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Thursday, September 22, 2005
Environment intent on protecting 'vanishing' forests
By Marna H. Dagumboy
CITY OF SAN FERNANDO - Environment and forest protection officials in Central Luzon are planning to map out preventive measures to protect the region's remaining forests, which experts predict will vanish by 2050 should the government's forest protection and rehabilitation efforts fail.
This, after Central Luzon Regional Executive Director Regidor de Leon said the forest protection plan seeks to bring under control illegal logging activities in at least 17 illegal logging "hotspots" in the region.
"The plan was patterned after the draft Omnibus Forestry guidelines laid down by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), which identified upland agroforestry development and forest boundary delineation as critical in the protection and rehabilitation of the region's forests," he said.
The plan, de Leon said, will address forest management and protection issues and ensure the short and long-term economic and environmental benefits of sustainable forestry activities in the area.
Among the illegal logging hotspots are Mt. Arayat in Pampanga; Sta Cruz, Castillejos and Iba in Zambales; San Jose, Mayantoc and San Clemente in Tarlac; Carranglan, Bongabon, Laur in Nueva Ecija; Sumacbao River and San Jose Del Monte in Bulacan; Bagac, Morong and Mariveles in Bataan; and Dipaculao and Dingalan in Aurora.
Meanwhile, DENR Technical Director for Forestry Ricardo Calderon said the plan, which was completed during the first Forestry Sector Forum in Lubao, also sought to squarely settle the issues of kaingin or slash-and-burn farming, squatting, illegal logging, forest fire, and pest and disease control in forest plantation.
"This is the first time that a comprehensive forest protection plan has been mapped out no less by those directly involved in forest protection, law enforcement, and surveillance and intelligence operations of the DENR," he said.
Calderon added that the plan sets out to strengthen interagency linkages with the military and the police, including the Philippine Coast Guard.
He said intelligence operations would require highly specialized skills in the recognition and containment of destructive agents in illegal logging "hotspots," including the surveillance, detection and arrest of illegal loggers.
Records show that only 433,276 out of 963,120 hectares of forest lands in the region have adequate forest cover or about 45 percent.
With this, the Japan International Cooperation Agency (Jica) sponsored a skills enhancement seminar to upgrade the forest management skills of some 120 forest protection officers of the DENR who will be tapped in the implementation of the five-year Enhancement of the Community-Based Forest Management Program (ECBFMP).
Hideki Miyakawa, Jica chief advisor, said the series of seminars would enhance the competency level of the DENR in the field implementation of major forestry projects in the region.
Earlier, the DENR launched the ECBFMP which received a technical assistance grant of P250 million from the Japanese Government through Jica.
The ECBFMP project covers five CBFM model sites in Magalang and Sapang Bato in Pampanga; Gen. Tinio in Nueva Ecija and Botolan in Zambales.
(September 22, 2005 issue)
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