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Countries Appendix PHILIPPINES (22.7%) The primary forests of the Philippines are pretty much history (less than 3% cover remains) and the remaining secondary forests are disappearing at an alarming rate of 480 hectares (1186 acres) per day. Most of the remaining forests exist on the island of Palawan which has roughly 3 million acres (1.2 million ha) of rainforest of which almost 40% is primary forest. Current deforestation can be largely attributed to illegal logging activities and forest fires from forest clearing. Illegal logging is said to provide US$700 million a year to smugglers who send out logs aboard Korean and Japanese ships. Though logging was banned by the government after widespread flooding in the late 80's and early 90's, forest services are understaffed and unable to stop illegal logging. Additional threats come from legal and illegal mining operations that not only require forest clearing but also are responsible for releasing tons of toxins into local rivers. Deforestation has caused massive soil erosion, river siltation, flooding, and drought. Deep in debt, the Philippine government has abandoned any and all legislation passed to protect the rights of indigenous peoples and friction between developers and these peoples is increasing by the day. With a high population growth rate, it is unlikely that the forests of the Philippines will last much beyond the year 2000. During the first few months of 1998, forest fires raged through the forests of Palawan leading the government to plead for international assistance in the firefighting effort. Estimates of the area affected in the first three months of 1998 ranged from 50,000 acres (20,000 ha) to 113,600 acres (46,000 ha). Estimated property and agricultural losses exceeded $12 million. In late April 1998, the government announced plans to end a nine-year ban on log exports to earn much needed foreign exchange, at a time when the market was already flooded with tropical timber from the Asian economic crisis. The announcement, coming as the country battled forest fires, raised quite protest and the government was forced to submit the proposal to public hearings. |
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