Rationale

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).