Deforestation in the Philippines
[4] To combat deforestation, the Philippine government has made efforts to preserve and restore forests through reforestation projects such as the National Greening Program.
Legislation to protect existing forests have also been proposed and enacted, while non-governmental organizations, Indigenous communities, and the private sector conduct tree-planting activities in various parts of the country.
Data on forestry before 1946 has been sparse, reportedly due to an 1897 fire and World War II that destroyed Spanish and American records respectively.
[10] Following the declaration of martial law in 1972, Marcos handed out concessions to large tracts of land to his senior military officials, cronies,[11] and relatives.
[15] Deforestation remained very high during the Corazon Aquino and Fidel V. Ramos administrations despite tree planting efforts due to corruption and inefficiency in the government agencies involved.
[18] Subsequent research has shown that intensification of existing farmers and improved off-farm income reduced forest pressure.
According to environmental group Alyansa Tigil Mina, the law "legitimizes the plunder of our national patrimony," and that the "situation will only worsen if ChaCha prospers and transnational corporations are allowed to act with impunity.
[29] Deforestation is also caused by land conversion for corporate agriculture, cash crops, real estate, and infrastructure.
Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Secretary Gina Lopez suspended permits for 26 mining operations that violated environmental rules.
[26] In June 1977, President Ferdinand Marcos signed a law requiring the planting of one tree every month for five consecutive years by every citizen of the Philippines.
[37] The law was repealed by President Corazon Aquino in July 1987,[38] through Executive Order 287, which states that the planting of trees "can be achieved without the compulsion and the penalties for non-compliance therewith as set forth in the Decree".
[39] President Benigno Aquino III established the National Greening Program (NGP)[40] with the signing of Executive Order No.
On March 8, 2012, 1,009,029 mangrove trees were planted within one hour by a team achieved by the joint efforts of Governor Lray Villafuerte of the El Verde Movement and the people of San Rafael of Ragay, Camarines Sur.
[27] Local governments, Indigenous communities, and nongovernmental organizations conduct campaigns against destructive practices such as logging and mining.
