Philippine Rainforests

Rainforests are forests characterized by high rainfall, with definitions based on a minimum normal annual rainfall of 1750-2000 mm (68-78 inches). The monsoon trough, alternatively known as the intertropical convergence zone, plays a significant role in creating the climatic conditions necessary for the Earth's tropical rainforests. view more

From DEBT to Preservation of NATURE

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A developing nation often finds debts as stumbling blocks in its economic development. Debt for nature swaps are a welcome remedy for such nations as the twin objectives of debt minimization and environment conservation are achieved with one agreement.



Debt-for-Nature Swap is a program that helps a country to minimized negative effect of debt owned by a country then preserves d and saved the environment of the country.  It was a process which a commercial debt by a certain country will be purchased by an international non-government organization from banks or governments and then transfer them to the debtor country. Then the debtor country can now use the funds for the conservation of the environment. This was begun in the 1980s when institutions like the World Wildlife Fund decided to take up the cause of environment protection and conservation.


Philippines is one from the 50 countries around the world that agreed to participate with the Debt-for-Nature Swap. It was also on REPUBLIC ACT NO. 6724 SEC 4 in which it states that “Debt-for-Nature Swap Program. - To convert limited amounts of Philippine foreign debt into grants for nature, environment and wildlife conservation projects in the Philippines to be undertaken by international conservation groups;”.
It was on 1988 which WWF purchased some debts of the Philippines and it was redeemed by the Central Bank of the Philippines. Haribon Foundation, an environmental organization in the Philippines, used the funds from the debt swap for a variety of conservation actions, ranging from enhanced management support for national parks to training programmes for national conservation professionals. Some of the projects that been made by this programs was the St. Paul Subterranean River National Park and El Nido National Marine Park in Palawan Island, Olongo Island migratory bird sanctuary, Mt. Pulog National Park and Philippine Tarsier Project. The USAID is also one of the donor or purchaser in this program. DENR and FPE is also the beneficiary on this program.

Will the help of this program, we could not only minimized the debts by the country, we can also preserves and maintain our wildlife and environment. I am hoping that our government would not waste any funds from this program to other stuff and also looking forward for more participation in a project like this. All of us will have the benefits on preserving, maintaining and restoring the environment.





Sources:http://www.chanrobles.com/republicacts/republicactno6724.html
http://www.fao.org/docrep/w3247e/w3247e06.htm
http://www.dart-creations.com/article-tree/finan/debt_for_nature_swaps.html
http://www.dri.org.uk/pdfs/EngPub4_DebtConv.pdf
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philippine_tarsier#Philippine_debt-for-nature_swap_program
http://www.cbd.int/doc/external/wwf/wwf-commercial-swaps-en.pdf
Images from:images.google.com

Author: Lernie Salamat

The Biodiversity called Philippines and the Laws that Monitor It Part I

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Philippine forests can be considered as one of the most important forests in the world. This is due to the fact that the Philippines is considered to be one of the 18 mega diverse countries in the world and serves as habitat for more than 50000 species; half of them can only be found exclusively in the Philippines. Yet, many people are abusing it by engaging in continuous illegal logging and other activities that destroys not only the habitat of tens of thousands of species but also destroys the natural treasure and cultural heritage of the country.


In order to prevent the destruction of its forests, the Philippine government established laws to protect and preserve the rich ecosystem its forests provide. Executive Order 192 and Article XII, Sec. 2 of the 1987 Philippine Constitution aims to monitor the activities within its forests. Under the Executive Order 192, 1987, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources was established as the primary government agency responsible for the conservation, management, development and proper use of the country’s environment and natural resources as well as the licensing and regulation of all natural resources.  According to Article XII, Sec. 2 of the 1987 Philippine Constitution, “…the exploration, development, and utilization of natural resources shall be under the full control and supervision of the State. ..“. This is to ensure that all activities done within the forests are monitored in 
order to prevent people from abusing it.

Sources: http://pdf.usaid.gov/pdf_docs/PNADL681.pdf

Author: Willard Yung

The Phlippines Forest at Present

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Philippines is once a forested area which was most part of it turned into a wasteland. Back in 16th century the archipelago was entirely covered with forest, but on the later part of the 20th century, agricultural and commercial expansion was promoted. From 10 million hectares to 1 million hectares, estimated 9 million hectares loss in just 30 years from 1950 – 1980. Today, the forest that covers the archipelago drastically reduced. According to the present data by the DENR in the year 2004, the country’s forest already lost 75 percent or 23.9 percent of the country’s total land mass.
Commercial logging was the main cause of the deforestation in the Philippines after 1950. Although there was a logging banned issued in all provinces where forest covers less than 40 percent, legal logging still continue to some parts of the country, mainly on Mindanao where the logged trees was replaced by exotic trees for paper making. Regardless of the law, illegal logging is still widespread and often unchecked, including on those protected areas.
With the conversion of forests to a commercial area, wildlife has been greatly affected. Loss of habitats and place to multiply will push those animals to extinction. Species count has greatly decreased throughout the century. More animals been added to list of endangered species and some was declared extinct. This was mainly due to the damage of the people created due to exploitation of forest products, mining, pollutions, pesticides, conversion to agriculture and development projects.
Due to lack of government management, protected areas and sanctuaries can’t receive enough funds and resources to establish a complete protection over the area. Protected Areas and Wildlife Bureau (PAWB) should maximize its capabilities in order create and development more ways to preserve the remaining forests in the country. Without the help of the government, the total loss of the forest in the country would be possible.


Sources: http://www.birdlife.org/action/science/species/asia_strategy/pdf_downloads/forestsFO9.pdf
http://www.bulatlat.com/news/4-45/4-45-forest.html


Author: Lernie Salamat 

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