The Government of the
Philippines has formulated a comprehensive collection of policies on forestry,
environment and natural resources. It is quick to respond to policy needs and
as a result, policies embracing and addressing specific issues and problems are
drafted. However, this swift response to needs is not necessarily translated
into solutions at the ground level and there is a considerable number of
overlapping policies. In addition, policies are not implemented based on the
performance of the country’s forest management sector as required. Over four
centuries, the Philippine forestry situation has deteriorated to a situation
where the country has become a net importer of timber. From an estimated 27.5
million ha of forest in 1575 (Revilla et
al. 2000), the total forest cover (including plantations) has declined to
about 6.5 million ha (FAO 2001). Per capita forest cover in the Philippines is
estimated at 0.072 ha. This is 23 times lower than the average for the Asia-Pacific
region (Revilla et al. 2000).
The Philippine constitution mandates that forestlands and national parks,
including their boundaries shall be marked clearly on the ground. Such
forestlands (including national parks) shall be conserved and may not be
increased nor diminished, except by law. On this basis, land classification at
the national level divides the country into two categories: forestlands and
alienable and disposable lands (A&D lands). The classification is based
primarily on slope, which assumes that agricultural productivity diminishes in
steeper areas. Here, agricultural productivity is defined in terms of the
susceptibility of the land to erosion and soil degradation. Areas with slopes of
18 percent or more are not deemed suitable for long-term agricultural
production and are classified as forestlands. Areas with slopes less than 18
percent are classified as A&D lands. Of the 30 million ha that comprise the
total land area of the country, it is estimated that 53 percent (or 15.88
million ha) belongs to forestlands while the remainder are A&D lands.
The irony is that while the
policy on land classification has been in place for the past 80 years, the
boundaries that separate the forestlands from the A&D lands are not marked
on the ground. As a result, human intrusion has proliferated over the years to
the extent that citizens have privatized areas that should remain as
forestlands. Agriculture and livestock raising occur on certain parts of
forestlands. All too often, these are critical watersheds – areas so degraded
that forest renewal is a priority and must be the only activity. Only recently
has the government undertaken a massive effort to delineate and demarcate the
boundaries on the ground.
According to the 2000
census, the estimated population was 76.5 million. About 26 percent is living
in and dependent on the uplands for their livelihoods. Their contribution to
forest degradation along with rampant illegal logging and ineffective forest
renewal has contributed to the destruction of much of the country’s forests.
Primary or old growth forest is estimated at only 800 000 ha (see Table 1).
Table 1.
Breakdown of forest cover in the Philippines (after Revilla et al. 2000).
Land cover in forestlands |
Area
(million ha) |
Dipterocarp forest
(old growth) |
0.80 |
Dipterocarp forest
(residual) |
2.73 |
Pine forest |
0.23 |
Submarginal forest |
0.48 |
Mossy forest |
1.04 |
Mangrove forest |
0.11 |
Brushlands |
2.23 |
Open/other uses |
8.26 |
TOTAL |
15.88 |