Shadow

Relocation and forest restoration (first of two parts)

While many are still recovering from the impacts of typhoon Odette that devastated several islands in the Philippines mid-December last year, there are again discussions on the need for massive reforestation and relocation of those who occupy hazardous and disaster-prone sites.

The typhoon made several landfalls and most affected areas are smaller islands in Mindanao and Visayas, including Negros Island, and Palawan.

Typhoon Odette unleashed strong winds and heavy flooding resulting to enormous damages to properties, agriculture, and public utilities and infrastructures, and worst, several deaths. There are still areas now where power, communication, and water services are not yet fully restored. While relief and recovery operations are still ongoing, there are families that badly need assistance to repair and rebuild their damaged or destroyed houses.

Similar strong typhoons already occurred in the past and aftermath, the issue of deforestation surfaced and had been pointed out as one of the contributing factors in the massive flooding and landslide.

The country is already heavily deforested and mostly of the remaining forest is open forest estimated at 4,282,764, while the closed forests accounted for about 2,028,015 hectares, according to the recent forestry statistics released by the Forest Management Bureau of the Department of Environment and Natural Resource.

Although the country’s forest cover stands at about 44 percent of the classified forestland, it is only about 23 percent compared to our total land area measured at 30 million hectares. Moreover, the remaining closed forests may not all natural forests as they may also comprised tree plantations with closed canopy.

Taking a closer look on the forestry statistics of some affected areas of typhoon Odette the same is true when it comes to forest cover. The combined forest cover of Dinagat Island and Surigao del Norte only accounts about 24 percent out their 273,902 hectares total land area. Dinagat was subjected to several mining operations since it is a declared mineral reservation.
Bohol has only about eight percent forest cover based on its 411,726 total land area, while Cebu is almost deforested with only about two percent forest cover left.

Meanwhile, Iloilo and Guimaras provinces have a combined of only about four percent of their land area is still covered with forest. The neighboring Negros Occidental and Negros Oriental provinces have each seven percent forest cover out of their respective total land area. Siargao was also badly hit and damaged as it has limited terrestrial forest since the island is comprised mostly of limestone and it is basically a flatland.

Numerous scientific studies attested the importance of the water holding capacity of the forest, and it is basically a natural barrier in preventing rushing rainwaters from the mountains to downstream and low lying areas. Good forest cover also stabilizes the soil and it mitigates soil erosion.

Once the mountains are devoid of natural forest cover, then nothing will block the flows of rainwater flows from cascading and the resulting effect of flashfloods. While flooding may not be prevented at all when too much and prolonged rainfalls occur, at least with good forest cover, the impacts may not be that horrible.

Deforestation has never been curtailed in the Philippines through the years. It is not only due to commercial logging, timber poaching, and charcoal making, but also because of development aggression on our remaining forest, such as construction of roads and other big infrastructures, human settlement, tourism, widespread agriculture, and industrial development, like mining, sourcing of energy, and building of dams. Unfortunately, many of these so-called development initiatives were government-sanctioned projects with the aid of environmental clearances and other necessary permits.

The forest protection program of the government is still much wanting. It seems this important function is given less priority as indicated of lower budget and outnumbered personnel to protect the remaining forest. Reports of forest destruction continue to grab headlines of various media establishments. It is also sad to note that many personnel, both from government and nongovernment organizations, have been murdered, simply because of their serious efforts in forest protection.

It is also high time for the government to recalibrate the development paradigm of this country. Are we really pursuing real progress at the expense of our forest and other natural environment? Can we afford to loss more of the limited forest cover and convert it to other purposes? Not even our protected areas were spared from forest destruction.* (To be continued)

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