Sánchez: Exasperation over exotics

Monday, October 24, 2011

ALARM bells began ringing among biodiversity circles with an email over the weekend from Dr. Perry Ong.

In his note, Ong quoted a Philippine Daily Inquirer classified ad for an Invitation to Bid for the Delivery of Supplies and materials for P-Noy’s National Greening Program (NGP).

Have something to report? Tell us in text, photos or videos.

Describing the ad as “disturbing” which called for 128,000 mahogany seedlings and 70,000 gmelinas to reforest in Ilagan, Isabela, Ong asked, “What is wrong with this picture?” Answering his own question, he said that “this runs contrary to our recommendation that no government funds should be used to procure, produce and maintain exotic species.”

Ong should know whereof he speaks. A professor and director of the Institute of Biology of the UP-Diliman, he earned his PhD in Behavioral Ecology and Evolutionary Biology on 1995 at Monash University, Australia. Dr. Ong won the Hugh Greenwood Environmental Science Award in recognition of his outstanding scientific and technological research works that contribute to environmental protection and conservation.

He was cited for his significant contributions in the implementation of the Philippine Biodiversity Conservation Priority-Setting program, which identifies a total of 206 integrated priority conservation areas and five strategic actions to help ensure the conservation of Philippine biodiversity.

No wonder then that he was worried that the NGP is lurching toward exotics. He concludes that “based on the above bid document, clearly, only 3.38 percent of the budget will be for indigenous species.” Ong
added, “Imagine spending money for barb wires and concrete posts. Wouldn’t this be better used to protect indigenous/endemic species than exotics, if not protected areas.”

Among the recipients of his weekend email were former DENR Secretary Elisea “Bebet” Gozun, Haribon Foundation, the Philippine Tropical Forest Conservation Foundation (PTFCF), and even Oliver Agoncillo, a USAID natural resources policy adviser.

The US government has a stake with the tree species to be planted in the Philippines. It signed two bilateral agreements with the Philippine government to establish PTFCF to use a portion of the $41.5 million in RP-US debt to achieve its vision of a “lush and biologically diverse Philippine forests.”

The lush and biologically diverse Philippine forests vision exclude exotic trees such as gmelina, mahogany, eucalyptus, and other introduced species. The reason is simple.

“Philippine reforestation, which is the monoculture of single species, is not bringing back biodiversity; the approach brings problems like pests that thrive in fast-growing trees,” said Dr. Paciencia P. Milan of the Visayas State University in Leyte. Milan pioneered in rainforestation that focuses on planting and restoring native tree species, especially of dipterocarps. She added that in the presence of abundant exotic host trees, infestation is severe.

“Reforestation in this country is not restoring rainforests; it’s just planting trees,” she said, emphasizing that a mere quarter of the country’s original forest cover remains.

Well, that is happening. Yakal, Guijo, Narra and Tindalo are being reduced to names of streets at Bacolod’s Shopping Center. I should know. I reviewed baseline data of forest inventories in the community forests of Barangay Bagong Silang, Salvador Benedicto. Judging from stand-stock tables, these endemic species are becoming as common as hen’s teeth or cold winters in hell.

Another colleague wrote in exasperation. Ruth Canlas, the NTFP-TF country coordinator, said the Rainforestation Restoration Initiative had a meeting with DENR’s Ecosystems Research and Development Bureau. An ERDB official confirmed that the “the NGP has been firmed up. It does not even include (ancestral domains) and that mainly it would be exotic species. RFRI would not be directly participating in the NGP anymore although a letter has been drafted on offering services on rainfo trainings.”

Ruth added that “for the first year, they would procure their seedlings through biddings. On the second year, there would be no more biddings. It would just be done through agreements by the Cenro/Menro/Penro on the local level—and of course, they would all be negotiated agreements. So, there is really nothing new with this NGP—same-same as they say—pareho rin ng mga dating refo projects ng govt.”

An ardent supporter of P-Noy’s campaign, she now asks, “Saan kaya ang matuwid na daan dito?”

Please email comments to bqsanc@yahoo.com