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Last of Seventh Parts
In summary, the reasons for the urgent need to
pass the Sustainable Forest Management Act are obvious. Forests are
essential for mitigating global warming, preventing the loss of
lives, the loss of the cultural heritage of Indigenous Cultural
Communities and Indigenous Peoples and the loss of biodiversity
resources unique to Philippine forests. Forests are valuable in
themselves.
The law should reflect this reality. The only
way that this can be done is to incorporate the following principles
in the SFM law:
The law should recognize that the watershed is a
continuum. Its management should be holistic, integrated, and take
into account all the ecosystems that form part of the continuum.
The definition of forests should refer to the
dominant vegetation in the area.
The law should provide a mechanism for valuing
and paying for the ecological services provided by forests.
All natural and restored forests must be
designated as protection forests including those covered by existing
tenurial instruments. Commercial logging and mining should be
totally banned in protection forests.
The law should have a transitory provision that
will cover protection forestlands formerly covered by tenurial
instruments that allowed for natural resource extraction. The
emphasis should be preserving protection forests and any doubt about
this intent should be dispelled.
The law should provide a management scheme for
the remaining open and denuded forests in terms of restoration. This
is to ensure the expansion of protection forestlands in order to
achieve the ideal forest cover of 54 percent of the total land area
of the Philippines. Restoration of natural forests is a primary
objective of the bill given the poor state of our forests and
biodiversity.
The law should provide for guidelines on
buffer-zone management. It is necessary to determine the effective
size of buffer zones for natural forests, watersheds, critical
habitats and other protected areas to prevent encroachment and
reduce pressure on these areas.
Restoration of forests must use indigenous
species. Strictly speaking, reforestation brings back the original
forest with the planting of species native to a particular forest.
The use of fast-growing indigenous species should also be
prioritized in tree plantations.
The management of ancestral lands and domains of
ICCs/IPs should be governed by customary law and excluded from the
coverage of the SFM law.
The law should promote devolution of forest
management to local governments and the participation of different
stakeholders.
A Sustainable Forest Management Council composed
of representatives of LGUs, community-based organizations or
sectoral groups, NGOs, and the academe should be created.
Haribon has been waging its advocacy for the
protection of the remaining natural forests for the past 20 years.
We have never wavered in our position: a ban on commercial logging
and mining in natural forests to ensure that our ecosystems—our
life support systems—will always be there to sustain us. Vested
interests have always prevented the passage of this very important
law. A critical mass of support is needed to push for this
legislation. We cannot afford to delay anymore. At some point we
have to bite the bullet in order for the future to live.
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