirations of the present and future Filipino generations”.

The law also enumerates the illegal acts within the Sierra Madre and the buffer zones. The illegal acts relating specifically to forest protection are:

• (i) Cutting, gathering, collecting or removal of timber or other forest products without prior permit from the Protected Area Management Board (“PAMB”); provided that any permit issued shall be valid for only one (1) year at a time and given only to – (a) tenured migrants in the Sierra Madre within sustainable, monitored and controlled quotas, and (b) for scientific purposes necessary for protected area management;
• (ii) Possession or use of chainsaws and band saws without prior permit from the PAMB; provided that permits may only be issued for multiple use and buffer zones; and 
• (iii) Engaging in kaingin (slash and burn farming) or in any manner causing a forest fire inside the Sierra Madre or its buffer zones.

Despite the proclamation of the Sierra Madre as a protected area, there have been persistent reports or information that illegal logging activities continue to be conducted within the area….

It can be inferred that the wood furniture industry contributes to the continuing illegal logging in the Sierra Madre. Even so, the government will surely hesitate deprioritizing the wood industry sector due to economic importance. This is understandable, however, it will help to bear in mind that the country’s state of deforestation and loss of biodiversity have reached crisis proportions and for that matter hard choices have to be made. Ecological disasters, like landslides killing thousands at a time, and the growing threat to water quality and supply attributable to deforestation are harsh realities that can no longer be ignored. Indeed, for the Philippines, saving what is left of its forest cover has become a matter of survival.”

Source: https://www.greenpeace.org/seasia/ph/Global/seasia/report/2006/5/sierra-madre-under-threat.pdf