Nature’s endgame

MANILA, Philippines — It’s a hard pill to swallow. It’s tough to know we destroyed our planet, but it’s knowledge that demands to be known. Now, more than ever.

It gets worse when you realize that the significantly unusual weather patterns, lack of water supply, and murky taps in the metro, along with the floods and landslides in the regions are signs that even with this inconvenient truth, nothing is getting better.

The Philippines prides itself with its natural resources, forests and oceans that are under threat every single day – many flora and fauna that are endemic are considered endangered, some even on the brink of extinction. According to the Convention on Biological Diversity, the country is one of the richest in biodiversity in the world, owning two-thirds of the planet’s biodiversity.

Our greatest asset is our resources. In 2013, the forestry sector contributed 0.12 percent, or around P5.26 billion to the gross domestic product. The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) places “the net present sustainable bioprospecting value of Philippine forests at approximately $36 million annually in perpetuity.”

Forests in the Philippines used to amount to more than 50 percent of the country’s land area, but this percentage gradually declined. From 17.8 million hectares in 1934, the country’s remaining forest cover is now only at 7.168 million hectares, or 24 percent of the total land area. This is the result of relentless illegal logging and deforestation.

Still, the problem remains. How little the government understands that our life revolves around forests is baffling. The growing need for a comprehensive policy agenda for our forests is imminent. With its thrust to Build, Build, Build toward infrastructure, our officials should always remember to take into account how development affects the environment.

Even with projects such as the National Greening Program, we see a greater need for the government to understand the adverse effects of continuous environmental ignorance. The need for well researched and adequately funded reforestation projects backed by the government continues to grow. Tree planting is more than just planting easy to sell lumber, we have to take into account the sustainability of our actions.

Non-government organizations have long recognized this need, and have consistently lobbied, fought for, and championed initiatives and policies for environmental protection and rehabilitation.

Organizations such as the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) Philippines support government projects such as the Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage Systems’ Annual Million Tree Challenge last year.

The five-year project aims to plant, maintain and nurture a million trees for the benefit of watersheds, which are the main sources of water in Metro Manila. The project is one step toward water security, as more trees in watersheds result in clean and potable water.

In 2005, Haribon started the Forests for Life Movement, a project to restore Philippine rainforests using indigenous tree species. Native trees, according to Haribon Foundation, are more adaptive to the forest in reforestation, and they have a greater chance of reviving the life system within the forest, ensuring that native plants and animals also thrive.

At this point, we see how individuals and nongovernment organizations are doing their best to spur information campaigns that will support and educate the public sector. It’s more than just planting trees, it’s the growing call for public officials to step up and protect what’s ours. Push the government to implement the laws they’ve passed. There’s a dire need for the public to understand how important our forests are.

One of the ways to push for awareness is through education and events. The government should allot funding for research and development to support projects like Haribon’s Forests for Life Movement.

Are we going to stay still? We’re in the endgame now. What’s the use of being on earth when we won’t avenge it?

We should fight for our forests. Walk the wire for nature. Continue to grow with it as time passes.

Ney Villaseñor is a corporate communications and public affairs professional who currently leads the corporate communications group of a Tech Fin company.