Whole-of-government approach to protect Mt. Apo from destructive fires

The massive fire that hit Mt. Apo last March 2016 razed around 115 hectares of forests and grassland. The fire was believed to have been started by trekkers who left a camp fire unattended. It started near the peak of Mt. Apo and quickly spread down to Lake Venado, Kidapawan City and the Sta. Cruz, Davao del Sur side of the mountain.
The massive fire that hit Mt. Apo last March 2016 razed around 115 hectares of forests and grassland. The fire was believed to have been started by trekkers who left a camp fire unattended. It started near the peak of Mt. Apo and quickly spread down to Lake Venado, Kidapawan City and the Sta. Cruz, Davao del Sur side of the mountain.SunStar File Photo

COLLABORATIVE efforts from local government units, national government agencies, communities, and other stakeholders are put in place to protect Mt. Apo against fire amid El Niño.

According to deputy spokesperson Paul Rodney Arbiol of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Protected Areas Management Board (PAMB), the forest fire on Mt. Apo can be either man-made or a natural phenomenon.

During Arbiol’s guesting on Philippine Information Agency’s One Davao virtual presser recently, he said that PAMB has not documented any fire incident in Mt. Apo that happened naturally in the past several years; however, as far as man-made causes are concerned, the latest fire incident in the area was in 2016, which was allegedly caused by the use of a butane canister.

He stressed that agricultural burning in farming communities also occurs and is a red flag for everyone not to do, especially now that the country is under a long dry spell.

Arbiol said the prevention of any fire incident on Mt. Apo is both a collaborative effort and a year-round protection.  

“Nakahimo kita og firelines kauban nato and Bureau of Fire Protection, forest rangers, ug ubang miyembro sa mga Indigenous Communities niadtong sunog sa 2016,” he said.

(We helped each other, the members of the Bureau of Fire Protection, forest rangers, and members of the indigenous communities, establish fire lines in 2016.)

Arbiol said the local government unit that is closer to the location of the fire will also inform the indigenous communities of prevention and control measures, adding that the Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Offices (MDRRMOs) are on standby to assist if ever a fire incident occurs in the Mt. Apo National Park.

He said most of the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) members and machinery are stationed in Bansalan, Davao del Sur, to respond if ever a fire incident happens in the area. Other partners in preventing the occurrence of fire incidents on Mt. Apo are the local government units, the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), and the local DRRMOs.

“Tanang ahensya sa pang gamhanan mamahimong kabahin sa estratehiya sa pag-undang sa sunog kung pananglit naay sunog sa Mt. Apo, pinaagi sa pag-apil nila isip kabahin sa Disaster Management Team diin mamahimo silang mga disaster managers ug magamit ang ilang kahibalo sa pagpalong unya sa kalayo,” Arbiol said.

(All of the government agencies will be part of the strategy to put off the fire in Mt. Apo.  They will form part of the Disaster Management Team, where they have officials who could be disaster managers at the time, plus their expertise in putting off the fire.)

He said the DENR-Davao del Sur is composed only of a few people; hence, the agency needs the assistance of the local government units, local DRRMOs, AFP, forest guards, Indigenous Peoples, and other stakeholders to protect Mt. Apo from forest fires.

“Mao ni ang gi-declare sa atong nasud, nga protektahan kining lugar tungod sa high value in terms of biodiversity, naa siya ancestral domain, aesthetic value tungod kay daghan natural resources dinhi kinahanglan nato protesiyonan,” Arbiol said.

(The national government has declared this area a protected area because it has high value in terms of biodiversity, the presence of ancestral domains, and aesthetic value due to its natural resources that need protection.)

He revealed that based on their biodiversity monitoring activity, wildlife like deer and wild boars are still present in the area, which they detect through their tracks and litter. They have also documented the presence of hornbills.

Arbiol said that in the past, deer, wild boars, and hornbills would go down to farming communities, but now they are situated in deep forests because of the large number of people that threaten their presence.

On planting trees, they issued a guideline to plant only endemic varieties in the forests. Only indigenous trees are allowed to be replanted within the protected area. 

Arbiol revealed that the closed-season trekking of Mt. Apo National Park will be from June 1 up to August 31 yearly. It is at this time when the mountain rehabilitates, particularly on the trails, when grasses grow taller and animal litter can be found in the campsites and along the trails.

He explained that the closed season is a big help for the mountain to rejuvenate and for its birds and other animals to flourish. PIA DAVAO


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