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ArticleLiberalizing tree plantation policies in the Philippines
XV World Forestry Congress, 2-6 May 2022
2022Also available in:
No results found.The Philippine forestry sector is in a bad shape. Despite the policies to protect forests, overregulation has negatively impacted the country’s capacity to produce wood. Harvest and transport rules in tree plantation development are too restrictive up to the point that it becomes a disincentive to wood producers. A solution is to liberalize said regulations to encourage investments in tree plantation development.Current regulations protect natural and residual forests and has banned logging in these areas. As such, forest product such as logs, timber and lumber can only be sourced from tree plantations. About 75% of the country’s wood requirements are from imported sources. And despite of its potential, only a few are engaged in the establishment of tree plantations.A study was conducted by the Foundation for Economic Freedom (FEF) to determine why people do not invest in forestry. It also looks on tree plantation development as an alternative to harvesting in the natural forests and as an excellent opportunity to supply the wood requirements of the country, spur economic and inclusive growth, and promote sustainable development.The study employed the Development Entrepreneurship (DE), a development model where technically sound and politically feasible bite-size solutions, packaged as policy reforms, are pursued. Technical soundness determines whether the reform is 1) transformative (is the reform likely to change the incentives and behavior of people and organizations sufficiently, so outcomes improve); 2) scalable (is change likely to spread well beyond the initial project site); and 3)sustainable (is the reform likely to continue without additional donor support). On the other hand, politically feasible, refers to the likelihood that the reform will be advocated by government champions and be accepted by existing political actors and environment. The model in a nutshell, means getting the right reform to the right person to get the right results.The proposals of the study were adopted by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Administrative Order (DAO) 2020-18, or “Promoting Tree Plantation Development and Liberalizing Harvesting and Transport of Planted Trees and Tree Derivatives for Inclusive Growth and Sustainable Development“ last December 17, 2020. Prior to harvest of trees, the 100% inventory requirement was removed in private plantations and reduced to 5% requirement in State-owned forest lands. For transport, instead of securing several documents, a certification tating that the trees are from legal sources is sufficient. Keywords: Economic Development, Policies, Sustainable forest management, Decent employment, Governance ID: 3619348 -
ArticlePreliminary assessment of Philippine threatened plants in the makiling botanic gardens, Philippines: A showcase of the gardens’ ex-situ living collections
XV World Forestry Congress, 2-6 May 2022
2022Also available in:
No results found.Conservation of threatened plants is a national and global concern. Assessment of Philippine plants listed as threatened was conducted at the Makiling Botanic Gardens (MBG) of the Mount Makiling Forest Reserve ASEAN Heritage Park. Aside from providing venue for instruction and research related to forestry and plant sciences as mandated by Republic Act (RA) No. 3523, MBG also serves as a repository of important native and endemic species. The study aimed to showcase MBG’s ex-situ collections and to provide list and information on the threatened plants including status, their number and location within the area to safeguard these threatened plants and save them from possible extinction. The list of threatened plants is based on the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Administrative Order 2017-11 issued on 02 May 2017 pursuant to RA No. 9147, also known as the ‘Wildlife Resources Conservation and Protection Law’. Results of initial inventory showed a total of 7,574 plant individuals distributed in 401 species and 75 families. Of these, only 82 species with 2,052 individuals are in the Philippine threatened plant list: eight species critically endangered (CR), 15 species endangered (EN), 39 vulnerable (VU), and 20 other threatened species (OTS). This represents only 8.3% of the total 984 species in the threatened plant list and is still way below the Global Strategy for Plant Conservation (GSPC) Target 8 of 75%. About 45% of these threatened species are endemic to the Philippines. There is a need therefore to prioritize these species for global conservation and restoration. Long-term programs on conservation and restoration of these threatened plants must be developed to at least improve their conservation status. Meanwhile, the MBG has commenced a project to increase its living collections of threatened species and develop propagation protocols to make these available for recovery and restoration programs. Keywords: biodiversity conservation ID:3623523 -
ArticleEffects of COVID-19 on Community-Based Forest Management (CBFM) in selected regions of the Philippines
XV World Forestry Congress, 2-6 May 2022
2022Also available in:
No results found.Everyone, regardless of socio-economic status and location, has been affected at varying degrees by the COVID-19 pandemic. However, those living in the uplands have borne the brunt of COVID-19, because lesser resources are at their disposal compared to their lowland counterparts. Moreover, deforestation, landscape fragmentation, habitat destruction, and illegal wildlife trade are being blamed at them as the reasons behind the pathogen transmission. With an estimated area of 1.6 million hectares of forest under the management of people’s organizations (POs) through the Community-Based Forest Management (CBFM) Program of the Philippine Government, the importance of these communities cannot be overly emphasized in effecting sustainable forest management to prevent future disease outbreaks. This study assesses the impacts of COVID- 19 on forest management activities and livelihood of upland communities in 15 of the 18 regions of the country implementing CBFM Program through online focus group discussions (FGDs) with the officers and staff of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) at the regional, provincial, and local levels. Initial results indicate that lockdowns have adversely affected the production activities of the POs, which consequently resulted in a decrease in income. In addition, an increase in illegal activities such as timber poaching, charcoal making, and swidden farming have been observed in some areas as forest protection activities have been put on hold. Enterprising POs, however, have ventured into selling their cash crops, ornamental plants, and other products online for income generation, while others focused their time on tending their agroforestry farms. The findings of this study can be used as bases for targeted interventions (i.e., employment in forest restoration and monitoring, strengthening alternative livelihoods) of the government to avert a further decline in forest condition, even beyond the COVID-19 pandemic. Keywords: COVID-19, community-based forest management, sustainable forest management ID: 3486614
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